The first two X-Men films were about as good as super hero movie get. Smart, funny, exciting, made with filmmaking prowess by director Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects). When Singer took a break from the franchise to direct Superman Returns, Fox hired director Brett Ratner to direct X-Men: The Last Stand, and every aspect of the series took a downward turn in quality. Perhaps it was just because my expectations were lowered, but I found the follow-up, X-Men Origins: Wolverine to be a little more enjoyable, but it was still extremely problematic. The bloom was definitely off the rose for what had once been one of my favorite franchises.
When it was announced that Singer wanted to come back for the prequel, X-Men: First Class, I dared to hope that there might still be some life left in the X-Men. and, even though Singer had to relinquish the director's chair (due to other commitments) to Matthew Vaughn, it's still Singer's vision of the world and the characters in it that makes First Class a welcome return to form. It's not quite as good as the first two films, in my opinion. But it's a huge step back in the right direction. Interestingly, there are enough blatant contradictions of events and details from part 3 and 4 that it indicates those may now be considered apocryphal. Or, more, likely, those things will just never be addressed. Either way, this is a sequel to the first two movies that all but ignores what came after.
James McAvoy plays young Charles Xavier as a much more cocky, energetic character than the one we've come to know, but we certainly see the seeds of Patrick Stewart's iconic characterization. Michael Fassenbender's Magneto is almost the Wolverine of this movie: the dark, brooding anti-hero who seems uncertain of which side he's on. Jennifer Lawrence is certainly adds more layers to Mystique than Rebecca Romijn ever did, and her brother-sister relationship with Xavier, and her budding romance with Beast (Nicholas Hoult), both add depth and humanity to the film. It's also great fun to see Kevin Bacon as smarmy villain Sebastian Shaw.
Director Vaughn gives the film a "groovy" 1960s style reminiscent of a Sean Connery James Bond film, and has a very good handle on the suspense and action. The movie isn't tacky and garish like Brett Ratner's Last Stand. And it's not sloppy and half-baked like Gavin Hood's Wolverine. It's solidly crafted, quality summer entertainment, and for the first time in years I'm excited to see where X-Men goes next.
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