More than you expect.

Rating: 8/10 (10 December 2015)

While this prequel has its faults, it was great to see another big budget and box office movie that gave us a great story with some depth. Even if movies like this don't involve a lot of risk of getting bad reviews or not making enough money, this was clearly made to be better than it needed to be. Whether the result is good or bad, that's something the world needs more of. I will take this preliminary paragraph to also say that this is the only X-Men movie I've seen, but I have a decent grasp on how the other movies work in relation to this one.
The plot was basically action driven, but not in a spy thriller way. You need to understand and be curious about the villain's plan to appreciate the rest of the film, but it's not that hard to follow. That said, it is useful to have a little background knowledge about the Cuban Missile crisis. The nuclear warfare element is certainly not new, but I don't think the cinematic world will do away with it until there is a permanent solution to the threat of nuclear war in the real world. Connected with the nuclear war plot is the conflict over whether humanity can be trusted with the knowledge that mutants exist. In this case we have three different approaches to this. Charles' approach: humans are equal to mutants and just need to be reasoned with. Erik's approach: humanity is the enemy because they always hate what they don't understand. And Shaw's approach: humanity is inferior and should be extinguished so that nature can take its course. Charles' trust in humanity is what really makes him the "good guy" protagonist.
What I saw as the greatest feat of this movie was character writing. They weren't put together perfectly, but they are written the way characters should be written. All of the mutant's powers contributed to their arcs and personalities in ways that felt like how real people's personalities work. Charles' ability lets him see into people and understand them, and he consequently has sympathy and respect for those around him. This is shown best in the instances when he decides not to employ his telepathic abilities. Eric's constant anger is perfectly explained in how his magnetism works. He thrives on his ability and only ever uses it through rage, so it is rather tragic when we see him lapse deeper into his hatred and fear of humanity at the end after Charles tries to help him become a better man. The whole subplot of Raven and Hank (Mystique and Beast) being conflicted over whether to express their mutation openly is also related to their mutations. This was a shaky basis for the justification of Mystique joining Eric, though. Even Shaw's hunger for war was well-motivated, or it at least made sense. As an audience, we don't agree with Shaw's intentions by any means, but we at least see where he's coming from. Of course, this is limited to the main characters that are developed throughout, but that's not to say that the minor characters aren't written well.
As we've seen with other prequels, there are some necessary events that have to take place so as to maintain continuity. Here, I found that some of these things felt a little forced even though they didn't detract from the overall product. Charles getting shot in the spine worked out okay in the moment, but him talking about going bald was a little bit much. Erik becoming Magneto was better, but then the other mutants choosing sides didn't work out as nicely. It just wasn't necessitated by this movie on its own.
The special effects weren't as spectacular as you might expect for this sort of movie, but the cinematography and directing were awesome. The script and acting were both slightly above par, but you could have a reasonable gripe about either. Henry Jackman has a great and empowering score to accompany the visuals.
If you're looking for action, but want it to be more than just a bunch of fight scenes strung together, this is a great pick. It seems to be conducive to fans of X-Men in general. Just as a warning, the female roles are a little objectified. It's not to an obscene or offensive degree, but it could be annoying to some people. But in a nutshell, it's interesting, entertaining, very well-done, and will stick with you. Overall Rating: 8.4/10.