Another great X-Men film! McAvoy and Fassbender are excellent! This franchise continues to satisfy veteran fans and new fans alike. The film's story is elegantly intertwined in our nation's history with great finesse and attention to detail. My only criticism would be that we don't see much exhibition of the mutants' powers, which is what these films are all about. One could argue that the reasoning for this is that they are young, amateur, and under-developed with their powers, but with the shock and awe nature of these films, most audiences don't have that kind of time after 20 mins.… Expand

A must view for fans of the genre. As with all things superhero, fans with even a passing knowledge of the marvel universe will notice certain incongruities with some of the character threads and time-lines.
This is not the problem as it may first appear, as those who don't have this knowledge will enjoy the movie none the wiser, and those that do will be so used to the multi-verses and parallel time-lines prevalent in so many comic book stories that the adjustment should not be too much to bear.
Certainly the central premise of the movie - the meeting and friendship of Erik and Xavier - is handled very well. It may get a bit rushed and clunky towards the end, but there are some touching scenes, and laugh out loud moments. As noted in other reviews, the back story of the Cuban missile crisis gave it a real authentic feel.
My only concern is the less than stellar opening weekend - I hope that as word spreads, people will realise it is a far better film than Wolverine and the hugely disappointing X-MEN 3.
It not may scale the heights of my favourite super-hero movie so far - X-MEN 2 - but it isn't far away.
Great cameo moment too!… Expand

Saw it at the midnight premiere and was wholly excited for matthew vaughn's triumphant comeback to the series the once held the highest rank among superhero movies. And you know what? I was right to be excited because this film delivers on almost everything a fan could ask for.

But before the good is the bad: if you are a fan of the comics and know the canon inside and out, (like I do) prepare to suspend your disbelief as the film takes the established origins and throws them out the window. Yes Xavier and Erik are the same but the hellfire club is altered quite a bit, there is a new first class and Moira McTaggert has changed quite a bit. These are just major things, but alot else has been altered to fit the film. This was the sole negative mark for me, and it wont be for many who see the film.

On to the good, the acting is fantastic, the scenes are huge to the point of ridiculous, the action is plentiful and the theme is as strong as it was in X2. Of course James Mcavoy and Michael Fassbender play the leads and are outstanding at that, playing the comrades-turned-rivals Xavier and Magneto. Their relationship drives the film and is played out spectacularly on screen. We see the emergence of their friendship and the ideological differences that drive them apart. But the supporting cast are just as fantastic, Kevin Bacon plays a menacing Sebastian Shaw, January Jones is a frost queen as Emma Frost and Jennifer Lawrence as the moral centerpiece Mystique.

The setting, 60's cold war drama lends well to the action at hand, people with superpowers beating the stuffing out of humans and one another. We are shown JFK speeches and Buicks the size of ships driving everywhere. The Cuban Missile crisis becomes the pivotal climax of the film as mutants battle it out while the US and USSR are preparing to the same on a larger scale. The final scene on Cuba is tremendous jumping off point for a continuation for this timeline. But the best scene to me (as a comic fan) was a 10 second scene in the second arc of the film involving Magneto, Xavier and one Wolverine that is total fan service and had me laughing harder than any joke to be found in the Hangover II. This is why I trust Marvel with their franchises, small shout-outs to fans of the series in several of their films.

To sum it up, this is a movie well worth the time of anyone this blockbuster season, from the teenager looking for a superhero film, to the fan who was going to see it regardless and even to the average movie-goer who simply enjoys a good film. I whole-heartedly recommend it.… Expand

Fassbender and McAvoy are good, Bacon and January Jones are not. The rest are just mediocre, probably due to the generally bad dialogue. Some of the action/cgi is good (Magneto, Azazel, Havoc, Shaw's absorption of energy), other is not (Cartoonish Beast, fake Emma Frost). The score is occasionally good (mostly during action sequences) but mostly intrusive, sentimental and manipulative. The interesting moral/ethical/social questions -- which IMO are the most compelling part of the X-Men franchise -- are handled with unfortunate shallowness.


Overall, while I am a fan of origin stories in general and this one in particular, the entire movie was so cheesy and superficial that it left me sort of annoyed. Itâ… Expand

I can say this movie left me pleasantly surprised.Lets face it the previous xmen films were not that good and the last stand was barely passable. This is by far the best xmen film to date and breaths life into the movie franchise. The one stand out thing that makes this film work is it is a much much more darker film than the previous films and gone to a great degree is the comic book geekness and the clearly defined good vs evil that permeates all superhero movies. You leave the cinema with an understanding and symapathy for the the three protagonists of the film which are Professor X, Magneto and the humans. The actions sequences are good not outstanding but good, the story is a good one for a superhero film and a superhero movie with decent acting well i can honestly say this is the one. My only fear is people will be put off watching this movie due to previous movies and the superhero overload which is presently hitting the cinemas . I rated this a 9 for the genre which it is in and i hope with the same cast and direction a sequel will soon be forthcoming. Now pass me the popcorn because i got to think which one of the three sides i will be rooting for in the sequel.… Expand

"X Men: First Class", similar to "Rise of the Planet of the Apes", is a movie that presents the origin of its subject to the audience. Its a good summer blockbuster flick, but its over-concentration on the raging battle between two separate sides (Mutants v.s Bad guys) may leave some audiences baffled or annoyed.

Much of the movie is fun, exciting, and dramatic (the first half), but the second half just becomes- to borrow the word used by a couple pro critics - tedious. January Jones and Kevin Bacon actually bring a lot to the table, which was completely unexpected. (If only some idiot didn't shout "Kevin Bacon!" every time he opened a scene at my midnight show - followed by giggles). And James McAvoy is terrific. Based on his prior performances, I expected more from Michael Fassbender, though. He was so good in FishTank and Inglourious Basterds, but he feels a little wasted here. Setting it in the 60's is effective, but The Watchmen (another "period piece") just felt SO much more authentic and engaging to me - the story had more focus. The X-Men: FC story is just a little too scattered and untethered. There are some fun cameos, incidentally. And do not bother to sit through the end credits - there's nothing there. Bummer.… Expand

If I go the rest of my life without seeing another movie as bad as this one, I'll die happy. This was atrocious. McAvoy and Fassbender were fine. Good, in fact. But the rest of the movie is so unbelievably terrible in almost every way that it's a near comedy by the end of the movie. The script fell out of a cliche tree and tried as hard as it could to hit every branch, bounce back up, and hit them all again. It was cheesy, trite, and on par with a second grader's writing. The rest of the cast is wooden and stale, with the always charming (*sarcasm*) January Jones at the forefront. The pacing is bad, the editing is worse, music ill-timed...I'm telling you--as a huge fan of the X-Men, there are no words for my disappointment. Worst of all, it's one thing to put your own spin on a film series and make it your own with a different story. It's another thing altogether to completely crap on the series canon in almost every conceivable fashion. Rename Erik Lensherr and Charles Xavier and take them out of their yellow and blue, and it's unintelligible as an X-Men product due to the complete warping of the series' canon. This movie was bad. Just plain bad.… Expand

