X-Men: First Class Reviews

I liked this movie a great deal, while not as good as the first two movies it is an improvement on Wolverine. It is not among my favourite superhero movie but I can think of worse. It is not perfect by all means, while it was good to start with with a touch of atmosphere some of the music later on became rather generic and Jennifer Lawrence I had mixed feelings on, great looks and personality but sometimes forced delivery and her character being not as well developed as the rest. The visuals however are spectacular, with imaginative photography and editing and first-class special effects, costumes, lighting and settings. The story is mostly compelling with the action/thriller based moments genuinely intense and cracking while making way for some nuances on the social and political side of things. The script is well written too with some memorable lines, the film is well paced generally and Matthew Vaughan's direction is what makes the film so fresh. The acting is fine mostly, Kevin Bacon is a good and charismatic villain but James McAvoy and especially Michael Fassbender are terrific. Overall, very good and fresh. 8/10 Bethany Cox

iyidi güzeldi x menlerin başlangıcını anlatıyo turkey diyince evin içinde bağırdım türkiye dediği için proföser x, wolverine cameosu güzeldi gerisinde çok bişey yok ama süper kahraman filmlerine göre güzel

The previous installment in the X-Men franchise was the appalling, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which was reviled by franchise fans and critics alike. The title and placement of the colon in said title suggests that perhaps there was an intention to create an entire spin-off franchise revolving around the origins of various X-Men characters. And while the extremely negative reaction to X-Men Origins: Wolverine seemed to have stopped any plans for future "X-Men Origin" films, X-Men: First Class plays out very much like an origin movie. We witness the beginnings of Charles Xavier, Mystique and Megneto in this film (among other mutants), and thankfully, the results are much better this time than the last.

The plot is fairly simple. Set in the 1960's (not that you would be able to tell thanks to clearly non-researched fashion choices), X-Men: First Class reunites several of the X-Men from the previous films (though they are much younger due to the time period), as well as introduce a few new mutants. They all must work together to stop an evil villain bent on world domination. And though you probably think you've seen this before (and you likely have), there's more to it underneath the surface.

X-Men: First Class is an interesting film in that it feels like it has been directed by two completely different people. The first half of the film is remarkably entertaining with a smartly written script and engaging characters. Unfortunately, the second half of the film contains script contrivances and idiocy to the same degree of the previous X-Men films and ends with a fairly standard (and lengthy) CGI-filled action sequence. The only director credited is Matthew Vaughn, so despite the differences in the two separate halves of the film, the only logical conclusion that can be drawn is that Vaughn was responsible for both parts of the film. But this doesn't make my job here any easier, as this will require me to talk about the two halves individually as though they were different films.

The first half of X-Men: First Class is, in a word, smashing. It's a spectacular collage of well-written character scenes and stylish action sequences. There's some drama, a bit of comedy, and a real human touch that is so often neglected in these kinds of films. The writing is sharp. While the previous X-Men films (even at their best) were often laughably stupid, the first half of X-Men: First Class is the exact opposite. It's intelligently written and directed, and richly developed. At times, it even goes as far as to explain previously raised questions from the last films (though it does so in non-obvious ways, thankfully minimizing exposition). The first half of this film is perhaps the best we've seen from the X-Men franchise.

Seeing the younger versions of these likable characters from the previous films provides some interesting dynamics. We see characters like Charles Xavier as a more fun-loving young man (and with a full head of hair!), and we witness Mystique in a more innocent phase (making her exit in X-Men: The Last Stand all the more unsatisfying). This concept could have been gimmicky and cutesy, but the writing is so sharp that everything manages to work exceedingly well.

And then, we must unfortunately talk about the second half of the film, which lacks the majority of the first half's considerably strengths. The problems here are numerous (and not unlike those that plagued all the preceding X-Men chapters): poor writing, boring action, bland characters, and others. The darker tone expressed in the film's first half is jarringly changed to a more light and comedic one. And one particular romance that develops between Mystique and another X-Men results in some of the film's weakest writing.

Several new characters are introduced in the second half, and none of them are interesting or have personality traits. They're almost completely interchangeable. The writing steps down several notches for the other characters too, which is incredibly disappointing because they were so smartly written in the first half of the film.

Those looking for the kind of plots holes or undefined powers that have become a series trademark will enjoy the second half more than others. The abundance of them here is as expansive as in any other X-Men film. And the very ending itself leaves a number of questions (and potentially contradictions with the previous films). There are continuity problems as well, though they thankfully aren't as blatant as they were in X-Men Origins.

One other recurring problem that is present both halves is the film's tendency to provide "humorous" winks and self-referential humor pointing towards the previous X-Men films. These tend to be more obnoxious than funny. The exception is a surprisingly well-handled encounter with an X-Men from the preceding films. This short scene may very well be the comedic highlight of the series so far, and is hilarious enough that one can forgive the continuity issues this scene causes.

