X-Men: First Class

After the enormous success of Kick-Ass last year and having almost directed X-Men: The Last Stand (before Brett Ratner took over), Matthew Vaughn is clearly no stranger to the world of comic book theatrics and, based on his last project, making films that are quite simply a lot of fun. Which is very true here as First Class feels to a large extent like a cross between a superhero flick and a James Bond movie, complete with super villains intent on taking over the world by starting World War Three from their very own nuclear submarine of doom.

From the start onwards this film sets itself up as being very different to its predecessors, with its main protagonists Professor X (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) being decidedly different from their previous onscreen incarnations, back when they were simply twenty-somethings whose vast differences in ideology will come later. Instead, Charles Xavier is more interested in picking women and Erik in killing Nazis, and thus the film moves neatly into new territory. This is established pretty convincingly, with the introduction of a large array of new characters who work surprisingly well as an ensemble, with none of them letting the side down, though unfortunately none of them are particularly memorable.

As for the more established central characters, there’s a clear distinction between James McAvoy’s portrayal that, although perfectly watchable, fails to convince as a man who will become Patrick Stewart’s character in the previous films. Alongside him, Michael Fassbender really succeeds with this as his character could quite conceivably become Ian McKellen’s excellent portrayal in the future, whilst establishing his own spin on him at the same time. He steals the film’s most memorable scenes, with a particular high point involving him, Kevin Bacon (Sebastian Shaw) and a small coin.

Of course, what also matters in a film like this is the action, which flows very smoothly, managing to keep a good pace without feeling the necessity to shake the camera up and down every few seconds. The effects team have worked rather well for the most part, the diamond form of Emma Frost (January Jones) proving the only exception. The makeup is also rather impressive, with Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) and poor old Hank McCoy (Nicholas Hoult) looking particularly good. All of which works very well, as the film importantly balances its inevitably ridiculous nature with the drama of the story.

At the end of the day, something the film does lead to, like almost every other superhero film (unless Christopher Nolan directs it), is a slight camp, silly feel, and for the most part this is not a bad thing. The movie never loses its sense of fun from start to finish, making for a rather enjoyable piece of work. Although flawed at times, this is a return to the franchise at its best.

See X-Men: First Class at City Screen, York. Check out the cinema's website for times and further details.

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