Some scenes seem to be missing here obviously. How can a movie have so much mention of Cuba and no Cuban characters. Were they afraid of the politics or what? The training scenes were way too long. Something else must have been left out for much other drawn out scenes. Just not credible. Don't even bother to see the movie, save your money, it's not worth it, nothing like the other X-Men movies, terrible editing job anyway. This movie is going nowhere. The bad PR will surely go viral from day one.… Expand

You know that it's not a good sign when your looking at your watch 30 minutes into the movie to see how much more there is. I was hoping for much more out of this. Instead, I got mediocre everything, at best. The plot was weak and everything seemed thrown together. The acting left a lot to be desired. Even Kevin Bacon, who normally chooses his movies wisely, seemed to be going through the motions. Save your money and time. I wish I had.… Expand

Now this is what I'm talking about the best X-Men film ever! X-Men: First Class was amazing and one of the best superhero films on my top. This is where X-Men Origins: Wolverine shouldn't been and it's more better than the original trilogy, but I like X-Men Trilogy instead that stupid Wolverine prequel. The scenes were pretty amazing, the cast have better acting, the special effects looks neat (sometimes it wouldn't bring the older effects just like the original trilogy), the action is so cool and pretty awesome, and the story was very good where they explain that the X-Men started from. This is my best summer flick that I would watch this movie over again and I hope that this film is better than the rest that coming out is that not much to see like Thor or Captain America., but it's awesome!… Expand

Movies like this make me hesitant to ever visit the theatre again. X-Men: First Class offers viewers a medley of poor acting, haphazardly created characters, and a weak plot line. Decent action sequences provide some consolidation for these facts, but the cliché nature of this film simply left a bad taste in my mouth. Only the most die-hard X-Men fans should risk spending any money on First Class.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. First, wow! They had legions of females in panties and bras in a non R movie, how did they do that? I guess they know their teenage boy audience pretty well. Writing? What writing? The plot was oddly compressed into short flashes of empty action, often repetitive dialog and outright dull in spots. The movie was uninterested in showing important elements in the character's development, most of the powerful moments in each character's life were hinted at for a moment before the plot rolled on. 4 screen writers in the credits -- it shows. The worst? (spoiler) When the young Magneto is urged then tortured by witnessing his mother's death into releasing his powers. How could he not use them against his mother's killer and eliminate him like he killed the guards? Instead he reluctantly bonds, we assume, since its never shown, with his tormentor, or at least passively goes off with him. Sort of set the mood for the rest of the movie's narrative. Mystique shows up naked and blue (at 11, pushing the exposure boundaries again) expelled from her previous life, which goes unseen and undescribed. Later, when other mutants are recruited then trained hurriedly, it feels forced and unimaginative, like the writers knew they had to include this to make any sense of the later movie but weren't worried about making it either interesting, funny, or believable. The worst tech effects were in the submarine, which seems more like a Hugh Hefner playboy palace underwater where crew members are casually clicking at crew stations, like they're waiting for dinner, not interested in the massive mayhem they intend to unleash. The Atomic power plant was absurd, nuff said. Finally, I have to vote Kevin Bacon the nicest, heartless, cruel bad guy in the movies. He has no electricity as an evil genius and his sudden acquisition of a mutant power feels like they'd shot the first half of the movie, then had a writer's conference and decided he needed one as well. All in all, shoddy work, showing how little respect Hollywood has for its customers and their ability to discern a quick and dirty script from a decent, well thought out one. Who's giving these people all this money? I do however, hope they keep stuffing in more hot ladies in bra and panties in these teen angst/super hero movies -- perhaps teen aged girls soon, sweaty and chattering as they change out of their skimpy cheerleader outfits -- a trend I feel most puberty wracked males have hoped for since their voices cracked and the girls around them began scowling at their lame, pimply, smiling attempts to hook up.… Expand

This was the worst movie of the series hands down. Can't anyone just read any of the millions of Xmen comics and get their history straight just once?? Instead of adapting the history of the Xmen to fit circumstances in the real world why not just Xmen vs anybody. Its been 4-5 films and we've yet to see the actual Xmen(Beast,cyclops,angel,jean grey, ice man) together!!! As usual the directors try to cover 20 issues worth of storyline in two hours. Half of the characters in this 60's movie weren't even introduced to Marvel comics til the 80's, 90's and beyond. Charles Xavier was never just a few years older than the Xmen. The beast did not work for the CIA and create Cerebro and the X Plane. Where are Cyclops, Angel and jean grey? Xavier discovers mystique in his kitchen!!! The movie just got dumber and dumber with reject characters like Banshee, Havok doing the hula, Darwin, and the acid spitting Angel. The final scene was so cheesey that it was embarrassing to watch. Marvel needs to go back to the drawing board and do like DC did with the Dark Knight. Find some of the grittier Xmen stories and make a movie based on them.… Expand

FINALLY!!!! A summer movie that isn't a piece of trash! This is the first movie this year that lives up to its huge budget and hype. Its fantastic! Main reason being is Michael Fassbender as Magneto, his performance is explosive! Every scene he's in is a show stopper, add Macavoy as Xavier and you have some great actors playing some great characters in a great movie. The movie starts out at and exciting pace and just gets faster and more fun from there. Its better then good it's extraordinary!… Expand

Not as good as the previous films but a decent movie nonetheless. The characters of Charles Xavier and Eric Lehnsherr shine while the rest are just passable. Still an entertaining flick and a solid installment.

