Enjoyable adaptation that only narrowly misses out on being great

Rating: Null/10 (17 August 2011)

I was really looking forward to this for a long time and was not disappointed as it turned out tense, immersive, pacy, full of action and generally great fun. I'm really enjoying seeing director Matthew Vaughan grow too and having enjoyed his output so far am intrigued to see where he goes next. Here he manages to direct a well balanced comic book adaptation managing to navigate between the Hollywood, self-knowing, smart-ass movies (Iron Man 2) and the oh-so-serious (Dark Knight). However as an origins piece it does take away valuable time from any deep story lines so while being very good I couldn't quite allow myself to say great.
The cast all put in decent performances with the main players particularly working well together with strong support being a mix of new comers and experience. Kevin Bacon's Sebastian Shaw is a dastardly solid villain while James McAvoy as Charles Xavier has that easy likability (blandness?) he's had since TV's Shameless. However, its Michael Fassbender's Erik/Magneto that stands out here but then I find he's consistently spot on with his performances anyway. (I don't want to say 'this is only a comic book adaptation' but check out Hunger or Fish Tank two wonderful though very different films for an example of his talent.)
Although this is a prequel it does not exist in the same Marvel universe as the other X-Men films. The poor X3 Last Stand showed a bald Xavier walking while in this offering we see him supposedly paralyzed yet with a full head of hair. Although the film strays from certain origins (and endings!) it's nice for the comic crowd to see the Hellfire Club in there and also touches like introducing William Stryker Sr too. These little details I found fun as they gave fans a knowing extra while not sneering at those who didn't get it.
Even though it is quite long for this type of feature I felt comfortable with the pace of the film. The introductions as they start building the team come rapidly but do not seem rushed. Similarly the training section follows a similar quick fire fashion effectively conveying progress and growing friendships in a minimum of screen time.
Relationships form the backbone of the film - not just human/mutant but Erik/Xavier, Xavier/Mystique, Mystique/Erik, Erik/Shaw - and I was impressed the way the film let many intertwining strands play out while keeping the story moving and not focusing too hard on one at the expense of others.
This evenhandedness is really where the film excels as it shares the burden well between the players rather than rely too much one character (thinking of Wolverine). McAvoy and Fassbender draw out a really warm and believable relationship and even though most watching will know their fate the tension is upheld (far better than in say the Star Wars prequels and Vader's turning) and their affinity portrays genuine regret at the routes they must take.
Characterisation is strong for the main although the female parts all have traits seemingly based on classic Hollywood feminine stereotypes Mystique is very needy, Angel terribly insecure and Emma Frost while one of the most powerful mutants is dominated first by Shaw and then literally by Magneto who in a classic male fantasy straps her to a bed and asphyxiates her. Not to say the male characters are above suffering from similar anxieties or complexes - Havoc cannot control himself while Xavier can't stop trying to control everyone - but the mutant world is definitely still a man's world. We could call fault with the original text but I think this could have been avoided without loss of narrative.
The film is a bit heavy-handed with the theme of not fitting in although it was slightly surprising that given the era it didn't touch on the civil rights movement. However it's not quite the simple reflection of diversity and tolerance faced in our society so steering clear may have actually been wise. One thing I did find a tad irritating was the time line. When so much effort was put into other details it just seemed lazy rather than down to artistic license. I'm a moderate fan rather than a fanboy geek but to my knowledge I would have placed Banshee much older than he appears and I'm not sure Havoc would have even been born at this time. I could be wrong and of course this means nothing to those who don't care/know the comics and has no influence on the story other than mild elitist-antagonism for those who may.
After the initial excitement I was also little disappointed that the Sixties setting was really only highlighted by giving the female characters shorter skirts and higher boots. Attitudes of the era may have been signified briefly in the offhand objectification of women at the Hellfire Club but it hardly seems as if Hollywood needs the sixties as an excuse to show lingerie clad women. The Cuban missile crisis was nicely tied in to Shaw's fiendish plan and it's actually here that I thought it was most Sixties-esque as Shaw is very much the early Bond villain complete with sharp suits, private submarine and well stocked bar. The fashion in which he dismisses Emma to get his ice is pure Sixties kitsch.
Although not as stylised as other comic book adaptations the environments were richly constructed, characters believable, story interesting and immersion into the world easy for the viewer. The only time I had a slight reality twinge was in the final 'the real enemy is out there' speech where I suddenly became very aware I was watching an actor in a dorky helmet but I can easily forgive that. Although a bit light in places it remains a superior version and a very enjoyable few hours.
8 out of 10