Bad Idea, but Good Execution
X-Men: First Class, released in 2011 and directed by Matthew Vaughn, is at best a fun, well made summer flick, useful for the revival of the franchise, and at worst a polarizing film whose only bold steps involve blatant disregard for continuity of the source material. That being said, longtime comic book and X-Men fans should enjoy watching this film (maybe not thinking about it) for its stylish direction and the good acting by its good actors, such as Fassbender, McAvoy, and Bacon. It is interesting to note, however, that First Class’ biggest hurdle is going to be impressing X-Men fans, not everyone else.
What was good? (in order of importance)
1. The acting
The acting by Michael Fassbender (who is now well on his way to becoming an established Hollywood name) as Magneto, James McAvoy as Professor Xavier, and even Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw (although I did not buy into his motives), is excellent and irresistible. The dynamic between Xavier and Magneto has always been a difficult one to capture in complete essence, but, like legends Stewart and McKellan, McAvoy and Fassbender get the job done quite well. There are scenes in the movie between Xavier and Magneto that are deep, emotional, and vulnerable, and that is what I think this movie was trying to go for. Extra kudos go to the hilarious, if not unexpected, cameo with Hugh Jackman.
2. The direction
The direction, as I am calling it, which encompasses actual directing combined with screenplay, is another strong aspect of the film. First Class, for the most part, does not feel like a mindless summer action movie, and I think that is mostly due to the stylish direction of Vaughn and his team of writers. Many strong lines of dialogue from the movie will be hard to forget, such as Magneto’s, “No. They were kids,” and Xavier’s, “Listen to me carefully my friend. Killing [Shaw] will not bring you peace.”
3. The production
X-Men: First Class’ production value is another great aspect of the film. The costumes, for the most part, looked great, and the atmosphere of the film is restrained, yet well executed. You can almost believe that this movie was actually filmed in the 60’s (almost). Special consideration goes to the costumes, makeup, and special effects of Darwin, Azazel, and Emma Frost (particularly in her diamond form).
What was bad?
1. The story and mythos
Okay, I have to get this off of my chest right now: if the character does not resemble any aspect of their comic-book counterpart, then there is absolutely no reason to put them in the film. The first person I think of is Moira MacTaggart. In the comics, Moira is an especially Scottish doctor and geneticist. What is the point of including her in First Class as a CIA agent without her accent? I understand that this is not the same universe as the comics, but if a character resembles their counterpart in name only, then why not simply rename them something else? Additionally, and this is generally a big storytelling peeve of mine: you cannot create a character solely for the purpose of his execution and expect it to be compelling. Darwin’s death has no purpose, and he is thrown into the movie for absolutely no reason at all. I think the biggest problem any comic-book fan will have with this movie is the grossly random choices Vaughn made in choosing the cast of characters. Havok, Angel, Darwin, and Moira, do not fit into the movie at all, and I think the biggest reason why not is because they are not even done well. Mystique and Shaw do not necessarily fit into the X-Men origin mythos, but they are done well so they convince us they should be.
2. Continuity problems
And no, I do not mean in comparison to the comics. Vaughn has stated that First Class is indeed in continuity with the first 4 X-Men films produced by Fox. I just do not see how that is possible, for numerous reasons. Starting with the relationship with Magneto and Xavier, in X3 they are shown (both walking upright mind you) in their late forties or fifties walking up to Jean Grey’s door, and they obviously had not had their “falling out” yet. Moreover, that scene also shows us that Xavier was bald before he was paralyzed, which also does not make sense. Add that to Emma Frost’s appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and you have one marvelous debacle. In my opinion, X-Men: First Class should have been a reboot. Tying it in to the other movies, by using scenes from X1 and having Hugh Jackman cameo as Wolverine, was a big mistake.
3. The acting
After saying that the acting was the best aspect of the film, I now have to backtrack and say it was also one of the worst. Simply speaking, X-Men: First class involves good acting by good actors and bad acting by bad actors. Banshee, Angel, and Havok were pretty much useless as characters other than the fact that they are the proverbial “first class” (which apparently Vaughn decided he needed after naming the film thusly). Additionally, Emma Frost’s character and acting are, sadly, a disappointment.
What’s the verdict?
While I may seem harsh in my criticism, keep in mind that this is from a huge X-Men fan’s perspective. If you know little to nothing of the background story or characters from the X-Men, you will probably enjoy this movie. For me, it is not necessarily the lack of accuracy to the comics, but the fact that this movie does not even conform to its own continuity set up by the previous four films. I still recommend seeing this movie, based almost solely on Fassbender and McAvoy. Those two make it worth it. Not only that, but I am still incredibly grateful for this movie’s release because, no matter how flawed, it is always good to see the X-Men in the spotlight. Revitalizing the franchise may just be this film’s greatest achievement.
3/5