There was a good movie here somewhere, but it got lost when the studio hired 4 writers to helm the script. The main problem with this new X-Men movie is that it's all over the place. It's all over the place with its characters, its story, and its style. The main reason is that no scene lasts more than a few minutes. The movie jumps around so much that it's difficult to get involved. It was like the makers had three hours of material, and they were pressured by the studio to assemble a movie that was under two and a half hours. Because of this, the movie jumps around from scene to scene, and none of the characters get any moment to shine. The movie desperately tries in vain to get us to care about them though. The dialogue gives off this manipulatively sappy vibe to it, and director Vaughn accompanies it with some overly dramatic music. Speaking of Vaughn, I didn't really care for a whole lot of his directorial choices. He messes around with too many styles. Sometimes the movie feels like a live action comic book, and other times it goes for a campy Indiana Jones/James Bond vibe. It's like Vaughn didn't have a clear vision for how he wanted to tell the story. There's also a lot of unintentionally awkward moments that Vaughn could have fixed by presenting them in a different way. But "First Class" isn't all flaws. There's some neat visual effects, Fassbender plays an amazing Magneto, and Kevin Bacon plays one of the X-Men's most menacing villains yet, Sebastian Shaw. When the script doesn't suck, Jennifer Lawrence also has a few nice moments as Mystique. And there are a few moments where Vaughn's style meshes with the rest of the movie. But other than that, X-Men: First Class ends up being squandered potential. It would be nice for once in a comic book movie where the makers stop worrying about covering all of the bases, and instead, focus on a compelling story with rich characters to leave us wanting to come back for more.… Expand

its not a bad x-men film far better then 3 thats for sure. the story is pretty good . the acting is pretty solid, the action and effects look pretty good. what kind of wrecks the film is the bunch of lame ass x-men they came up with . proffersor x , magneto , beast , raven , frost , and who ever kevin bacon is suppose to be are great. the rest how ever are just lame . if your a fan of the other 3 films you will probubly like this one as well. over all i enjoyed most of it.… Expand

What's not to love. Plenty of action, good acting, and lots of special effects. Very nice job for a reboot of the series. Plus, I just love origin stories, and this one does a very good of that, especially as I do not follow the comics. All in all, a heck of a flick.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A very enjoyable prequel to the X-Men franchise. I loved Wolverine's cameo! Although, the plot holes this movie created made me take away two points. Still, at least it's no X-Men 3.… Expand

A combination of the Chris Claremont/John Byrne years, Children of the Atom and the Christopher Yost years of New X-Men, X-Men: First Class brings back Bryan Singer, this time as writer and producer, leaving the director work to "Kick-Ass" director, Matthew Vaughan. Combined with a perfect casting Magneto, Professor X, Mystique, Sebastian Shaw and a surprisingly good Emma Frost, this is the best ensemble and story in the franchise so far. Even better than X2, which I never thought could be topped, especially after the franchise-ruining Brett Ratner debacle. Hardcore fans will love every minute.… Expand

Did it deliver exactly what audiences have been wanting? I believe so. There will always be the naysayers who will pick apart movies. You can pick apart just about anything created by another human being. With that being said, this movie takes itself very seriously and gives the superhero spin a much needed edge by breathing realism into the lives of fictional characters in a fictional story. There are no superhero's or super-villains in this story, just hero's and villains with exceptional powers. The script was well-done, at times the pacing dragged a tad, and there were a few discontinuity errors, but none of that should detract or disrupt the overall, overwhelming enjoyment one should take from this movie if that was what was wanted. If someone wants to hate this movie, it will be done. Just look at Karina Longworth's review, LOL.… Expand

Insanely entertaining, largely due to the chemistry and charisma of Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy. The story is fun, energetic and fast-paced. The 60s setting is a welcome change of pace for the superhero genre, and I won't be surprised if its costumes and art direction receive Oscar attention. It certainly would help to be familiar with the X-Men universe to fully appreciate everything, but this is pure summer fun.… Expand

X-Men First Class isn't nearly as good as people have been making it out to be, but it's nowhere near awful.

What's strange though is that it's almost 50/50. As if two decks of cards have been shuffled together, the movie gives equal parts competent acting (mostly from McAvoy and Fassbender, who quite honestly MAKE the movie), decent stories and character development / cheesy dialogue , nonsensical logic, and bad super hero movie cliches.

The movie is almost certainly better than X-Men 3 and the Wolverine movie, and so any fan of the first two X-Men should give it a shot. Just don't expect TOO much. The movie just doesn't know how to be consistent.… Expand

My new favorite superhero movie, my previous favorite being a tie between Spider-man 2 and the first Iron Man. So much to love with this movie. And props to Kevin Bacon for playing an amazing villian. And the climax, or should I say climaxes, were astounding. So much action, so smart, and the emotional layers of it all. I'm shocked a screenplay that had so many writers turned out this good, but hats off to all involved. To the people who made Thor, take note. This is how you do a superhero movie.… Expand

It was pretty brilliant. Personally, performances are sublime but I'm a little disappointed with January Jones' take on Emma Frost. The climax got me on the edge of the seat though.

This film is a masterpiece. Every scene is engaging, exciting . The film flows harmonically and the development of the characters is very consistent, keeping you focused in their problems, happiness and conflicts. The action scenes are mind-blowing and the "Cold War Atmosphere" is perfectly revived. X-Men First Class deserves with no doubts an Oscar indication, we have a strong contender here.

finally a good x men movie. this movie was pretty decent. it was okay. it had more drama than acting. the guy who played magneto did a fantastic job. James mcavoy gave a good performance. good action movie. i enjoyed it.

I had high expectations for this movie as others had said it was great.
I was wrong.
The movie is rather boring and reminds me of most "prequels". It was rather cliche, and boring. I don't even know why I go to the movies anymore.

This is probably the *best* of the X-Men movies. It has the best story line and more drama - you are not (just) watching for effects as characters show and use their mutant powers. Aside from learning about the origins of the characters, you'll have a better understanding of the relationship and differences between Prof X and Magneto - superbly acted by McAvoy and Fassbender. Overall excellent film - drama, action, effects, acting - can't really ask for more.… Expand

A perfect summer action flick. The acting was great, the characters were fresh, young, interesting and had wonderful chemistry with each other, the action sequences were extremely well done, and on top of that we get a hilarious cameo from Hugh Jackman. A breath of fresh air for the X-Men franchise.

Not a particularly good film, but it is entertaining. Action scenes are engaging, but the dialogue is dull and the story line is average at best. McAvoy and Fassbender were stand outs whilst Bacon was poor. Certainly not as good as I had hoped.

The thing with this movie that sets is apart from the other X-Men movies is the fact that they tell the audience who and how each person become who they would eventually turn out to become. This is great for people who do not know comic books, because it allows the audience to see who a character from beginning to end. Batman Begins did this for the Batman franchise and it worked great for Nolan just like it worked great for Vaughn here. I just hope for the series, they keep the director with that same attitude and this may go down as the GREATEST COMIC BOOK franchise in movie history. 10 out of 10!… Expand

A fun trip through the X-man world. Not my favorite of the franchise but well crafted and entertaining. Truly PG-13, so parents of younger children need to see it to make a decision.

I did not think it was possible to make an X-men movie worse than X-men 3...well, they did. The fact that they have over 50 years of stories and other source material and they made an action movie that made me fall asleep (I really did), is inexcusable! Please 20th C.Fox, sell the X-men properties back to Marvel so they can do it right like the others (Iron Man, Thor, Capt. America).

