Another great installment. But where to rank it!?

Rating: 10/10 (6 June 2011)

I almost want to say 'hands down, best X-Men movie thus far' but I just cant decide. First class did have it all. The writing was pretty clever, the way they wrote the main story around the Cuban missile crisis. The actors portrayed every character flawlessly. There were beautiful women; beautiful men for that matter, and plenty of action and momentum to keep you pumped throughout the film. Even a cameo that made a few hairs stand up, from sheer BAD- ASS.
We are inducting this movie into the franchise; and with honor I'd say. Its not a reboot or a sequel or even a prequel. Just another story line in the creative world of X-MEN. We started with the first 3 films followed by the epic spin off 'Origins: Wolverine' and now we get to witness how it all started with 'First Class'. These first four films success are greatly thanks to Wolverine. Played by, in every film, Hugh Jackman. Geniusly I am definitely gonna add. I think we can all agree, for sure, that Jackman cannot be out played for the role of everyones favorite X man. Not just the almost freakish way he physically looks like the character but the way he becomes Wolverine is what really takes you away. This is where the conflict comes in as far as where to rank the new installment, critically. Taking the franchise in a new direction, first class introduces characters not as popular as Wolverine. An X-Men movie without him!? This may be a disappointment to movie goers. Despite these new characters, you most definitely will not be disappointed.
First off, I have to say excellent job to Michael Fassbender playing Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto. Right away, his performance makes the absence of wolverine extraneous and makes way for a character even more powerful and just as conflicted. Fassbender Plays magneto brilliantly as well. Before this film, Magneto was arguably, the top super villain created. Post film, I will say with confidence "thee number one" super villain. As its told in this film, Erik Lehnsherr is a Jewish German whose family is taken to concentration camps in 1944 Nazi Germany. But is emancipated by Sebastian Shaw played; wonderfully evil by Kevin Bacon, to be an apprentice slash lab rat. As Lehnsherr grows up, he is fueled by hate for what had happened to him and his family and sets out for revenge. He advances his powers with rage and anger, becoming an extremely powerful and deadly weapon. Within his campaign he meets a man named Charles Xavier, played by James McAvoy. Who for the first time in his life, gives Lehnsherr some sort of vision and feelings besides his tunneled focus for revenge charged by hate.
McAvoy brings into being, a Professor X with a bit more spice then I would have expected, compared to his older self played perfectly by Patrick Stewart in the first three installments. Despite his early mild frat boy style we still see Xavier compose the authentic trait of compassion we all know to be Charles Xavier. It was a nice surprise to see a young, newly deemed professor, with other things on his mind, like girls and having fun rather then his life devoted focus for helping mutants and man kind alike. As we see the professor start to develop that life long devotion, James gives us a benevolent, yet thrilling ride into those big shoes Xavier will have to fill to become Professor X.
With a mutual compassion for the discovery of new mutants, Together Erik and Xavior become a team, finding and offering mutants a chance for something great. We get to see mutants like Havok, and Beast played by Lucas Till and Nicholas Hoult and other familiars like the young Mystique played by Jennifer Lawrence. These young group of kids struggle to harness and control their great gifts, with the first of many lessons taught by Professor X. With common enemies, the team helps agent Moira MacTaggert, played by Rose Byrne, and the CIA find the extremely dangerous Sebastian Shaw. A mutant powerful enough to turn humans against each other using nuclear war, with the intention of the extinction of homo sapien and the rise of mutants.
This is an epic adaptation and one of many possible story lines in the X-Men universe. Its a story of coming of age and fulfilling your responsibility for who you are meant to be. A tale of a two sided coin where on one side a man raised by hate and fear believes our species to be an ignorant race and will only fear what they do not understand. Which will lead to a violent vindication towards mutants, and a war to the death. While on the other side, another man believes that even though this may be true, there is good in everyone and this war will be fought to educate the world to result in peace and unity. No matter the side, war is inevitable and both sides will fight for their beliefs, at all costs.
As a Marvel fan boy, keep um coming! There are so many characters and so many ways Marvel studios can take them. Maybe there are some things that didn't exactly happen in the very first comic book. Or maybe the time line is a bit off here or there. So what, these stories are wonderful cinematic adventures! We can rate these movies all day, and each film will see every spot on the rank line, but no doubt, each one are incredibly entertaining and totally fun to watch. If you're like me and these Marvel films bring you back to when you were Wolverine fighting Magneto on the playground at lunch, or if you have never even heard of the X-men you will enjoy them all. As far as rank goes 'Hands down best X-Men movie thus far' Why don't you guys see it, and let me know.