The acting is as strong as it's ever been. The new cast members keep the integrity of the originals, but they put their own fresh spin on each character. Charles Xavier is now portrayed by James McAvoy, who actually manages to match the skill of Patrick Stewart's own performance of the same character. Less successful (and incredibly overrated) is Michael Fassbender as Young Magneto. His performance is solid, but little else. Part of this can be blamed on the weakness in his character's writing (the only character in the first half who is given little development or personality), but part of the skill of Ian McKellan's performance as the same character was being able to elevate material that wasn't always so great. Fassbender fails to do so.

On the other hand, Jennifer Lawrence manages to make the dialogue work, even when it falters in the second half of the film. Kevin Bacon portrays a boring villain with as much character as he could probably get out it. Child actors Laurence Belcher and Morgan Lily are lovely in a single short scene at the beginning.

Henry Jackman's score, while more pronounced than the other X-Men scores, is fairly problematic. The biggest issue is his handling of the Magneto character, which is surprisingly misguided. We have come to know Magento as a conflicted and intricate villain (even if this film doesn't always manage to get that across). But his theme suggests a stereotypical bad-to-the-bone antagonist. One especially poorly scored scene is when Magneto brutally murders three men in a pub. Jackman's score here seems to actually glorify this course of action (the electric guitar doesn't help at all), rather than focus on the horror, or even the sadness that has lead to these murders. At other moments, the score crosses into self-parody moment (especially during the final action sequence).

While the first half is slick, stylish and loads of fun, X-Men: First Class hurts itself significantly in the second half. A lot of the second half is slow and comparatively uninteresting, and that works against the film. During this time, you begin to remember all the things you loved so much about the previous X-Men films that aren't present here (namely Ian McKellan). And because you're less engaged, the plot holes and continuity issues seem so much more obvious. That's not to say the second half of X-Men First Class is bad. It's perfunctory and entertaining enough. But it just feels so uninvolving after the riveting first half. X-Men: First Class is still arguably the best X-Men film so far, but not by as a wide a margin as one would initially expect.

X-men first class wasn't the height of Marvel films, but it wasn't the bottom either( the hulk before norton did it anyone?). Overall it was a really well done movie & I loved how they played the mutants in with the cold war. Things like that always make me think & imagine what life would be like if those situations were what actually happened.

& afterall isn't that what movies are really about? escaping reality.

X-Men: First Class was impressive. I really enjoyed it. This film is proof that superhero movies can survive the next decade. It was sleek, stylish, had a great cast and had an admirable attention to details. It's clear to see that this film is modern. It's new. It's for everyone. Gone are the old and mature atmosphere of the previous X-Men films. First Class is young and it knows it.

Once again I'm going to point out the fact that I'm no comic book fan so I found some scenes confusing, as well as the placements of some characters. Unlike most others, especially the previous X-Men films, this one requires a lot of back knowledge and information because I was lost most of the time. Even though the overall effect was very entertaining, it just wasn't that accessible.

From the performances, I thoroughly enjoyed James McAvoy as Charles Xavier and Michael Fassbender as Erik Lensherr. Here I was thinking that no-one could replace Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen in their iconic roles but these two proved me wrong. Both were indomitable, right from the start to the finish. Even though I liked the casting of -well-knowns and not-so-well-knowns in supporting roles, none of the characters were developed, and many don't rise up to the level they were supposed to. In short, under-developed characters, but good performances. Kevin Bacon was surprisingly awesome in his role as Sebastian Shaw. He tackled his character as if Shaw were an Austin Powers villain, or an Inspector Gadget one.

In conclusion, I really enjoyed X-Men: First Class, but it could've done times better in the character-development department because, honestly, many felt cardboardish and not strong enough.

8.0/10

Some parts of this I found quite well done but there is much I find quite annoying in regards to how far off they went from the comics. One huge example is Emma Frost aka the White Queen, there were certain things that she couldn't have done until a certain age, so in this movie they have her older, but then in Wolverine you see her quite young with the same ability.

After hearing here and there that this movie was great (it was even the best movie released in 2011 according to IMDb for a while), I was really curious to check it out. Eventually, I thought it was a solid and entertaining super-hero flick but I can’t say I was really blown away by the whole thing. I mean, the story was decent, there was an awesome cast and it was fun but, honestly, except for moving the action to the 60’s and give us some younger versions for (some of) the characters, there was honestly nothing really revolutionary about this prequel. After 4 movies, I’m actually pretty much done with this struggle concerning the X-men whether they should exterminate human-kind or accept that they will be always considered as some weird freakish outcasts. It was interesting during the 1st two movies but now, it’s getting rather tiresome and I wish they would move on towards something else. Furthermore, pretty much like any other X-men feature, there was again the same issue that there was just way too many characters involved and, except for 2 of them, the rest was not developed and they were basically limited to do a few tricks from time to time. Still, even though it was nothing amazing, I still enjoyed this flick. Indeed, there was one thing that made this movie stand out from the rest of your average super-hero movies and it was the relationship between Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr. Even though the rest of the movie was pretty standard, those 2 characters were very well written and their relationship, how it started, how it evolved, was really interesting. Furthermore, James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender both gave some very good performances so I was really hooked when both men were on the screen. To conclude, even though I tend to think this movie is rather overrated, it is indeed one of the better super-hero movies out there and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