Don't waste your time and money!… Expand

X-Men: First Class is the prequel to the popular super group movie/comic series X-Men, and may I say they did a fine job. Exciting action scenes, a cliche plot that is performed well by the characters, and an overall great precursor to the rest of the movies. Some of the actors, namely McAvoy and Fassbender, truly deliver an excellent performance, while others seem to fall flat. However, if you are a fan of the X-Men series or Superhero films, this movie is great. It has some slow moments, but there are also the explosively entertaining action scenes and some laughs. The beginning feels almost rushed, with some characters dying faster than we can get to know them. Still, as it progresses, the pace and quality pick up, and it ends leaving you wanting to watch the rest of the series.… Expand

really the best X-men movie to date and I'm glad that the franchise will keep rolling. Micheal Fassbender does an incredible job playing Magneto, to bad he will never have to glory of being Magneto and Gandalf lol. the rest of the cast is great as well.

Buy-it - The epic beginning of the mutant saga is just as diverse, stylish and powerful as the "superheroes" it's about. You'll leave wishing the Cold War had never ended. But it's the perfect summer blockbuster that will obviously have a sequel and will certainly make a handful of somewhat recognizable faces into Hollywood stars.

This is one of the most unintentionally hilarious movies I have ever seen. I don't know what was worse, the destruction of the X-Men cannon, the terrible A.D.D. ridden script, the horrible costume choices, the laughable makeup, the ungodly characterization, the clunky acting, the barely used period setting, or the terrifying editing choices making it impossible to take this movie seriously. James McAvoy sounds like he's going to mutate into Shakespeare's Hamlet at any moment, and there is so little time between flitting from set piece to set piece that Michael Fassbender's wonderful portrayal of young Magneto is swept aside and shoehorned in at odd moments. The other mutants are barely given names let alone any distinguishable personality traits. And we are told to care about them after we've seen only one scene of them together "experiencing prejudice", which is essentially two jerks slightly bothering them. Not to mention this movie rolls out the ret-cons like it is going out of style. All in all this movie is much worse than X-Men 3, I at least knew those characters and cared about what happened to them, they were played by actors competent enough to make me give a damn even when the script was bad. This was just another sad addition to a series already circling the drain.… Expand

I am suprised critics hated this film. This film explained a ton of backstory to the franchise and it explained it in a way where even die hard fans would be satisfied with it. The acting was good. Kevin Bacon was an amazing villian, Fassbender stole the show as Magneto, and McAvoy was solid as Xavier but I thought someone else could have played the role better. The plot is good and as I said explains a lot of backstory to the entire Xmen franchise. I loved it.… Expand

I Love this reboot of X-Men, because have much incredible elements, for example, the characters have a great story, the effects wow, are awesome, the direction is incredible. Really First Class is amazing.

X men first class is a blast. For sure best xmen yet. Great visuals. It looks so great. Acting and score is good. James M. and micheal Fass. does a very good job. Story is great as it progresses. I would give it a 9.25, but overall I guess a 9 out of 10.

As a stand alone film, completely ignoring canon, it's pretty decent. Anyone not knowing a thing about the series outside of the movies will likely highly enjoy it. But, as an avid fan of the comic book series, this movie just takes FAR too many liberties and makes very little sense. Kevin Bacon did a good job with Sebastian Shaw's character and portrays him well, but just did not represent (visually) him that well (not to mention his horrific German. His pronunciation was extremely cringe worthy to anyone who speaks German.) McAvoy & Fassbender are fantastic in their roles and do an almost perfect job of showing Magneto & Xavier in their early days. Everyone else ....... can just be forgotten. I thought this movie is made purely for entertainment and it seems to me that very little thought went into its writing, at least in terms of being true to its source material. While I appreciate what they were trying to do, they should have rather sold it as a reboot rather than a prequel to the other movies. Overall: A huge disappointment to fans of the original comics, but very good for everyone else. (At least it was better than Last Stand.)… Expand

Really disappointed. Not b/c it was that bad, but b/c it had so much hype... "the next dark knight".... this was on par w/ the last x men wolverine origins film. There are a handful of sick scenes, but overall was kind of lame. Enjoyed Thor much more.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel is still alive. The eighty-two-year-old author, best known for "Night", a slim novel about his experiences in the concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald, is also widely known to be a vocal critic of the way the Nazi genocide of the Jews gets portrayed in the media. When NBC broadcasted the miniseries "Holocaust" in 1978, he called the television film "morally objectionable and indecent". As an addendum to Wiesel's assertion of television trivializing the six-million dead by filming the unfilmable, cultural historian Neal Gabler in "Imaginary Witness", agrees that the genocide narrative goes "beyond any traditional form," in which any depiction of the pogrom carried out by the Nazis is "a war between narrative and history". Has Wiesel seen "Inglourious Basterds", the 2009 film where narrative wins the war from the outset, since WWII gets reinvented by a post-modernist who utilizes the Jews as subordinates to a parallel history: movie history, which runs concurrent with their story of persecution, death, and in this case, revenge? Bypassing the iconography of victimization(ghettos, concentration camps) found in all Nazi-themed films, the Jews fight back in Tarantino's alternate take on WWII, as the film instead chooses to focus on a Hebrew commando team that specializes in the capturing and torturing of German POWs with gruesome acts of mutilation. While all holocaust-driven are largely predicated on large-scale killing and mass suffering, "Inglourious Basterds" has a filmic precedent that goes all the way back to the early-forties, an epoch when a Nazi-sympathizing Hollywood very rarely dealt honestly with the imminent German menace, but Charlie Chaplin directed, produced, and starred in "The Great Dictator", the first film about the imperiled Jews that mentioned them by name. Playing a barber who returns to the ghetto after a lengthy bout of amnesia, Chaplin fights the stormtroopers with slapstick, where in one scene, he dares to slap a soldier with a paintbrush, whitening the Aryan's face in the process, after the Jew balks at having to reproduce the 'W' in his race's namesake which he smudged off from a storefront window. Even better, Hannah, the Bear-Jew of her day, rather than swing a bat, whacks Nazis on the head, hard, with a frying pan. After her small victory, she tells the barber, "We should all fight back." In "X-Men: First Class", the filmmaker returns to Poland, 1944, where in the 2000 original, Magneto, then just a scared boy named Erik, reduces a gate into an iron heap through the unleashing of his telekinetic powers. For Wiesel, the comic book is the stuff of juvenilia. But to a younger generation, the comic book is viewed as the novel's equal, in which they would see no difference between "Night" and the Marvel origin story where the concentration camp setting of the scene is based on. By reappropriating the violence inherent in Nazi Germany through a comic book-based language, the "X-Men" saga challenges the hegemony of traditional film adaptations. A Nazi scientist named Sebastian shoots Eric's mother dead, which is par for the course in any film dealing with the holocaust, but unlike "Schindler's List", the shooting itself isn't the spectacle; it's the preamble to the summer movie pageant of CGI, as the traumatized boy inverts the file cabinet in the office, and sends objects flying around in the adjoining room. For all its contemporary trappings, in which "X-Men: First Class" borrows a Jewish trope that Tarantino himself pioneered(the holocaust survivor antihero), Erik kills Nazis in a film that's surprisingly reactionary, since it avoids using the word "Jew" to describe the people that he's avenging. It's coded. Whereas a WWII-era film such as "The Mortal Storm" substituted the racial label with the less-specific term "anti-Semitic", likewise, the "X-Men" saga uses "mutant" in place of the "J"-word in identifying Magneto as a Hebrew, perhaps for the reason that Hollywood wants to distance itself from its complicity in regard to the US government's isolationist stance leading up to the Pearl Harbor bombing. Interestingly enough, Chaplin wears a bucket which recalls the helmet Magneto is often outfitted with, in a scene where the barber and the SS officer hide themselves on a roof to escape capture. "Strange, I always thought of you as an Aryan," he tells the barber in an earlier scene, where the Nazi puts a stop to a ghetto liquidation already in progress. In essence, that's what Eric has become, both a Jew and a "great dictator"(Chaplin also plays the Fuhrer). Just before Magneto makes his getaway by helicopter in "X-Men", there's a cutaway to the American flag, a symbol that gains greater significance in the film's climax, where the magnetic field that he creates from the Statue of Liberty, has the potential of turning New York into one great crematorium.… Expand

