First class story not dominated by special effects

Rating: 7/10 (4 June 2011)

X Men First Class is the latest offering in the x-men franchise. This film goes back to before the previous films and shows us how the x-men were discovered and how Professor X's academy is formed.
I thoroughly enjoyed this film as it took a deviation from the traditional style of flashy CGI and special effects and, instead, has focused on an interesting and engaging story which uses the Cuban missile crisis as a sensational backdrop. In fact, in places, the film appears of a low, almost dated, quality which only acts to enhance the piece. Michael Vaughn has expertly interwoven the rise of the x-men into this not-so-familiar important aspect of world history in such a way that it is not only inspiring but also informative. The depth of the story going back to the torment of Erik's youth brings with it a dark and, at times, disturbing feel which makes this piece slightly gritty and all the more solid. I was surprised by the 12A certificate, generally feeling that a 15 certificate would have been more appropriate.
The performances by the up-and-coming cast are good and for the most part believable. There are certainly no Oscar winners here, but that is more to do with no one cast member standing out due to the shear breadth of story to get through. The casting of James McAvoy as Charles Xavier is truly inspired. He provides a depth to the film which beds in nicely with the story, although a stronger performance would have provided that anchor his character needed to have. This brings me to my main criticism of the film. Taken on its own, this is a perfectly enjoyable piece, however, if watched in the context of the previous films it brings on a new life as there are many subtle links to the wider story which make it engrossing. At over 2 hours long, there is just a little too much meandering of the story to include these links; it doesn't do this a lot, but just enough to detract from an otherwise sensational film. I would have liked to have seen a little more character development from some of the supporting cast as these actors are going to be filling our screens for years to come, and in this film, they were more there as padding.
Having said that, as a non-X-men fan boy and someone who hasn't read the comics this is a perfectly good stand alone film and an excellent addition to the x-men franchise. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Definitely a "one to watch", with performances from "ones to watch".