The Best of the X-Men Franchise

Rating: 8/10 (6 March 2012)

The X-Men series, after a great start, was so run into the ground starting with X2's ridiculous ending, that I wasn't even interested in seeing this in the theaters or on DVD.
Then, one night, I accidentally caught this on cable, and I was shocked by how good of a movie this is. It completely held my interest throughout, mostly thanks to Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy who were perfectly cast as the friends who would one day lead separate factions of mutants.
This movie is about THEM, and they carry it. McAvoy brings a charming playfulness to Professor X that you never saw coming while still having that determination to do right and good no matter the cost that you expect from the character. And his powers, little used in the original movies, are incredibly impressive. Fassbender at first blush would appear to be a one dimensional, out for revenge, character, but as the movie progresses, layers to his character are pealed back. No matter what he is doing, even when brutally disposing of someone, you never get the sense that there isn't a good man inside of him.
The two are unstoppable together, and yet, they are fated to oppose each other.
The birth of Magneto is not unlike Anakin turning to Darth Vader. There are definitely similarities completed by the donning of the helmet at the end. The difference is that this WORKS. It is believable that Erik would become Magneto, and you understand why he does.
It is also completely believable that Raven would join him, and that Xavier would let her go. Erik taught her that she could be who she was instead of searching for human acceptance. For Xavier, mutants being accepted by humans was always important. By letting that go and accepting Erik's view, Mystique was able to accept herself.
There simply wasn't time to give every mutant in the show a backstory; so I forgive the movie for that. Many of the mutants, like the bad guys, were there primarily for the action sets, and that is fine. Kevin Bacon is always a good bad guy and his Sebastian Shaw is truly a formidable bad. He had to be to stand up to Xavier and Erik.
I think his demise is one of the best villain kills in cinema. LOVED it.
Emma Frost was an underused character that ultimately served as little more than to add some sexiness to the movie. I am a little curious as to why she seems to have two mutations while everyone else has one, but I suppose its that way in the comics.
The backdrop of the 60s and the Cuban Missile Crisis gave this a real world conflict feel that I believe added to the uniqueness of the movie. If nothing else, it served as a constant reminder that this was a prequel.
I also like that Rose Bryne's character added a normal human to the X-men ranks.
Did the Wolverine cameo make sense? Doesn't the guy age? It was another strength of the movie that it didn't hinge on Wolverine. His character is relatable so he worked well as the main in the first movie, but he is too one-sided to be very interesting for long. I can sum Wolverine up in one sentence- I am always angry. That isn't going to hold my interest for 4 movies.
Props to Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy. You have made the X-Men great again.