Now Playing: X-Men: First Class (2011)

Today I went to see the highly anticipated (for some) X-Men: First Class. I say "for some" because for the longest time I really wasn't very interested in this movie. I saw the early on-set photos and the actors they had choosen to play certain roles, and it really just didn't work for me. However, all that changed when the trailers started showing more of the movie and not just teasing the briefest of glimpses. Once I saw Magneto lifting a sub out of the water, I was sold! I still wasn't sure how it would all fit into the continuity of the previous X-Men films, or if this was a total reboot, but I was sure I'd find out. And you can also find out, right after the jump!


We're all the way back at the beginning of it all. There are no X-Men, there is no Proffessor X. There is only Charles Xavier and he's only just beginning to learn that there are others like him in the world; Mutants. It's in this film we find out how Charles met Erik (AKA Magneto) and several other origins as well, such as Mystique and Beast. Already there are evil mutants who intend to wipe out humanity, and it's up to Charles to bring together a new team of mutants to stop them.

From left to right: Magneto, Banshee, Prof X, Moira MacTaggert, Mystique, Havok

While I liked getting to see the origins of some old favorites, and it's always cool seeing new mutants and finding out what powers they have. Some new faces I was able to recognize from the comics, such as Banshee and Havok, others I was less familiar with, such as a girl who takes the name Angel. There are quite a few new faces and new mutants in the film, and even an excellent cameo which I won't spoil here. The only thing I had a hard time getting by was how Mystique and Beast looked. Yes, they were similar to how they looked in previous movies, but they were just different enough to seem weird and out of place, especially Beast. This probably won't be an issue for most though.

One concern I had heard, and I also shared, was how could this film be in continuity with the other X-Men films if people like Beast and Mystique are also in the movie when Prof. X and Magneto are still young men? The answer is quite simple, Beast is still a very young man, even younger than Xavier. Keep in mind, Beast is one of the older X-Men in the comics and movies, so thinking that he'd only be a little younger than Prof. X makes plenty of sense. As for Mystique, that's also addressed very easily in the film. In short, it is my opinion that this movie fits perfectly fine in the X-Men film timeline. Possibly the only movie that could give this film trouble with this issue is X-Men Origins: Wolverine since it shows a teenage Emma Frost. Personally, I'd like to think that particular movie never existed. In which case, X-Men: First Class has no problems.

I just couldn't get past how Beast looked. His mouth was just... uggh.

I suppose I'll address the effects, graphics, and overall action next. I have the same thing to say about all of these things: they were great. I suppose I could nitpick that not everything looked photo realistic, but the truth is that I was so consumed by the movie and enjoying myself so much that, while I may have seen a flaw, it was never enough to take me out of the movie. I was in this world with these characters and loving every minute of it.

So did I like X-Men:First Class? You're damn right I liked it! In fact, I think this is the best x-Men movie made yet, and I'm sure this is in no small part thanks to the amazing direction of Matthew Vaughn. I even went so far as to pose this question to my friends: X-Men First Class or Thor, which was better? It seemed to be a pretty hard choice for some, but I think I'd have to say that I actually enjoyed First Class more than Thor. For a movie I wasn't even looking forward to, even I can't believe I'm saying that. So, have you seen them? Which did you enjoy more?