This movie had a lot of potential, but unfortunately, it didn't quite realise it completely. While there are a few pros; McAvoy and Fassbender are great as Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr, and likewise their scenes are the highlight of the movie for me. Some of the other characters were also somewhat interesting, such as Beastman, and Mystique, and the special effects during the fight scenes are at the usual standard for X-men films. However, swirled in with all that are: a wafer-thin plot that serves as nothing more than a backdrop for the characters to move around in, a (possibly intended) campy feel throughout large parts of the film, and a few major characters who have nothing to them apart from unique powers (see: Majority of the villains). It's disappointing that so few of the characters were really even touched on, let alone fleshed out, as this seems more than anything a character-focused piece, and I hope that the planned sequel, Days of Future Past, focuses more on fleshing these super-powered characters out, and exploring the different sides to them, rather than leaving them as one-dimensional walking super powers. Another flaw I noticed was the scale. Using an event like the Cuban Missile Crisis might've sounded good on paper, but it caused the film to move through a bit too much too quickly, which may be the cause for the lack of character interaction and depth. It might've been better to use another event that's easier to work with, such as the Cold War in general, and the unease and paranoia that was prevalent throughout. Again hopefully the sequel does this, and allows more breathing space for the characters who aren't named Charles Xavier or Magneto (though even they didn't quite get as much as they could)
Overall though, it's a fairly decent action blockbuster, filled with a few nice action scenes and sprinkled with good character moments throughout and although it isn't quite as interesting as it could have been, it's still worthy of at least a rental to the general movie-goer.… Expand

I'm still unsure whether I like this or not, I was really hyped for it and it didn't meet my expectations. It was very hit and miss - some scenes were brilliant, yet some were rushed and clumsy.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As has been said my many already, Fassbender and McAvoy are very good as the young Magneto and Prof. X. The others are decent to poor. The choice of mutants to include is curious; it seems like we could have done better than the pole dancer who spits acid and the kid who screams as he flies. Also, one kid (perhaps the most powerful of the bunch) has to do a hula-hoop motion to use his powers. Beast was a good inclusion, on the other hand. *** Ultimately this film feels very familiar, too familiar for me. In fact they lifted so many existing chunks from previous films (Bacon's character feels like a two-dimensional Magneto with no history and no motivation) I was disappointed. If the series is to retain my attention the filmmakers are going to have to explore themes that we haven't already seen in the previous installments. *** It says a lot that the audience's reaction (at the theatre I was at) was strongest for Jackman's cameo. Wolverine remains the most compelling character the series has to offer, and yet his story has already been told (regrettably by a hack director) in Origins: Wolverine. Where does the franchise go from here? My guess is further downhill. This is not a bad action/comic book movie; it is middle of the road or better and will appeal to a broad audience. However it not great. Those of us desiring the best X Men film experience are still left with re-watching the first and second installments.… Expand

When was the last time that the fifth film in ANY series was, far and away, the best of the lot? And not only that, but a prequel? And not only that, but the SECOND prequel, the first one having been a major disappointment? Can you say never? James McAvoy is a fine Professor Xavier and Kevin Bacon a memorable villain, but what makes this one of the best superhero movies of all time is the riveting performance of Michael Fassbender (Inglorious Basterds, Jane Eyre) as Erik Lehnsherr, aka the young villain-to-be Magneto. Fassbender is so commanding and convincing that by the end of the movie you may well be wishing to join him and his fellow mutants in their quest to crush humanity. The special effects are inpressive, the action swift and exciting, the script surprisingly intelligent - but it's Fassbender that will linger in the memory and leave you dying for the next installment.… Expand

Best X-men movie. Great writing and dialogue. Amazing special effects and action.There's plenty of drama as well. Go see it! This is really the best x-men movie.

This movie was pretty good and the acting is something to be recognised. The movie is really fan-based and it really appeals to people who have actually watched the previous X-men movies and it would of helped to even have read some of the original comic books so you know some of the story line that unravels throughout the movie and how everything changes by the end of the movie. If your not a fan of the original movies who just haven't watched them, this movie is still something that is worth being watched. I strongly recommend this to people who like the previous X-men movies and the people who read the comic books, If you don't think its worth buying or you just don't have the money, It's definitely worth renting.… Expand

Although I don't necessarily agree with where the series is heading (no spoilers, just a general comment), I can appreciate the special effects, outstanding music composition, casting, and other things like that which make the film a lot of fun to watch. I just didn't envision the comics being taken away from the artistic nature they had originally had intented -- but maybe that's just me!

While it's story may be told ham-handedly, the characters are fun, the action is thrilling, and it's much better than the last two movies. I have gripes, but I'll get to them later. Saw it at midnight, so I'll finish this up tomorrow.

