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 X-Men: First Class 

What grade would you give this film?
A 64%  64%  [ 21 ]
B 30%  30%  [ 10 ]
C 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
D 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
F 6%  6%  [ 2 ]
Total votes : 33

 X-Men: First Class 
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loyalfromlondon
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Post X-Men: First Class
X-Men: First Class

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X-Men: First Class is a 2011 American superhero action drama film by Matthew Vaughn and produced by Bryan Singer, based on the characters appearing in Marvel Comics. The fifth installment in the X-Men series was released on June 1, 2011, in the UK and on June 3 in the U.S., achieving positive reviews and box-office success.

The film acts as a prequel for the X-Men trilogy, set primarily in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. It focuses on the relationship between Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr (Magneto) and the origin of their groups, the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Mutants. The film stars James McAvoy as Xavier and Michael Fassbender as Magneto. Other cast members include Kevin Bacon, January Jones, Rose Byrne, Jennifer Lawrence, Zoë Kravitz, Nicholas Hoult and Lucas Till.

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Thu Jun 02, 2011 11:48 am
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Post Re: X-Men: First Class
Same story all over again. McAvoy, Fassbender and Byrne can't save another rehash of the same old plot with the same underdeveloped themes. There is no tension or sense of urgency. Quickly becoming overrated if the "best superhero movie since TDK" sentiment is echoed because it's not much better than all its predecessors or even Thor.

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Thu Jun 02, 2011 10:07 pm
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Post Re: X-Men: First Class
I enjoyed this a lot. I loved the setup, Professor X, Magneto, and Raven are great. It's certainly not a perfect movie (Beast doesn't look right, and the rest of the mutants aren't developed much), but it's story is much better than Thor, which I gave a B+.

A-


Fri Jun 03, 2011 3:46 am
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Post Re: X-Men: First Class
X-Men: First Class should really be Matthew Vaughn's coming out party. After producing Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch (not coincidentally Guy Ritchie's career high-points) he made his own gangster film with Layer Cake. The result was perhaps not as energetic or well composed as the previous gangster films, but still had some solid performances and some great sequences. Stardust was a step in the right direction, as he made one of the most fun (and underrated) post-LOTR fantasy films. And Kick Ass was a beautifully demonic display of death cinema, as each action scene was shocking, dynamic and unique. Here, Vaughn once again shows his knack for violence (you won't believe some of the things he pulls off in a PG-13 fashion) strong storytelling and milking great performances out of his ensemble cast. Sure, some of the henchmen don't have any lines, but the fact that Vaughn was able to have so many mutants with different powers in the film at all is pretty impressive. What's even cooler is that Vaughn deals with these powers in a mostly matter-of-fact manner. Some of the special effects are fantastic, and some are a bit wonky, but they all serve the characters who wield them more than overwhelming the audience with CGI to hide a deficiency in storytelling.

Here's a movie that juggles about a dozen balls at once and manages to do so with pizzazz for two hours. There's a huge amount of story being told in an extremely economical fashion, as half a dozen familiar mutants get origin stories while other cool new ones are introduced (my favorite has to be Kevin Bacon's deliciously evil villian, whose superpower is fantastic) all with a 1960s background that occasionally allows for some very funny historical revisionism. If the story is occasionally a bit standard, what stands out is the strong characters. Working within a rich canon, X-Men: First Class is much more faithful to the source material than Singer's films... Except when it benefits the story. In this case, Mystique is initially friends with Charles Xavier, a relationship that exposes Charle's racism or at least lack of empathy towards mutants who don't fit in. James McAvoy and Jennifer Lawrence both do fine jobs, but Michael Fassbender has to be the stand out as Erik. The scenes where he hunts down Nazis make a fantastic case for having him play the next James Bond. I'm not sure if I entirely bought the place his character ends up by the finale, but it was a joy seeing him get there. X-Men: First Class, for all the characters and story it shows, is always breezy fun and enormously entertaining.

