Sunday, June 26, 2011

X-Men: First Class P.P.M.R (Positively Positive Movie Review)

Since X-Men serves as my second favorite comic, closely following Batman, I was excited, yet anxious, about this prequel. Could it really live up to the expectation I had formed over the years? Could these actors embody the characters I had learned to love as played by others? Could they make it exciting and unpredictable? Yes, yes and YES!



X-Men: First Class does exactly what it's name suggests: it introduces you to the characters that people know and love. It gives you the background on your favorite (or least favorite) characters and tells how the X-Men came to be and it does it without boring you to death! Not only are there surprises and turns but it also includes pieces of history, blended to fit the story. World War 2 and the Cuban Missile Crisis are worked into the movie perfectly, giving depth, history and explanation as to why Magneto and Professor X turn out the way they do.

James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender make an amazing team as Charles Xavier (Professor X) and Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto)! I've always been a fan of McAvoy but was skeptical at first for him in this role. Could he really turn into the man who would guide future mutants into saving the world? I'm sorry James, you did and I was wrong! With an amazing blend of cocky swagger and heartfelt empathy McAvoy embodied Charles Xavier perfectly and gave us insight into the man that would one day drop the cocky swagger and only be known for his heartfelt empathy. Michael Fassbender was virtually unknown to me before this movie and I am thankful for that. I had no idea what to expect and I was impressed (this takes a lot). Fassbender gave life, depth and emotion to the tumultuous life of Magneto that was always spoken of in the previous movies but never formally addressed until now. He provided reason for Magneto's actions and showed an excellent display of talent in his portrayal of so many feelings. These characters were definitely multi-dimensional which can be thanked due to both the writers and the excellent actors.

(The relationship between Professor X and Magneto is superbly done.
Here they show the beginning of many chess games to come.)

If I were to rave about all the amazing talent in this movie I would go on for pages but McAvoy and Fassbender lead a wonderful cast that includes up and coming talents like Jennifer Lawrence (Raven/Mystique) and more experienced actors like Kevin Bacon. Yes, I said Kevin Bacon. It shocked me too but he can play a bad-ass, no question about it!

The movie follows Xavier and Magneto from their childhoods to their meeting to their teamwork and eventual separation into the separate sides of good and bad mutants. The plot is well-written and leaves no questions but it does more than that. It delves into the souls of the characters and creates connections with the older (future) films. The struggles of Raven accepting her mutations mirror the struggles we earlier saw in Rogue but differ for their characters. The plot also gives the audience a deeper look into the life of Magneto and left me, and hopefully others, questioning whether he was really wrong in all of his theories. Did he go about them wrong in later years? Of course but was he really wrong for his feelings? I think not. This is one thing I really loved about this film, the depth it gave that provided me with my Ah-ha moments.

Every comic book-based movie/super hero movies needs action. It is a necessity. This movie does not lack action. There is plenty of action for those who crave fights and explosions. Even more, there is great work with camera angles and special effects! I was amazed at how transformations that I know take massive amounts of work looked so easy. I've always loved the X-Men transformations and they didn't lack in this film, from Mystique to Beast to Angel, you get plenty of transformation.

Another little tid-bit for the fans, you'll have a few cool surprises put in for the loyal X-Men watchers. Cameos are fun ;) However, unlike the other X-Men movies, don't wait until after the credits for extra scenes. Sadly, there are none like all the others. Oh well, I got enough excitement from the film itself!

You may have missed it from my subtle compliments but I loved this film! I can guarantee X-Men: First Class will join my movie collection the day it is released! I suggest this movie not only for all comic book lovers and super hero fanatics but anybody who wants a great storyline that will lead to the discovery of other movies (the rest of X-Men greats).  To anybody who would ask if they should see this I would not only say yes but I'd demand they go as soon as they could!

Movie Rating- No Spoonfuls- No sugar needed to sweeten this review.


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