David AllsoppReview: X-Men: First Class (2011)
July 17th 2011 12:47
Directed by Matthew Vaughn.
X-Men: First Class comes along at a tenuous time for the X-Men film franchise. The first movie did well to set-up a film version of the X-universe, and X-Men 2 delivered on that promise by delivering a fun and action-packed film that also had emotional resonance.
Then the quality started to slide.
The third film tried to do much at once, condensing enough storyline for two films into one and thus negating the impact that either story could have had if the proper focus was applied. It felt like we had a greatest hits package of the stories it tried to tell, rather than getting the full story and the character moments that would have made those stories really resonate with the audience. Half the characters were either killed-off or de-powered, and it felt like the franchise had been driven into the ground. So the only possible next step was the Wolverine origins movie – and much like X3, it suffered from trying to do too much at once. The scenes with Logan and Victor were great, but the impact that story could have had was diluted by introducing a dozen other characters for what amounted to little more than cameos.
Where could the franchise go from here? The only place it could go – back to the heart of the story they’d established – Charles Xavier and Eric Lehnsherr.
Matthew Vaughn was originally slated to direct X-Men 3 but pulled out as he felt he wasn’t truly ready for such a large project. Since then he’s delivered Stardust and Kick-Ass and grown into an impressive filmmaker. He still had the desire to make an X-Men movie and so has returned to the series – and giving Vaughn the reins has payed off large dividends.
The other major element the film needed to get right was casting. With Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan being so iconic in their roles, the odds were against the filmmakers finding anyone who could fill their shoes and have the same impact and chemistry. Fortunately they found the right men for the job in James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender.
McAvoy gives us a young a confident Charles Xavier who is a more rounded character than we have seen before. He is still defining his philosophy, and can still make mistakes despite his best intentions. Fassbender also covers a lot of ground with his portrayal of Eric, taking him from a man single-mindedly tracking down and eliminating Nazi’s, to finding friendship and a sense of purpose with his fellow mutants, and ultimately to a place where he becomes the Magneto we all know. These two actors works marvellously together, and the film is entirely about their journey – how coming together as friends and colleagues changed their lives. They leave you wanting more of their versions of these characters.
Kevin Bacon does fine work as chief villain Sebastian Shaw. The right combination of charm, menace and power makes him a formidable opponent, and tying him into the origins of Eric/Magneto works on many levels – giving the story a nice through-line and making the transformation of Eric into Magneto have all the more impact and resonance. January Jones makes the most her role as Emma Frost, both looking the part and nailing the “ice queen” demeanour. Sadly the other villains are marginalised, with Jason Flemyng’s talents mostly wasted as Azazel, and Alex Gonzalez as Riptide doesn’t even get a line of dialogue. Sure, he’s powers are cool and he looks good in a suit, but give the guy something to say! Fortunately Jennifer Lawrence and Nicholas Hoult get time to shine as the young Mystique and Beast, and Rose Byrne is great as CIA agent Moira MacTaggert. I would have loved to have seen more of Byrne and the always welcome Oliver Platt, who makes any film better just by being in it.
X-Men: First Class is just what the series needed – an injection of new blood that has re-invigorated the characters and makes for one very fun film.
Three-and-a-half mutant Bananas out of Five.
X-Men: First Class comes along at a tenuous time for the X-Men film franchise. The first movie did well to set-up a film version of the X-universe, and X-Men 2 delivered on that promise by delivering a fun and action-packed film that also had emotional resonance.
Then the quality started to slide.
The third film tried to do much at once, condensing enough storyline for two films into one and thus negating the impact that either story could have had if the proper focus was applied. It felt like we had a greatest hits package of the stories it tried to tell, rather than getting the full story and the character moments that would have made those stories really resonate with the audience. Half the characters were either killed-off or de-powered, and it felt like the franchise had been driven into the ground. So the only possible next step was the Wolverine origins movie – and much like X3, it suffered from trying to do too much at once. The scenes with Logan and Victor were great, but the impact that story could have had was diluted by introducing a dozen other characters for what amounted to little more than cameos.
Where could the franchise go from here? The only place it could go – back to the heart of the story they’d established – Charles Xavier and Eric Lehnsherr.
Matthew Vaughn was originally slated to direct X-Men 3 but pulled out as he felt he wasn’t truly ready for such a large project. Since then he’s delivered Stardust and Kick-Ass and grown into an impressive filmmaker. He still had the desire to make an X-Men movie and so has returned to the series – and giving Vaughn the reins has payed off large dividends.
The other major element the film needed to get right was casting. With Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan being so iconic in their roles, the odds were against the filmmakers finding anyone who could fill their shoes and have the same impact and chemistry. Fortunately they found the right men for the job in James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender.
McAvoy gives us a young a confident Charles Xavier who is a more rounded character than we have seen before. He is still defining his philosophy, and can still make mistakes despite his best intentions. Fassbender also covers a lot of ground with his portrayal of Eric, taking him from a man single-mindedly tracking down and eliminating Nazi’s, to finding friendship and a sense of purpose with his fellow mutants, and ultimately to a place where he becomes the Magneto we all know. These two actors works marvellously together, and the film is entirely about their journey – how coming together as friends and colleagues changed their lives. They leave you wanting more of their versions of these characters.
Kevin Bacon does fine work as chief villain Sebastian Shaw. The right combination of charm, menace and power makes him a formidable opponent, and tying him into the origins of Eric/Magneto works on many levels – giving the story a nice through-line and making the transformation of Eric into Magneto have all the more impact and resonance. January Jones makes the most her role as Emma Frost, both looking the part and nailing the “ice queen” demeanour. Sadly the other villains are marginalised, with Jason Flemyng’s talents mostly wasted as Azazel, and Alex Gonzalez as Riptide doesn’t even get a line of dialogue. Sure, he’s powers are cool and he looks good in a suit, but give the guy something to say! Fortunately Jennifer Lawrence and Nicholas Hoult get time to shine as the young Mystique and Beast, and Rose Byrne is great as CIA agent Moira MacTaggert. I would have loved to have seen more of Byrne and the always welcome Oliver Platt, who makes any film better just by being in it.
X-Men: First Class is just what the series needed – an injection of new blood that has re-invigorated the characters and makes for one very fun film.
Three-and-a-half mutant Bananas out of Five.
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