X marks the spot

Rating: 7/10 (12 December 2012)

This movie is hard to say if it's a prequel or reboot when the movie opening is similar or the same with that of the first X-Men 2000 movie. At first glance, it can be confusing as it looks like the audience is watching that movie. Erik Lesherr aka Magneto (Michael Fassbasser) seek for the death of Klaus Schmidt aka Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) for the death of his mother during the Holocaust. It takes him forever to find the right time to kill him and the movie fails to connect the dots between what happen to him from childhood to adulthood. Due to the film absenting much of his past, the audience is to believe through flashbacks that he suffers from harsh experiments by Shaw or that he went to work for him, but deep inside wanted to kill him. What ever happen, 1962 Magneto is now on a hunt for Shaw. Michael Fassbasser is brilliant in the role, as he able to speak Spanish, French, English, & German very clear, unlike Kevin Bacon whom Russian and German doesn't match what's coming out of his mouth. Still Michael's voice spokes different between him speaking a foreign language to that or English. His English is in a higher pitch. Michael is able to act in a sinister matter without speaking, and able to portray a man in rage. Magneto soon become a good friend with Charles Xavier aka Professor X (James McAvoy) on his quest when Xavier save his life. McAvoy was able to portray a new light of Charles as a smart young sexed up, self-serving man while having the selfless, egoless good for mankind ideas. Sooner than later, these two men would end up being enemies as both men have different views of life and revenge. Professor X is against murder despite him trying to kill a character later on the film, and him knowing Magneto kill people in the past. There wasn't a hero to really follow and get behind. Fans are not supposed to firmly get behind Professor X or Magneto as they are supposed to see both of their points of view and be a little conflicted. Then with shape-shifter Raven aka Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence). Mystique was never a good person; she was always a manipulative borderline sociopathic monster. But in this one she was one of the good guys despite she was friends with Charles since childhood but totally abandons him paralyzed. Jennifer Lawrence just seems awkward in the role, due to the make-up and CGI being not that good. In some scenes where she changing her form; the body and face doesn't match. She willing to hit on the male leads, as well as supporting character Dr. Hank McCoy aka Beast. The actor looks awkward in the Beast form. The Beast's make up and suit was just not menacing enough. It needed more build to it to make Beast look strong. Charles and Eric go off to find other mutants to join their team against Shaw and his group whom trying to start World War 3 between Russia and USA using real life events such as Cuba Missile Crisis. They got CIA officer MacTaggert, Banshee, Darwin, Havok and nearly got Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. Wolverine would only have the only curse word in the movie. Having Wolverine introduced in the film was to bring the comic fans and fans of the previous films to see the movie, but having Darwin introduced just to be used to be killed off. As for most of the other characters they were only present so the film could demonstrate various powers using today's special effects. Banshee, Havok, etc were nothing but cardboard cutouts. They had no character development what so ever, they were there simply to look cool. Shaw's group made out of Riptide, Angel, Azazel continues to create chaos while Shaw's strongest member Emma Frost (January Jones) put the final touches to the plan, getting the Russians to move their missiles to Cuba. January Jones's Emma Frost isn't much of a character, but more like eye candy. She wears skimpy to no clothes during the film. She gives nothing to the role, like Kevin Bacon gives nearly nothing new to Sebastian Shaw, but the 1960's look to the character. The 1960s setting of X-Men: First Class had that James Bond look. The scene in the bar in Argentina can pretty much look and acts like Michael Fassbender pitch perfect as badass, charming, ruthless and sweet Sean Connery's style personality while having that tense moment western shootout. They did a cool job representing the period like showing old Las Vegas, and the way the character dress in a way it still felt muscular and action-oriented as if reading the 1960's comic book. The X-Men yellow and blue costumes resemble the ones in the original comics, while looking space age for the action scenes. The action scenes were great in the film. Most of the visual and special effects work out. Henry Jackman composed score worked for the film as it goes into a heroic epic super hero theme to disjointed disturbing beat when Magneto does something bad. The film does an OK version of paid homage to the original source material while taking it in a new direction with a fresh, young cast, but it does go wrong with the lore of the story to the point it's beyond fixable. Writers do whatever they want with the characters and their origins and powers and such that the movies don't follow each other. It doesn't even follow the first team of X-men from the book, but if comic books fans are able to turn their mind off and just watch it as a stand alone film. It's watchable. The film has to be an alternate history for the X-Men to work. It stilled a better film, then the previous films like X-Men 3 & Origins.