Best X-flick behind X2. I love you Michael Fassbender

Rating: 8/10 (23 June 2011)

Man V. Freak Evolution has a new name By Ryan Crews 3.5/4 Stars
There once was a tale of a more evolved human kind. A band of outcasts known as the future: the mutant kind. Their story has been and continues to be told through an up and running X-Men franchise, made fresh by its latest installment, X-Men: First Class. First Class is a world class prequel that exposes the pasts of two old chums (as they are seen in the original films: X-1, 2, & 3). Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto (a five-star performance by Michael Fassbender) and Charles Xavier/Professor X (a jolting James McAvoy) join forces to defeat the energy absorbing antagonist, Sebastian Shaw (an evil-intent Kevin Bacon) and his squad of mutant baddies with mutant domination on their mind. The film delves into Fassbender's (Inglorious Basterds) medal-bending maniac's soul-driven desire for revenge against the Nazi regime that stole away his family and into McAvoy's (Atonement) telepathic visions of a mutant and human co-existence. As Lehnsherr misinterprets fascist hatred as the foundation of all human nature, his innocence is lost which develops the passion of Magneto's inner Frankenstein monster. The hatred brewed turns him into the very same prejudiced man that he preys upon, impervious to McAvoy's philanthropic attempts at getting in his head. The direction by Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass) pays homage to Bryan Singer's take on the first two films which adds a depth to the X-Men that had not shown up in the past two installments (The Last Stand and Wolverine). Its storyline is as intriguing as a superhero plot gets. It plants the X-Men straight into the 60's Cuban Missile Crisis and morphs history to its advantage to add to the powerful effect of the film, and the effect is groovy baby. Nicholas Hoult is ferocious as the mad scientist, Hank McCoy/Beast. He comes in and leaves a mark almost as if asking what would a comic book movie be without the nerds? The only weak side of the acting pool comes from Mrs. Betty Draper herself, January Jones (Mad Men) who plays a very comic book feeling villain known as Emma Frost. Frost could have been a dynamic, cinematic creation if only Jones didn't look like she was just there to look hot and read her lines. First Class is full of spectacular visual effects, intense, crafty acting (congrats, Fassbender for the role of the year, so far) and cerebral summer fun without all of the worries of skin cancer. It's an enthralling ride that gets in your mind like Xavier himself as it is full of freaks, geeks, and mystique's (pun intended, nerds). It's totally worth a single days pool-fair.