There came a point, about half way through this film, when I emerged from the world of wonder on screen, took stock of my emotions in that instant, and realized that yes, by God, I am LOVING this movie.

I didn't really expect to, of course -- although certainly, I hoped for it. With such an incredible cast, an able director at the helm, a story of Bryan Singer provenance and the inclusion of some of my favorite, if lesser known, X-types (Darwin! Tempest! Havok!), I was eager to see this beloved band of merry Marvel mutants redeem themselves after the massive failures of X3 and X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE.

Which they do. And how!

One thing that the avid comic fan must do when approaching this movie, however, is to divorce themselves utterly from almost all established four-color X-Men continuity. Oh, some bears up, but by and large this is a whole new origin story, a reboot of epic proportions, and yet it is a retcon so cleverly done, and one that offers up a such a delicious mélange of complex relationships and sensible motivation, that all of the many discrepancies inherent in having Mystique on the side of good or having Moira McTaggert a CIA agent simply do not matter.

Speaking of McTaggert, Rose Byrne is both comely and convincing in the role, and almost every other actor is perfectly, one might almost say forcefully, cast. McAvoy brings a kind of laddish charm to Charles Xavier that he mixes nicely with both decency and naïveté, and Michael Fassbender's nascent Magneto is relentlessly, even heart-breakingly, compelling. Their chemistry is electric -- theirs' is one of the most multi-faceted and sincere bromances the screen has seen in a good long while.

The younger cast all impress, though particular praise must go to Oscar-nominee Jennifer Lawrence as the petulant but pitiable Raven/Mystique (The Academy Awards have been good to young, hot X-chicks; let us not forget that Rogue herself, Anna Paquin, won for THE PIANO). Former child star Nicholas Hoult is also outstanding as the troubled Hank McCoy, and perhaps the most surprising kudos must go to teenage dream Lucas Till, who conveys the particular anti-social asshole-hood of the turbulent Alex Summers very convincingly indeed.

The biggest letdown in the movie, acting-wise, is January Jones as Emma Frost. True, she is appropriately ravishing, there can be no denying that, but she lacks the… the zing of the written character. There is very little intelligence, snark, or even personality behind her interpretation of this most intriguing of mutants; she's just kind of Stand There and Look Pretty -- which, for one playing Emma Frost, is something a travesty.

The only other weight under which this movie really labors is the fact that it is a prequel, and it therefore suffers from the feeling of inevitability that besets all such endeavors. Anakin Skywalker HAS to go Dark Side. Bilbo Baggins HAS to find the One Ring. And Magneto HAS to turn against humans; Mystique HAS to join him; Xavier HAS to end up in a wheelchair. With these definite plot developments looming, their eventuation is bound to be a bit of an anti-climax.

And yet the fun part about X-MEN: FIRST CLASS is the journey it takes us on to get us there. Offering up plenty of surprises, some kickass action sequences, mighty fine special effects, sly humor and a killer cameo, it is without doubt the best comic book movie of the year – nay, decade – thus far. And considering how overcrowded that list is, this is really saying Something.

Huh. A prequel that does not, in any way, suck.

Amazing, isn't it?

"I prefer Magneto." Coming into this movie, my first thought was they were going to mess something up with the story, to satisfy younger audience and non X-men fans. The movie ended up being one of the best superheroes of all time. They were pretty much perfect with how the X-men evolved. The story was very well developed and did not drag which I was scared about. There weren't any dumb one liners, of course there were one liners, but I did not find them corny at all. The acting to me was just about average. I though James McAvoy could have been a little bit better in some parts, but all in all it wasn't a mess. Kevin Bacon was a huge badass in this movie, and a perfect villian. The best performance was Michael Fassbender.He was super impressive as Magneto, and really showed why he should get more mainstream roles. The supporting cast was average, Jennifer Lawrence was super different than she was in Winter's Bone. The action was superb, probably the best action I've seen in a while. I do recommend this to non X-men fans, it's not like you will watch the movie and have no idea what's going on, everything is explained in great detail. I wish there was some subtitles though, but it didn't matter because I guess it wasn't important. Plus Hugh Jackman hilarious cameo. Pick this movie up when you got the time its one you can't miss and one that will be watched again and again.