Thursday, June 2, 2011

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS (A-)

Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence and Kevin Bacon

Directed by: Matthew Vaughn (LAYER CAKE and KICK-ASS)
Rated: PG-13
Story: X-Men: First Class, following the classic Marvel mythology, charts the epic beginning of the X-Men saga. Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before they were archenemies, they were closest of friends, working together, with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. In the process, a rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto's Brotherhood and Professor X's X-Men. (20th Century Fox)

Bottom Line: Searching for a movie to see this weekend – well ‘X’ marks the spot because the recently lumbering X-MEN franchise finally moves again with speed and grace. It’ll bob, jab and, ultimately, knock you out with its intelligent and witty writing, its engagingly compelling characters and its toned-down destructive, big budget action. It doesn’t rely on spectacle – it’s mainly about characters, relationships and story – and that’s what truly makes this early James Bondian-like, retro prequel a FIRST CLASS fifth installment.

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