Rock solid and hugely enjoyable

Rating: 10/10 (2 June 2011)

I don't want to rehash the plot of this X-Men origins movie - either you don't care because you're not interested, or you're looking forward to the movie and want to find out for yourself, or you're so keen to know that you've looked it up already. Suffice it to say that, like the best adaptations, there's enough of the original material to remain true to the spirit, but enough variation to keep you interested and surprised. It is a very satisfying story with - so importantly! - a very good script.
The film is brilliantly cast and the performances are uniformly excellent, with the central performances of McAvoy and Fassbender being the note-perfect glue which holds the whole thing together (please excuse the mixed metaphor!). Jennifer Lawrence's Raven is also a creation of shifting emotional layers.
The effects and set pieces are executed flawlessly, with the sole exception of Emma Frost changing back from diamond form, which doesn't really convince (neither does January Jones, who doesn't really convey very much of the Emma Frost I expected).
There is a single, completely unnecessary, F-bomb.
Overall, though, this film is great fun, terrifically entertaining, carries some emotional wallop, and has jumped straight to first place as my favourite X-Men film.