reasonably - better then th x-men movies before, but not very convincing

Rating: 6/10 (16 June 2011)

A Story about upcoming mutants who get to learn their strengths and are united for the First time under Charles Xavier. 'Friends' Charles and Magneto combine their efforts, until Magneto separates himself and his followers and turns against mankind definitely.
The movie is better than the X-men before, but has soft scenes with a lot of mumbling and which are too slow, there are some times obvious computer animations like at the beach of Cuba and a weak storyline. The characters are without any aura, although Shaw, Xavier, Magneto and Mystique are reasonably convincing.
There are many cases which are not understandable, like: Magneto who at the end of the movie doesn't stop the bullets, but let's them bounce of to the right and left (Charles get's invalid because of the hits of one of those bullets) while Magneto just had stopped tens of missiles in the air and had let them flip and sent back to the ships where they came from. Too bad, but we don't fall for that. Also Mystique, who easily turns to the side of Magneto while she always was with Charles. It is unbelievable and very hypocrite of her. Very funny are the butterfly girl and the air boy. It looks so stupid. Also unbelievable and mean is Charles Xavier, who at the end of the movie wipes the memory of the CIA-agent. Imagine: you helped faithfully someone to save the world and what do you get as gratitude? Someone wiping your memory. I can imagine that she would try to recollect her memory like in the movie 'memento' to find the suspect and take hold of him. Yes, mankind is right in taking on the mutants. Xavier is not honest and Magneto knows what is right. Bad guy becomes good guy.
Besides that. To let the story be told in the time of the Cuba- missile crises is a bit too easy. Much more interesting is to let the story evolve in something much more frightening. Like in our schools or whatever. The Cuba- missile crises is used much often in other movies and wasn't really convincing in x-men. And why the Nazis's? As the ultimate evil? Yes, perhaps, but it is also used a lot often in movies. Wouldn't just a random murder on his mother be more convincing? Or just another, unique history of Magneto and Charles? It is all too common. And about the title, First Class. Yes, the first class of Charles. But was the movie really about his first class? No, the movie was about good versus evil. The training of his first class etc. was just a fraction of the movie. The first class of Charles has a subordinate role.
A plus is that in the movie Russian, English and German is spoken in the right context. You don't see it that often. And Kevin Bacon did that well.
Everything together is my conclusion that it is a entertaining movie, but superficial and with too many weak or not strong enough happenings. That is why I rate this movie a 6.
Zeno Snoei