X-Men: First Class

X-Men: First Class was released on June 1, 2011, in the U.K., and June 3, 2011, in Canada and the United States. It was directed by Matthew Vaughn, written by Ashley Edward Miller, Zack Stentz, Jane Goldman, and Matthew Vaughn, with story by Sheldon Turner and Bryan Singer, and it stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Rose Byrne, Jennifer Lawrence, and Kevin Bacon.

Let me give you a brief history of the X-Men films. The first was released in 2000, and arguably resurrected the superhero genre. Sure Blade came out before X-Men, but Blade is a vampire killer, not a superhero. X2 was released in 2003, and was absolutely brilliant, much better than the first, and to this day, remains one of the best Marvel films ever made. Bryan Singer, director of the first two, left to direct Superman Returns, and Brett Ratner replaced him, directing X-Men: The Last Stand, in 2006. It wasn't as good as the last two, but without a doubt, was much better than X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which came out two years ago. Which brings us to the newest prequel in the X-Men series: First Class.

Initially, this film was supposed to be about the students, and the students only, with little to do with Xavier or Magneto. Thankfully, they took some stuff from the Magneto film they never made, and created a good film here. While not the best of the X-Men films (that remains X2), it's still very good, arguably the second best of the whole series. WARNING: Continuity in this film isn't the greatest. If you're a nitpicker, then do one of two things.
1. Think of this film like a reboot/reimagining of the series, as opposed to a prequel.
2. Don't see this film.

Let's start with the acting. James McAvoy does a brilliant job at creating his own character. I say his own character, because the Xavier we know and love isn't quite here yet. We've got a young one, one who has a sex drive, and very much represents the British 60s culture. He does a great job, and by the end of the film, he has become the Xavier we know and love. However, he won't ever be as good as Patrick Stewart was, but he does come close. Michael Fassbender, relatively new in the acting circuit, does a tremendous job. He's playing a young, angry, vengeful young man, who can move metal with his mind. He perfectly does Magneto, just as good as Ian McKellen did. I feel no sadness that we replaced Ian McKellen with an Irish hunger striker, because he does BRILLIANT. Speaking of striker (or stryker), there is a little reference to a certain stiker (one again, or stryker) in the film, that is hard to catch, but 10 points if you can find it. Also, if you're wondering, yes, he is in this film. A cameo only, though, but still absolutely amazing. The best scene of the film.

With the rest of the cast, first, I'd like to point out that pretty much everybody is Americanized, aside from our two leads. Banshee, originally Irish, is American. Moira MacTaggert, originally Scottish, is American. Azazel, originally demon, is- I'm not sure what he is, but for the sake of this review, let's just say he's American -American. It's a bit sad that they did this. However, all the actors do a good job. It's very nice to see Tony Stonem moving on to bigger things. (You're awesome if you know what I'm talking about.) Also, Beast looks pretty awesome. Jennifer Lawrence, in particular, is the most interesting of the kids in the film. Not only is she the one we spend the most time with, but she's also the most developed. We learn that she desperately wants to be accepted, and finds acceptance with Magneto. Kevin Bacon as villain and leader of the Hellfire Club, Sebastian Shaw.

The direction is great. Matthew Vaughn, who directed Kick-Ass last year, while not the perfect choice, definitely does a good job. While this film isn't as gory as Kick-Ass, he still does a pretty good job. The writing is great, particularily for Magneto. Not only is he one of the greatest comic book villains of all time, but he is all one of the greatest comic book characters of all time. The film is also filled with little references to the other X-Men films.

Overall, if you're an X-Men fan, comic, film, animated series, checking this out is a definite a-must. If you're not, you might find it a bit hard to watch, because the majority of these characters are people you don't know, including Angel, Banshee, Darwin, and Havok. If you don't know any of these people, this film probably isn't for you. While this film is an introduction to these characters, these are people you haven't heard of from the comics, more than likely. Overall, I give this film an 8.5/10, a definite a-must, but only if you're a fan of the comics, films, or animated series.

P.S. Azazel is extremely cool. He's a red Nightcrawler essentially.

P.P.S. Without spoiling anything, they killed off a a character that I found genuinely interesting, and thought was a mistake. They created an interesting opportunity with another of the kids by this guy dying, but didn't use it. That's why this film is an 8.5, and not a 9.

P.P.P.S. There is no end-credits scene, unfortunately, so leave when the credits start people.

P.P.P.P.S. Sorry for so many of these, but the trailer for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was with this film. I can't wait. :)