[Review] X Men: First Class

Michael Fassbender as Erik Lensherr

If you were anything like me, you would have enjoyed the first X Men movie, loved the second, and wondered what the hell went wrong in number three. As a result, you might have been somewhat sceptical about another X Men film – and a prequel to boot. Xavier, without his chair? No Wolverine? In the Sixties? Well check your doubts at the door, sit down, and enjoy.

There’s a lot to love about this movie. Beginning in 1944, we see the young Erik Lensherr discovering his power over metal in a concentration camp, while privileged Charles Xavier encounters the young Mystique foraging for food in the kitchen of his family’s home. Fast forward to 1962, and the world stands on the brink of nuclear war between the US and Russia. As ever, there is also a war brewing between mutants – those who wish to defend the humans, and live among them, and those who don’t want to have to hide. On one side is Xavier, a gifted telepath whose research into mutation brings him to the attention of the CIA. On the other is Sebastian Shaw (a fantastically campy Kevin Bacon), a mutant able to absorb any kind of energy you can throw at him.

As with every X Men movie, there are undercurrents surrounding the persecution of anything deemed as “different”, as well as the continual struggle for self-acceptance, which is played out beautifully between Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique and Nicholas Hoult’s Beast. The strength of the film lies in the fact that it doesn’t rely on the same mutants that we see in every X Men outing. There is no Rogue, Storm, Cyclops or Jean Grey. Instead, we have the likes of Havok (Cyclops’ younger brother), Banshee, Azazel and Emma Frost (always surprising she was absent from the earlier films). They don’t come encumbered with expectation as they’re not familiar to non-comic book fans, meaning the audience get to discover the characters at the same time that they’re discovering themselves.

I thought it would be almost sacriligeous to see actors who weren’t Patrick Stewart or Ian McKellan playing Xavier and Magneto but it’s a testament to James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender that they pull it off so well. McAvoy lends an air of cheeky charm to the normally po-faced Xavier, and Fassbender brings a depth and range to Magneto that elevates him from just “villain”. There has always been that air of deep friendship between them, despite their differences, and here you get to see why.

Besides all of this, it’s a gorgeous period piece, full of fun Sixties costumes and music. More than one reviewer has expressed the opinion that Fassbender should be the next James Bond and I couldn’t agree more. Sure, the film might not be a hardcore adaptation of existing origins stories but considering the myriad of comics available, doing any kind of faithful adaptation is difficult at best. Full of sparky dialogue and impressive set pieces, this X Men movie truly is First Class.