Vaughn Conjures up Solid X-Men Origin Story

Rating: 7/10 (8 September 2011)

I saw X-Men first Class at the theater the week it came out and its out on DVD this week. I was not a member of three guys at the time of its release. However, with its DVD now available for viewing this seemed like a good time to write up a review.
This is an X-Men origin story by director/writer Matthew Vaughn. We are introduced to Young Charles Xavier (Prof. X) and Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto) in the early part of the film. Other than some of the cool special effects and smoking hot half naked chicks this may have been my favorite part. Vaughn's origin story of the two characters is very well done. It certainly helps the viewer understand the motivations of the characters later in the film.
As the plot progresses the CIA discovers the existence of mutants in 1962 working for terrorist Shaw (Kevin Bacon). As a response to this threat the CIA recruits Xavier to assemble a team of mutants to work for the CIA. The film then shows a montage of recruitments and mutants honing their powers on both sides of the law. As could be expected conflict follows as we become aware of Shaw's evil plans.
I found the film to be a little bit campy. Other than the origin stories the film is set in the early go go 60's. We see a lot James Bond/Austin Powers type gadgets and shaggy lifestyle depicted. This could have been problematic for the film but it seemed to skate the line of campiness without going full blown over the top with more than a modicum of success.
The special effects and fight scenes in the film are top notch. I especially enjoyed the fleshing out of the Mystique character. Similarly, the way they created and utilized the character Beast was spectacular. Admittedly some of the action was a bit over the top but this is a based on a comic book series and it aiming to be fun escapism. That being the case I felt the film did more than an adequate job in providing fast paced action entertainment.
As an aside for Marvel purists, and comic nerd friends the film does not adhere strictly to cannon and you should prepare yourself accordingly. That being said Vaughn does a good job of capturing the spirit of the X-men and hopefully introducing them to an ever wider audience. Who knows it might even generate some more comic book readers.