X Men : First Class, NOT an oxymoron.

Rating: 9/10 (5 June 2011)

Well after Thor, the pessimist in me was convinced that by the law of averages it had to be downhill for the rest of this summers superhero movies, well i'm really happy to report i was wrong.
This was a fantastic shot in the arm to the X Men franchise and a thoroughly entertaining film. Matthew Vaughn very cannily blends a cold war espionage tale into the fabric of a surprisingly emotional origins story. This is no mean trick and the two elements work well together.
The characters in the film are not one dimensional expositional figures. The film succeeds most in managing to put the audience inside the characters heads (not a Professor X joke) so their actions and reactions within certain scenes are understood and felt on an emotional level and are not just reduced to incidents that move the plot along.
The special effects are top draw and best of all, from the biggest effects to the more unnoticeable ones they all service the audiences experience and understanding of the films story. There is plenty of action in the film, but like the effects, its subservient to the story and not excessive.
The cast are fantastic, everyone of them brings something to their role, regardless of how much screen time they have. As i stated earlier, all the actors are largely to thank for drawing the viewer into a state of emotional understanding of their characters. A smart script and deft hand from director Matthew Vaughn provides a confident and competent foundation for this understanding also.
Bottom line, i think this well worth your money, no one can guarantee your enjoyment, but even a casual viewer would find it hard to dismiss a film such as this, which has been clearly made with a great deal of thought and care.