Generally Solid Stuff

Rating: Null/10 (23 September 2011)

With any Marvel Comics-based material, there's tons of room for error - from cringeworthy "fan tribute" to cardboard characters, to contrived plotting, but this movie handles these risks well and delivers a pretty solid story in the meantime.
McAvoy is perfectly brilliant as a young, cocky Charles Xavier, who's charisma makes him a natural for leadership and whose moral compass steers him clear of the traps that power can bring. Fassbender is chilling and exciting at the same time as Erik Tellisch (spelling?) whose horrifying past has grown in him a grim desire for justice and revenge harder than steel.
Then there's Jennifer Lawrence as Raven, a young woman who finally overcomes her crushing self-consciousness to cast away all masks and become something beautifully lethal. And finally, Kevin Bacon, showing his mastery as a worldly psychopath capable of godlike power.
All these roles are well played with plenty of room for fleshing out and development. And they're backed by a solid action script that weaves real Cold War history into itself as seamlessly as genes in a chromosome.
Specifically, I liked Nolan's original 2 movies a little better (I'll pretend the 3rd X-Men movie didn't happen, and that wasn't him anyway), but Vaughn here does do a great job and this film can stand proudly among its peers in Action/Hero movies.
A good movie. Rent it and enjoy.