In the superhero genre, and as in other film genres, a prequel is every bit as important as the stories that take place after it. With a well-told back-story, we respect the characters more and become attached to them. The beginning of a whole saga brings us to better understand the series, since it shows us the protagonists, the antagonists and the events that have happened that caused them to choose the paths that they have taken. In director Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class, we are given a detailed insight into how the famed group of mutants from the Marvel lore began their struggle to fit in with the non-mutants.
It's 1962, and the world is on the brink of becoming a nuclear battleground. A young Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) is preparing to create a team of mutants to give them a better view into who they are. Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender) is on a revenge-driven mission to kill the remaining Nazis that imprisoned him and killed his parents years before. When the two finally meet, they agree to help each other find more of those that are different, just like them. All of this is being done with the hopes to foil the dastardly plans of Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon), who sets out to influence the Russians to begin the Cuban Missile Crisis and eventually start another world war. Little do the mutants know that their struggles will cause Charles to become Professor X, and Erik to become Magneto, which will then ignite the future battles between the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Mutants.
The bond between Charles and Erik serves as the beguiling core of the film. McAvoy and Fassbender are a well-matched mutant duo with their sustained chemistry helping to keep the movie afloat. The genuine connection between these two actors makes it all the more intriguing and unfortunate that as the story gets closer to its conclusion, the two become further apart. Jennifer Lawrence persists in earning her stripes as a breakout star in her role as the mysterious and alluring shape-shifting Mystique. Her own inner confict of whether or not to keep her power but change her appearance in order to fit in with society subtly ties in with her mutant power. Kevin Bacon is superbly nefarious as the odious Sebastian Shaw. The only weak part of the cast is January Jones as Emma Frost. Several viewers will know that she possesses some talent, as seen on AMC's drama series Mad Men. In this film, however, she keeps the same uninterested expression on her face throughout much of it. This character deserved to have more spice added to it.
X-Men: First Class is one of the finest prequels to come along in quite some time. It doesn't feel the need to be overly ambitious and jump right into its action scenes. It considers the history of these characters and takes its time with introducing the viewers to each of them. Besides Professor X, Magneto and Mystique, the film let's us learn more about lesser-known mutants such as Beast, Angel, Banshee and Havok. When the film gets around to its climactic mutant showdown centering around the Cuban Missile Crisis, it's terrifically swift and exciting. Matthew Vaughn has the potential to be the next great director for superhero films, as we were hinted at in his 2010 film, Kick-Ass. He has found a future niche in this genre, since he has a finesse for building his characters, which can be rare in an action film, and for staging some thrilling fights.
One of the top strengths of the film is that it's not just a comic-book film. It's an ethical journey for striving to be different in the face of adversity that is especially prevalent to today. It's not perfect, but compared to all of the other prequels that have been made in recent years, this one has evolved.
Final grade: B+
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