That said, X-Men: First Class is in a tricky place online. It's quality has been apparent to almost every critic who has seen it, which has led to high reviews and an inevitable backlash should be expected. So while I did love the movie, I should say that it's less of a "new age" for superhero movies like some people said Sin City/Batman Begins was, and more of an example of someone making a big blockbuster extremely well. You can call it this year's Star Trek, although the similarities dissapear once you get away from this being a highly entertaining reboot.


Fri Jun 03, 2011 4:50 am
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Post Re: X-Men: First Class
Quite possibly the best of the series. It never felt like a sleep-inducing origin story like Wolverine (which also felt longer despite a shorter run time) did and I was surprised with the amount of action that there was in the beginning. The presentation of the setting, the new mutants and their abilities were done almost perfectly and felt refreshing. The best characters were Charles, Erik, Moira, and Raven.

A-

My new ranking of the best superhero films:

1. Spider-Man
2. Spider-Man 2
3. The Dark Knight
4. X-Men: First Class
5. X2/Iron Man


Fri Jun 03, 2011 3:02 pm
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Post Re: X-Men: First Class
BK wrote:
Same story all over again. McAvoy, Fassbender and Byrne can't save another rehash of the same old plot with the same underdeveloped themes. There is no tension or sense of urgency. Quickly becoming overrated if the "best superhero movie since TDK" sentiment is echoed because it's not much better than all its predecessors or even Thor.


Seriously, the first two are in the top 10 and even in some cases best superhero films ever made, so if thats not good enough for you then :whaa:

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Fri Jun 03, 2011 5:26 pm
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Post Re: X-Men: First Class
I don't think BK saw the same film as me. No sense of urgency? The Cuban Missile plot was great and the scenes at the end at the end were extremely tense. Fassbender was amazing as Magneto and I thought McAvoy did a great job as Xavier. I loved the scenes between him and Magneto. The rest of the cast was great as well, although Jennifer Lawrence stood out as Mystique. She is becoming a great actress. Overall I thought it was a great film and it is either on par with X2 or might even usurp it for me.


Fri Jun 03, 2011 6:33 pm
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Post Re: X-Men: First Class
X-Men: First Class isn't the best of this franchise (I still enjoyed the first two films more), but Matthew Vaughn takes it in some interesting directions here. It's an origins story, yes. So a lot of what transpires is on the predictable side. That said, it has some superb action sequences, strong performances, and good scripting in general. And it mixes mutants...with the Cold War! Successfully. So it should get props for that. James McAvoy is solid as Xavier and brings a dignified presence to the proceedings that makes it easy to see the character becoming Patrick Stewart. But it's Michael Fassbender who totally runs away with this movie...his Erik/Magneto is a true three-dimensional character, and Fassbender is outstanding in the part. Among the other characters: Jennifer Lawrence gets some strong mileage out of the Mystique character, Rose Byrne avoids fading into the background, and Kevin Bacon (nice German!) is a truly detestable villain. It's only January Jones who sticks out negatively, as it is becoming clearer with each role that the actress is actually made out of ice. Also, the two cameos (which I will avoid spoiling here) both got huge reactions from the audience. B+


Sat Jun 04, 2011 12:17 am
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Post Re: X-Men: First Class
Eh, I was sorta disappointed.

It was a lot sillier and goofier than I was expecting, which I guess comes with the mutant territory, but the great thing about the earlier films (or at least the first two) is how grounded in reality they were. They took themselves seriously, dammit! And this one just doesn't seem to. I know it's paying homage to the series' 60s roots (as well as James Bond films) but the tone doesn't quite seem to jive with the material.

But Michael Fassbender is awesome and nearly saved the whole thing. I would've preferred the entire film to be Magneto hunting Nazis; how terrific would that be?!?

And of course Wolverine got the best line.

Still, though, disappointing.