Fassbender and McAvoy are brilliant but it's a wee bit of a boring, clichéd story, with the young X-Men providing very little in the way of storyline. Good fun, though.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. On the whole I enjoyed this film. I will admit that the film drags a bit and is confusing to start off with and that the plot is rushed a bit for the sake of tying it into the other films; but I feel that we still got some good stuff. The redeeming factor of this film is the take on the characters specifically Xavier, Magneto, and Mistique. I enjoyed watching these characters and cared about some of them more so than the original X-Men. Even though this plot feels condencesed I still would like to see another movie with these characters, which it looks like we will be getting sort of with X-Men Days of Future Past, which will hopefully will be good. If you’re a fan of the X-Men movies check this one out because you may like it. Even if you are not a fan of the previous ones I am going to say watch it because it is different from the other ones. It provides an interesting take on characters we know and love and is enjoyable. Again what ruins it is the rushed ending but if you look past that you will enjoy the film. Is this a great film no but it is a good one, which is something that a lot of movies cannot be.… Expand

Awesome movie. Near perfect for an X-Men movie. It had a bit of humor, an amazing script, and great characters. I could def watch this again. Amazing. One of the best movies I've seen in a while.

This is my favourite of the X-Men movies. There's a story that you can actually get into, and the characters are cast and acted very well. There isn't much action which is the only reason I can't give it a 10. The effects look real and aren't forced, they're only used when the story calls for it. For anyone that enjoys these types of movies but didn't read all the comics this is a must see. The story of how some of the main X-Men characters got to be who they are really drew me in.… Expand

Another good Redbox rental for me.The casting seemed pretty good,except for Kevin Bacon,who's villainous character seemed a little bit off(especially the fact the film makers made him look a lot like Jim Carey this time around.WHY?!!!)The plot structure and base of the film was rather strong,but drags in some unnecessary spots,causing the film to get boring in some spots.In some areas,it seemed that the film focused a little too much on political factors with JFK and the whole plan to nuke Russia and Cuba.Also,the visuals and SGI becomes a little too much in some spots(like when Magneto lifts a submarine from out of the water and even moves a giant satellite.)Other than that,the entertainment is frequent and the movie is fun while it lasts.Still,it remains forgettable and I'm glad I got it at Redbox,because I would have hated to pay 8 bucks to sit through this somewhat weak film and wonder when it would be over.… Expand

Even though it was well executed, solid production, good acting, and a decent story, I must be coming off the genre and strating to be tired of films based on comics or prequels to good films. Saying that, I am anxious to see the new Batman (film based on comic) and the Prometheus (prequel to Alien). In that case it must be the film that just didn't win me.

The characters are where the actual strong suit is, no pun intended. Without any intrigue or care for the characters, it becomes something along the lines of X-Men: The Last Stand or X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The acting is phenomenal; I have't seen a more realistic and awesome Magneto anywhere else. The scipt unfolds majestically and the acting is again, fanastic. And when it's wrapped with Matthew Vaughan's superb, is not brash sense of directing, it's damn near perfect.… Expand

My review is slightly biased as I am not a follower of the series. I had seen one film at least 5 years ago and was not all that thrilled. In fact, I don't remember which one it was which bothered the male groupie who went with us. That said, I enjoyed the escapism of a Sunday night but I thought the film was silly and cartonish. I found the teenagers behind me enjoying it greatly. At least Kevin Bacon did not look as silly as Ian McCallum did in the other film I saw. That hat looked ridiculos on him.… Expand

X-Men: First Class is good, slick summer entertainment that doesn't require you to turn your brain off. It has good pacing, good acting, and most importantly, good action! If you are a big movie-goer, go check this one out at the movies if you haven't yet, and if you're not, it's at least worth renting.

This prequel details how the mutant coalition got started. After Professor X and Magneto discover each other, they set about recruiting young people with special powers (some of which are pretty inane). It starts out promisingly with compelling backstory and interesting characters, but soon barrels into predictability and noisy videogame combat. While some of the effects manage to dazzle, others are just dumb. Overall, it's not bad, but not in any way outstanding.… Expand

I thought this film was great. I had a lot of fun, and the characters of magneto and professor X were entertaining to watch. Sure, fans of X-men may be disappointed about the creative liberties taken, but the result is a pretty solid movie.

One of the things that didn't appeal to me was Beast. Man, beast just looks so freaking weird...

For me, it was good but not as good as the first two. Hugh Jackman's sense of humor is missing in this installment. In fact, the 10 second cameo by Hugh Jackman in this film was my favorite part of the entire movie. Mostly drama and good to great special effects. Overall a solid effort, but not particularly memorable.

This film was easily tied for the best Xmen film. First Class is a great prequel with a great cast, The acting is wonderful. The entire film is interesting from start to finish as well.

Honestly, I had a few gripes, but in spite of this, it was a very enjoyable film. Don't take 7 out of ten to be poor score by any means, the film was full of memorable moments and characters, at the conclusion I felt regret that the ride had come to an end, something that is always a hallmark of a good film. Wonderful acting, and special effects that reached expectation for a film of this caliber were unfortunately let down by a few elements of the plot that felt rather shallow, or tacked on. Without spoilers, by far the weakest element of the plot was the female FBI agent, something that really could have been left without, leaving many cringeworthy moments in the film and tainting what could of otherwise been a predictable, but enjoyable conclusion. A few of the relationships, by far the standout aspect of the film, could definitely have been explored further, and while the limitations of film length were present, if you are like me you'll be begging for more sections of dialogue. As is epidemic of many hollywood films, especially superhero ones of late, this is a great tale, which unfortunately despite strong beginnings and an enticing mid-section falls apart towards the end.… Expand

Its slick. Very 1960's James Bond feel to the entire film. Set against the backdrop of the Cuban missile crisis and an escalating Cold War - we see the emergence of a privileged Charles Xavier, contrasted with a Holocaust-surviving Magneto. While the other mutants are recruited and their back-stories and characters are fleshed out - you could really care less. This is really all about Magneto seeking vengeance and Charles trying to pacify and humanise him. Think Obi-Wan and Darth Vader.
Kevin Bacon excels in his part as the film's core villain. And there's even a Logan cameo for the fan-boys.
All in all a 7/10.… Expand

A delicious fantasy romp with emotional poignancy. McAvoy and Fassbender both do a wonderful job, and have loads of chemistry together, and the supporting cast ain't bad either. The special effects fit in pretty seamlessly, and there are several prequel in-jokes that will keep fans of the series chuckling. The Cuban Missile Crisis bit doesn't totally work, but it's sort of incidental anyway. The plot is mostly about the emergence of the X Men, their discovery of each other, the government's discovery of them, and the dangerous things that happen next. And I the parallels between Erik Lehnsherr's experiences with the Nazis and his fears about the present work very well.… Expand

