I'd say it earns itself a solid B

Rating: 8/10 (2 June 2011)

During the Cold War, Magneto joins Xavier in an effort to stop Sebastian Shaw. This movie has the same problems as the others in the franchise... too many characters(leading to not enough development, albeit what there is can be great) and superpowers(and in this, not all of them are even used all that interestingly... Angel didn't need to be in this), if there are good introductions to both. Added are the issues of trying to rush through events in a shortened timeframe and without an excessive running time. It does work out(this keeps to a nice pace), but it doesn't establish things(such as the brotherly relationship between Erik and Charles) as well as it could if it had spread the events out over several films. Still, it fares quite well. It's unlike the others in tone, closer to a Bond flick(and not only because of the period), that happens to have mutants for operatives. It's brutal at times, with Lensherr's quest for revenge. This isn't really "action" as much as "thriller", and build-up and tension is the focus more than battles between people with abilities. The performances are strong, and the actors are well-cast. There are some memorable sequences in this, including the best flight I've seen since the original Iron Man. The humor is hit and miss. There is partial nudity(Mystique) and brief strong language in this. I recommend this to fans of the comic books and the other recent adaptations(except Origins: Wolverine and X-Men 3). 8/10