Don't touch my hair.....

Rating: 9/10 (26 June 2011)

Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time.
Before they were archenemies, they were closest of friends, working together, with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known.
In the process, a rift between them opened, which began the eternal war.....
Strangely enough, one of the most under-hyped summer movies this year, turns out to be one of the best Marvel Adaptions made. Thor and Captain America have the biggest pull this year, Because of the avengers, bu this is a classy film, proving that Vaughn is one cool director, and a great storyteller.
He has got one of he best casts of the year, and managed to get a great performance from everyone of them. McAvoy and Fassbender are simply wonderful as X and Magneto, and kudos to them for not copying their older counterparts ala Ewan Macgregor in the Star Wars prequels.
But the best thing about this is Kevin Bacon, and his sinister verging on the edge of brilliance/highly camp Shaw. He steals every scene he is, and exudes evil as much as he consumes energy.
But as always, with films with a lot of characters, a lot get lost in the fray. Jones is lost, and just spends the time looking pretty, The guy who can make wind doesn't even spout a line, and Flemying should have been used more.
The set pieces here are spectacular, and surprisingly very tense. The attack with Erik and the anchor is exciting with great editing and use of effects, and the attack by Azazel dropping the 'men in black' from the sky has to be one of the set pieces of the year up to now.
It's not just an event movie, this has to be the best X-men film made up to now, and thats down to Vaughn and Goldman thinking beyond the effects and giving us a great story, references to the fates of the X-men, characters to care for, and a narrative that is easy to follow.
And plus we have one of the best cameos of the year.
So all in all, it's not just a great summer movie, it's probably one of the best films released this year.