This is an entertaining new chapter in an imaginative and interesting series. At times it appears to lien way to hard on stereotypes and cliches , but it still manages to convey the obvious core issues, and struggles, faced by anyone who is significantly different or, in some important way, more capable than those around them (the X-men vary from versions of Sheldon (from The Big Bang Theory), to versions of Victor Stallone (already on steroids, and trying our super-steroids) to a lap dancing Tinker Bell who throws fire balls... all engaged in a struggle for acceptance and survival, and the eternal question of whether to save 'normal humans' or make them extinct? All while fighting off bad mutants who want to exploit their abilities to eliminate the standard-humans and kill off those mutants who do not join the mutant mob. The bad mutants are giving good mutants a bad name, and destabilizing the already shaky relationship the good mutants have with non-mutant humanity. When all is said and done, it seems a reprise of the old story line, set in an earlier time with hotter younger characters... a good summer movie, if not a great new ground breaking movie. A lot of effort seems to have been given to amping up the seX-factor rather than on serious plot development. A go see it, but don't expect the wow-factor to be too high.… Expand

The epicness of this superhero movie is just to..... epic. Good acting, good script, good action, it's everything you want in a summer movie, and one of the best in 2011 so far. Also, there was this one scene with Wolverine that was pretty hilarious. It was fun to watch the young Charles Xavier having a good time and cruising girls. The story was very intriguing and kept me entertained until the very end. I wasn't really sure what to expect from '' X-Men : First Class ''. It didn't disappointed me. The only thing that bothered me is the way Professor Xavier got paralyse. Other than that, it's a must see !… Expand

I think that created the script so you do not have a relationship with the other tapes of x-men, there were unexplained parts, parts of poor quality film, I liked the music, parts of the script out of order .. expected so much more

I think that this film succeeded in a number of areas. The story was engaging and well thought out. This had to be the only X-Men film where I really felt absorbed and immersed with the story. The great pacing throughout the majority of the movie really helped as well. The characters felt fleshed out and particularly the friendship built between Charles and Erik was an engaging one. There was a good amount of action too, but not too much that it deteriorates aspects of the story. I think they really nailed the balance. Another thing that I thought was very well done was the acting itself. All of them were convincing, but I felt that James McAvoy (who played Xavier) stole the show for me. My only problem with the film is that they could've fleshed out the ending a bit more, considering how many pivotal moments it contained. But in the grand scale of things, this complaint is a small one and I would definitely recommend seeing this great film.… Expand

It was very inconsistent for me, there were times during the movie where i felt like it was what I wanted it to be, but there were times where it dragged on a bit. I did notice that with the special effects, sometimes they were brilliant and other times they were very pedestrian. I will say that it's probably the best x-men flick yet.

Simply put, from what can be recalled, the acting from the 'supporting' actors was horrid, childish at points, and the plot was average. This is in contrast with the performance of McAvoy ("Professor X") and Fassbender ("Magneto"), who are both quite good throughout it. The movie does not stand out of resonate in any way and deteriorates at points.

First Class restores the X-Men film franchise to the lofty heights of the first two films in the series and actually succeeds in surpassing its' predecessors in terms of sophistication.

Of particular note is Fassbender's brilliant turn as a young Magneto. Tortured, angry and very complex... this is the Magneto which has captivated comic readers for decades. Do not miss this movie. Great stuff.

A very good entry in the X-Men film-universe! Most characters (especially the main ones, of course) were very well portrayed, great acting throughout. The only complaints I have were a few special effects that looked a bit cheap and very few places where it felt like some scenes were dropped to shorten the film. I really hope that this crew gets the chance to make another film with the same actors etc.!!… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. In the years between Batman films, Marvel truly gets a chance to shine, especially in the time building up towards their unprecedented, all-or-nothing extravaganza The Avengers. So it would come as a huge shock to many that, in a summer with not one but two Avengers-related films (Thor and Captain America), the most thrilling and refined comic book film of the year was the one no one was excited for. Well, folks, we all learned to never judge a film by its trailer once this smartly written, sharply filmed and sleekly acted origin story unfolded on the screen. This was Michael Fassbender… Expand

It's nice to see an X-Men movie that focuses on all the Mutants in the movie not just Wolverine, and that's the best part of this movie, the characters, particularly Charles and Eric's (better known as Professor X and Magneto) relationship, it portrays them as friends who benefit from each other, and also makes Magneto a much more sympathetic character who you just can't help but feel for, another noteworthy character is Mystique who's story is excellently crafted, and you can see that the writers put a lot of thought into it, and even tied it into historical events, but it's not really memorable, same goes for the action scenes, there just not all that interesting, and the whole movie outside of the fantastic characters just lacks any sort of pop or flare, and it doesn't really tie in well withe the other movies, but if you want to see different sides of your favorite characters, this is the movie for you, and in my opinion the best X-Men movie yet.… Expand

Disappointing. The movie's main flaw is the lack of real action scenes. Of course you have plenty of scenes with mutants showing off their super powers, but there isn't ANY combat scenes! All you have are great special effects with powerful mutant powers but that's it. On the other hand, what kind of interesting confrontation can you develop with these abilities? Nothing seems to be the answer. The other X-Men had a lot more punch, simply because mutants like Wolverine are more charismatic and can actually get into combat! (His appearance was nice by the way, though short). The rest of the movie was okay, but the story sometimes seemed to get lost. All in all, X-Men: First Class is not a bad movie, but isn't great either. I think it could have been much better, like its trailer was.… Expand

The number one thing I liked about this movie was how it showed the character's origins, which is good for people who are not familiar with the comics (they are a little different from the comics, however). The special effects looked believable. I also loved how the current events of the time were tied in with the story. James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Kevin Bacon were brilliant, as well as the rest of the cast. This movie was definitely worth my time and has earned a place on my shelf for when it comes out on DVD.… Collapse

Mathew Vaughn does a fantastic job with X Men: First Class by infusing it with the same irresistible energy as his previous outing Kick Ass. The script also packs a descent punch and there are a ton of memorable quotes and scenes to sink your teeth into. A real revelation here is Michael Fassbender, who plays Magnito with a brutal elegance. It makes me want to see a lot more of Magnito in the future. Overall, First Class is an excellent movie that is easily on par with the classic X2.… Expand

