For the Greater Good... of mutants

Rating: 10/10 (15 June 2011)

"We have it in us to be the better men." "We already are."
When Erick Lenscher uttered those words I finally understood Magneto. I've been reading comics since the 90's and the X-Men have always fascinated me. I heard someone say there were three universes in comics: The DC Universe, the Marvel Universe and the X-Men Universe. Sure the members of the X-Men have appeared and even fought with other Marvel heroes but their struggle has been always apart from the other human heroes. And their main antagonist is Magneto, someone who thinks he is fighting for a noble cause: his and the X-Men's survival. I've always dumped him with other misguided villains but when Erik Lenscher said those words, Magneto is crystallized in his most basic form. He considers himself a totally different being from the rest of humanity. He might even see other humans as aliens or insects and it shows in his actions in the movies as well as in the comics. He does not view human life as sacred like his friend Charles Xavier. That may be the one thing that separates them. Magneto did not flinch from reversing the rockets to kill thousands of soldiers in their warships, he did not flinch when he reversed Cerebro to eliminate humans instead of mutants and he did not flinch when he reversed Earth's magnetic poles and killed millions. That scene when Charles tried his best to understand and even change Erik made the movie great for me.
Also we should not disregard Charles Xavier. He change from a beer chugging lunatic to a serious and dedicated CIA recruit is a bit jarring. But I would think he did not change at all. From the scene in the kitchen when he, as a young boy, first meets Raven to the final scene in the movie, he did not change at all. I would guess he was always composed and aware of everything around him even when he was being a fool.
I liked how he trained the young X-Men and Magneto. It is not hard to see how he will mold his family home into the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters. His portrayal as the person who always have the answers and who always knows everything while not being obnoxious or arrogant is perfect. I think other from telepathic abilities his other mutation is extreme intelligence.