A prequel that works

Rating: 8/10 (3 June 2011)

Typically when a film franchise decides to move into prequel territory, it rarely bodes well for the quality of the final product. There are, of course, exceptions to the rule, and X-Men: First Class is one of them. First Class brings the X-Men film franchise back from the land of mediocrity it seemed headed toward with the previous entry, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and manages to mine some strong character material by revisiting where everything began.
X-Men: First Class opens in Poland in 1944 (and actually features footage from the original X-Men movie) in which we see young Erik Lensherr tortured by malevolent Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) where he learns to harness his magnetic powers, but only when put through severe emotional trauma. Meanwhile, in America Charles Xavier comes face to face with another mutant, Raven Darkholme, and his family takes her in as an adopted sister. 20 years later, Charles (James McAvoy) is studying for an advanced degree in genetics, Erik (Michael Fassbender) is on a mission to exact revenge on Shaw, and the world at large is just becoming aware of the existence of mutants. Shaw is hatching a plan to turn humans against one another so he and other mutants can emerge victorious from the carnage if humanity goes to war with itself, and only Charles and Erik, who begin recruiting mutants to help them thwart Shaw's plan, stand between humanity and nuclear war.
Many prequels exist simply to fill in the blanks between the known details of a franchise, and X-Men: First Class does tread some of that territory, as to be expected. But, for the most part, First Class works best when delving into the relationships between the characters who would be already established in the future X-Men films. The film focuses a fair amount of screen time on fleshing out Charles and Erik, as well as Charles and Raven, giving their interactions a degree of tragedy and pathos when viewed from the lens of the future. Raven, portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence, gets the majority of the depth that had not even really been hinted at in the other X-Men films, portraying her as someone who views Charles as much more than just an adopted brother, but also having to come to terms with the fact that her natural appearance, covered in blue scales, causes others, even Charles, to flinch, and she begins to realize that her path and Charles' will diverge in the future.
One of the strengths of First Class is in the casting of Kevin Bacon as the villainous Shaw. Bacon manages to deliver both a magnetic and threatening performance, someone who is always seemingly one step ahead of the people around him that he views as inferior to his evolved self. While Bacon is hardly restrained, he doesn't take Shaw over the top into the realm of parody or silliness. The other standout is the always engaging Michael Fassbender in the role of Erik. He embodies the rage and desire for revenge in Erik, on a mission to avenge his tragic past while also never trusting the humans surrounding him. When Fassbender is on screen, he commands the scene, and gives Erik a strong, memorable presence.
Lest you think X-Men: First Class is all darkness and unhappiness, it actually has a rather light touch at times. Director Mathew Vaughan manages to infuse the proceedings often with, dare I say it, a sense of fun, especially in scenes where the various X-Men are learning to use and harness their powers. There is also a degree of homage in many scenes in the film, both to the era in which it is set, the swinging early '60s, and to films of that era (you can't watch the scenes set in the war room and not think of Dr. Strangelove). There is a bit of tweaking of stereotypes of that era, such as sexism and the intolerance that was beginning to melt off society as the decade progresses.
X-Men: First Class is by no means perfect. In an attempt to hit many of the bases of setting up the future films, some elements feel a bit rushed and unexplored, glossed over instead of being given the room to breathe that it sometimes feels like it needs. Also, as with the initial three X-Men films, not all the characters are given the opportunity to be fully drawn, and some of the more peripheral characters are left underdeveloped.
That said, X-Men: First Class performs what would almost seem a cinematic miracle: it manages to save a franchise that many had written off. It is unsure what the future holds for the X-Men films, but if a few more like First Class can be served up, then they will be worth watching.