"X-Men: First Class" stays true to its name as Marvel delivers a first-rate comic film that feels fresh, and takes us somewhere not seen before in the genre; orderly enough to satisfy the most zealous of fanboys, while remaining pliable to welcome new fans in. What viewers will see is a product that embodies the shape of a bona fide origins film, one that gets to the crux of the mutant behind the powers, and occupies the gapping framework of derivation. The result is one that is heavier on ethos and lighter on au courant hoopla. The film owes kudos to a cast that couldn't have been picked with more discretion and vision. Each character knows their role, and each performs it as so. McAvoy and Fassbender really shine though, each man exhibiting a great deal of control and liberation; the execution feels like time well-spent. Lawrence, in support, also continues to establish herself as one of the up-and-coming actresses of our time--not to mention developing an image tantamount to her shape shifter self. Another clever slant I found delighting was a question of mine that I had always tangled with: do the mutants coexist with historical events? The fusion of biopic-fiction is done both adeptly, and for the casual, benighted, social-media American, almost feasibly. This is driven by time-specific (very interesting and effective use of the 60's era) video and audio that enhances the film's presentation. In closing, the fifth (first) installment of the 'X' series is by far the greatest of achievements, superceding anything ever attempted by Ratner, less grave and malicious (more warm and affectionate) than Singer, and much more enjoyable from start to end.… Expand

While I was watching this recent motion-picture all I could think about was that I seem to be enjoying it a bit; that I wasnâ

The X-Men franchise is not my favorite. The first movie was really boring but the second was much better. X3 was when i felt they got it right. Origins reminded me of the boredem from the first movie so I had a lot of skeptisism going to see this one. After leaving the theatre, I was in awe. This is the best movie I have ever seen. That is saying a lot but this movie is perfect in every way. The story makes sense and simple enough to follow without dumbing it down. There are two things to focus on. One is the state of military tensions between the U.S and Russia. The other is the mutents appearing in a time where people had no idea of their exsistence. These two points are presented with the right balance so that one thing doesn't shadow the other. Of course the main characters here are the mutents and each one of them has a reason and need to be there. It's great to see the young mutents evolve and learn how to control thier gifts also learning more about themselves in the process. Then last is our two greats, Charles and Erik. These two were more than amazing and to see how these two went from strangers to friends then to enemies was just perfect strory telling. I don't know everything about the comics but what was presented to me, was phenomenal.… Expand

If like me you know your Xmen then you should like this movie. They may have changed certain things, but I like the new direction and the Cold-war timeline of this interpretation. The things which stand out for me and what has always stood out in Xmen history is the universal themes which everybody can connect with. The acting is great and McAvoy and Fassbender are standouts. Great action scenes and a good story so for fans (treated to some great cameos) or casual movie goer this is worth a watch.… Expand

It was a fantastic portrayal of the beginning of Xavier and Magnito. Unfortunately it had to go and spoil and perfect story with an over the top ending. It almost had me.

I will first start my review by saying that I've been a fan of the first two movies (I hated The Last Stand and Wolverine). I didn't expect this film to be any good because the last two X-Men movies were really bad. I was wrong. First Class is a great movie. The story does good job of intersecting itself with actual history. The acting of Fassbender and McAvoy and the rest of the cast are excellent. References to the previous films were funny and likable. First Class is not a perfect movie though. Beast looked silly and cartoonish, there were awkward dialogue and some scenes did not just hit. These things did ruin the movie for me. X-Men first class is a good movie and it opened the series again.… Expand

Wow was this movie really good. I like all the X-Men movies and I would rate them as such, 1. X-2 2. X-Men First Class 3. Wolverine 4. X-Men 5. X-Men the Last Stand I still have not figured out why the critic hated Wolverine as I loved it. But critic are a bunch of **** **** anyway so who cares. The movie was action packed. I thought Kevin Bacon was good as well as the 2 main stars. Who cared if January Jones couldn't act, she looked really hot and only a **** would not like her. The movie is about the cold war and how the x-men started and I can't wait to see the next one. To me this movie was as good as Iron Man and damn better than Thor. It was worth the 8.50 that I spent on it.… Expand

X-Men First Class's opening is a bit underwhelming and awkwardly paced, but once you get past the first 15 minutes the film is clever, emotionally gripping, visually appealing, and incredibly well acted. The youthful cast sparks new life into the franchise and going back to the beginning helps to reboot the franchise, without detaching from the original universe that the other movies took place in. This is a must see of the summer, and the best X-Men of them all.… Expand

Better than expected as First Class downshifted into a prequel and brought a new vibe to the X-Men series instead of grinding it out with sequels. Comedic presence and polished CGI did the body good.

Good movie!! Wasnt a xmen fan but this is the fist xmen movie I have purchased. I would recommend to my friend and family to watch this movie as it is a fun family experience.

This was by far my favorite xmen film and I have seen all of them. What I liked the most was the balance between the action and the focus on the lead characters. I never felt that the action was being overdone and that the characters weren't being developed enough (which is what plagued the third film, the worst in my opinion). The film was fun to watch, it had some funny scenes and some great action sequences and I felt myself actually caring for the characters. This is a most welcomed reboot to the xmen series. SS 10/10… Expand

Strong script, touching performance, good direction, cool music and intense action. X-Men: First Class is the perfect summer trip and one of great movies this year. Full review: http://bit.ly/qtDmH2

This Film Is The Worst In The X Men Series.. The Acting Is So So But The Plot BLUCK! Overall I Score This Movie A 4

I honestly went to this movie just because its a Marvel film.But this movie was outstanding!!!The characters,story and everything else is just top-notch!Magneto and Professor X steal the show...they play there characters so well! If i had to rate this movie on a Top 10 2011 Movie list,it would be at least top 3.Maybe even number 1! Overall this movie is a must see! I have only heard 1 other movie that might be as good or better then this movie,and that is Rise of the Planet of the Apes.… Expand

Decent, but could have been better. Most of the characters exist either to do something cool in a fight or have something cool done to them, and I was especially disappointed with the shallow characterization of Charles. He was essentially the protagonist but his motivations are murky at best. That said, it was certainly entertaining, and Magneto (as usual) enjoys the best role and performance. In my opinion probably the second best X-Men movie after X-2.… Expand

After X-Men 3 and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, X-Men: First Class is a fantastic return to what made the series great. Matthew Vaughn direction is always competent and occasionally brilliant. He handles the many different characters and locations well during the first half, and in the second half he weaves it all together in an amazing action sequence that eclipses anything else found in the other X-Men movies. The special effects are great for the most part, as is the acting. Of note are the two leads who carry the majority of the pathos of the film with them. The supporting cast is a little uneven which prevents me from giving the film a higher rating. Kevin Bacon though is great as the villain, being memorable but subtle and not overshadowing the X-Men, who should be and are the main focus of the movie. The ending perfectly sets the stage for the sequel, and I can't wait. I highly recommend the movie.… Expand