Mutant And Proud

Rating: 7/10 (4 June 2011)

Evil mutant Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) plots to start World War III. He is ably assisted by bad girl mutant Emma Frost (January Jones). He is resisted by good mutant Charles Xavier (James McAvoy)—the future Professor X—and ambivalent mutant Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender)— the future Magneto.
This prequel to the X-Men franchise has a groovy, Sixties James Bond/Mad Men feel. There are go-go dancers, miniskirts, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. JFK, Khrushchev, and SPOILER ALERT a certain adamantium-clawed mutant all make cameo appearances. But at the center is fan favorite Mystique's (Jennifer Lawrence) contemporary struggle to accept her mutant identity. You can almost hear Lady Gaga singing "Born This Way" on the soundtrack.
Director Matthew Vaughn does a good job keeping the action moving, but with all this plot—not to mention six different writers—some of the character development gets lost. We barely get to know one mutant before he's killed off. Still, overall, this is a successful reboot, and the fanboy in me is looking forward to a sequel. Sentinels, anyone?