X-Men: First Class - Review

Perhaps one of the most anticipated films of 2011 X-Men: First Class serves as both a prequel of sorts for the hugely successful X-Men film franchise and a relaunch. Although box office taking indicate X-Men: First Class is a success in economic terms, has director Matthew Vaughn been able to balance these two difficult and different film objectives?

X-Men: First Class tells the story of the forming of the mutant team, the X-Men, and also fills in the origins for the conflict between mutants and humans. Fan favourites and team leaders Charles Xavier and Eric Lensherr (Professor X and Magneto to be) are the focus of the film and benefit from much needed explorations of their backgrounds.

The film begins with a little nod to the first X-Men film showing young Eric being dragged into a concentration camp by the Nazis. In a scene that feels as though it has been lifted directly out of Bryan Singer's film, Eric fights to rejoin his parents as a mysterious figure watches him. A mysterious man proceeds to attempt to coax Eric into using his mutant powers but to no avail. Finally, Eric's mother is killed in order to get some form of reaction.

After also introducing a young Charles Xavier and Mystique (who spends most of the film going by her birth name of Raven), the film jumps forward to 1962 and the main plot starts to unfold.

Set during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the film cleverly mixes history with its own plots: the establishment of a mutant team, Eric's revenge and a classic plan for world domination.

The film ticks all the right boxes for witty dialogue, action sequences and adequate explanations of mutants seen in the previous films (Beast, Mystique, Professor X and Magneto). However the introduction of some of the other characters is rushed, while others lack introductions.

X-Men: First Class is a prequel and a relaunch, and it doesn't quite work. You already know the fate of the main characters and the supporting characters are so flat that at times it's hard to care about the outcome.

So, unfortunately X-Men: First Class doesn't quite get full marks. It has wonderful backgrounds for some of its characters, but others leave you wondering who they were. It has funny moments and action scenes but the pacing isn't right. Thus, at times the film plods along and feels disjointed.