X-Men: First Class

A prequel to the X-Men series, X-Men: First Class follows Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) as he and future Magneto Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender) team up to round up other mutants and, eventually, battle a maniacal supervillain (Kevin Bacon’s Sebastian Shaw) bent on world domination. It’s a relatively simple premise that’s employed to consistently watchable effect by director Matthew Vaughn, with the inclusion of several striking sequences within the film’s opening half hour – eg Bacon’s character goads a young Erik into unleashing the full extent of his powers for the first time – effectively establishing a fun, fast-paced, and distinctly retro feel that proves impossible to resist. At the same time, however, X-Men: First Class suffers from a pervasively uneven atmosphere that is, in its early stages, most keenly reflected in the disparity between Lensherr’s revenge-fueled exploits and everything else (ie Fassbender’s commanding performance is just that engrossing). And although the film does begin to improve once Lensherr and Xavier begin working together, Vaughn offers up a flabby midsection that’s devoted primarily to the training of the team’s various members in preparation for the inevitable showdown – with the inherent tediousness of such moments heightened by the lack of compelling younger characters (ie none of the new X-Men possess the charm or charisma of, say, a Wolverine or a Cyclops). The ongoing presence of admittedly electrifying stand-alone sequences – eg Lensherr single-handedly storms the well-guarded home of a Russian politician – plays a key role in keeping things interesting throughout, while the exciting, thoroughly engrossing third act ensures that the movie finishes on an unexpectedly positive note. The end result is an above average entry within a consistently entertaining franchise, and it goes without saying that future installments set in this universe will probably fare a whole lot better (ie with the groundwork now firmly set into place, the series can explore further adventures in this era without all the backstory and exposition).

*** out of ****