X-Men First Class review

Rating: Null/10 (18 October 2011)

X-Men First Class Directed By: Matthew Vaughn Written By: Ashley Edward Miller, Zack Stentz, Jane Goldman, Matthew Vaughn, and Sheldon Turner
This is your chance to get in your time machine and go back to where it all started. The fifth film in the X-men collection is a prequel, set forty years before X-men, as we know it. It introduces Professor Charles/Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto past life, as their two main key characters. X-men First Class Explains how they developed their individual statuses and nicknames. Matthew Vaughn gives X-men fans the inside scoop, while creating opportunity for potential fans to get involved, as the audience and characters simultaneously discover new and existing mutant behaviour. X-men first class breaks down different forms of evolution and the repercussions their powers have on characters personal life. Nevertheless I feel Vaughn could of focused on three or four main characters, rather then introducing many new mutants who have no relevance to the other films. This could possibly confuse audiences and also make them lose interest while watching as they wait for their favourite X-men to pop up, such as Hank McCoy/Beast and Raven Darkholme/Mystique. Vaughn is successful in explaining Xavier and Magneto's ongoing rivalry, and how they become enemies, considering they started as a team. It begins in 1944, Poland, Erik Lehnsherr is only a young boy when he has to witness his mother being murdered at concentration camp, by the wicked Dr. Sebastian Shaw. Unfortunately Dr. Shaw's control is short lived, as the anger he causes Magneto increases his ability, and to Dr. Shaw's dismay he becomes uncontrollable. Vaughn also highlights Magneto's venerable side, giving audiences the chance to empathise and reason with why he is rebellious. Meanwhile in New York, fortunate Charles Xavier is living a plush, educated lifestyle when he stumbles across the mutant Raven hustling for a meal, he sympathises with her and takes her in, as she is homeless, showing from the jump off his caring and neutering character. 18 Years later, 1962, the CIA agent Moira MacTaggert discovers the existence of mutants and works alongside Dr. Shaw to try and eradicate them all. They then hire Professor Xavier to gather mutants to work for the USA government. However Xavier soon realises the evil Dr. Shaw is planning to begin a nuclear war to destroy the world and increase his power. Resulting in the beginnings of the war of Mutants versus Humans. The film ends quite abruptly and I fell Vaughn could of paid more attention to detail when directing the final scenes that essentially set the whole X-men story. X-men first class fits the form of previous films in what a viewer could expect, from usual youthful behaviour to battling the world. So if you are a X-men fan and want to catch up with some of your favourite characters or you just want to experience a young, action packed, sci-fi film, check out the latest of the X-men films, as Vaughn depicts key unanswered questions.