X Men First Class

X Men First Class 2011

• Director: Matthew Vaughn
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbinder, Jennifer Lawrence, Kevin Bacon, Rose Byrne, Oliver Platt, January Jones, Nicholas Hoult, Caleb Landry Jones, Lucas Till
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• James McAvoy – Victor Frankenstein, X Men Days of Future Past, Filth, The Last Station, Wanted, Atonement, Becoming Jane, Starter for 10, The Last King of Scotland, Macbeth Re-Told, Inside I’m Dancing, Bright Young Things
• Michael Fassbinder – Macbeth, X Men Days of Future Past, Prometheus, Jane Eyre, Inglourious Basterds, Fish Tank, Hunger
• Jennifer Lawrence – Passengers, Joy, The Hunger Games 1-4, Silver Linings Playbook, Winter’s Bone
• Kevin Bacon – Frost/Nixon, Mystic River, JFK, Tremors, Footloose
• Rose Byrne – 28 Weeks Later, Sunshine, The Dead Girl,
• Oliver Platt – Nine Lives, Ginger and Rosa, 2012, Frost/Nixon, Benny and Joon, Postcards from the Edge, Working Girl, Married to the Mob
• January Jones – Madmen, The Boat that Rocked, Love Actually, Full Frontal, The Glass House
• Nicholas Hoult – Mad Max Fury Road, X Men Days of Future Past, Jack the Giant Slayer, Wah-Wah, About a Boy, Intimate Relations
• Caleb Landry Jones – Three Billboards outside Ebbing Missouri, Breaking Bad, No Country for Old Men
• Lucas Till – X Men Days of Future Past, Walk the Line
• Why? Because
• Seen: 13 September 2019      

       Grim start. Concentration camp WWII, a boy with powers. Switch to a boy in a stately country home who discovers a blue girl in the kitchen and is happy because he’s not the only mutant with unusual powers.

       In other words, the X Men (and Women) as children, and they grow up to become McAvoy, Lawrence et al.

       The bad X Men are on the side of the Russians. The good X Men are on the side of the CIA which just shows that the film doesn’t understand the complexities of political history, although the CIA is not only good here, and the Soviets are not all bad. Charles (McAvoy) puts together his own team of young mutants and off they go.

       The use of the Cold War of the 60’s is both clever and a bit tedious in its James Bondness. But the characters of the young mutants and their training to hone their special powers and themselves are very engaging and make this a strong film. It’s often exciting and the actors are good too. It’s one of the best prequels, ever so much better than the Star Wars prequels.

4 * of 5