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Sat Jun 04, 2011 1:07 am
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Post Re: X-Men: First Class
After the mediocre, underdeveloped X-Men: The Last Stand and the truly awful X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the once-mighty franchise Bryan Singer and Marvel built was in a state of utter disrepair. X-Men: First Class sees Singer return to the X-Men fold. In addition to producing, he is credited with co-conceiving the story. Directorial duties fall to Matthew Vaughn, the man who produced Guy Ritchie's first two (also best) films before becoming a talented popcorn-movie director in his own right with, among others, the stylish Daniel Craig caper Layer Cake and the highly entertaining, extremely violent superhero comedy Kick-Ass. Together, Singer and Vaughn have deftly revitalized the franchise. In fact, First Class flirts with surpassing X2 as the best X-Men adventure yet.

After a brief prologue set in Nazi-occupied Poland, in which we once again see a young Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto entering a concentration camp and later becoming the subject of the nefarious Dr. Schmidt's (Kevin Bacon) mutant experimentation, the film leaps forward to the early '60s. Erik, played as a vengeful adult by Michael Fassbender, is searching the globe for Schmidt. Meanwhile, wealthy, benevolent mind reader Charles Xavier/Professor X (James McAvoy) is quietly researching mutation in Oxford, where he lives with his adopted sister Raven (Jennifer Lawrence), the blue-skinned girl who will soon be Mystique. Before long, Charles and Erik's paths have crossed as they join with CIA agent Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne) and other young mutants to stop a destructive plot masterminded by Schmidt, who now calls himself Sebastian Shaw, and his evil Hellfire Club, which includes the diamond-coated Emma Frost (January Jones) and the teleporting, blade-wielding Azazel (a nearly unrecognizable Jason Flemyng).

This is a busy film. It has to (re-)introduce a laundry list of characters and establish the loves, rivalries, allegiances, and tensions between them, all while also telling a Cold War era tale of espionage and adventure. Yet, and this is a real credit to Vaughn and his team of writers, it never feels overburdened. It never becomes an overly expository slog. The pace is swift, the humor plentiful, the drama potent (thanks to a first-rate cast, the always excellent and intense Fassbender in particular), and the action rousing and crisply shot by director of photography John Mathieson. Vaughn also has fun with the '60s setting, blending X-Men iconography with the light, jaunty feel of a vintage James Bond film, including retro end credits.

First Class is free of the, shall we say, overly corporate quality which plagues many event films. While it does leave room for a sequel, it doesn't play as a forced setup for anything in the future (the Iron Man 2 debacle), nor does it have a lazy/for-the-paycheck vibe. It's energized, and it's in love with the X-Men universe and its boundless nerdy, colorful possibilities. One senses real care, passion, and integrity went into its crafting.

If anything I wish it were longer. Not in a grave, this-film-is-too-thin sense. Rather, it just has so many tantalizing character beats and clever shots, I almost found myself wishing I could slow it down and savor them. A repeat viewing in theatres is assured, and I couldn't be more excited for the follow-up. This is a film where I truly want to spend more time with the characters and see where the plot goes next. This is splashy, zany summer entertainment done precisely right.

A-

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Last edited by David on Sat Jun 04, 2011 4:18 am, edited 2 times in total.



Sat Jun 04, 2011 1:33 am
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Post Re: X-Men: First Class
The gravity and grit Singer brought to the first two is wonderful (and obviously paved the way for Nolan's Batman), but I still love the colorful, loose, Bond-esque vibe of First Class.

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Last edited by David on Wed May 21, 2014 5:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.



Sat Jun 04, 2011 1:37 am
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Post Re: X-Men: First Class
Much better than I could have ever hoped for. I always felt like this project would really suck, but Matthew Vaughn made quite an entertaining and an actually good prequel. The casting was all around solid, but especially great with James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender.

And the one major cameo was absolutely perfect.

Not better than the first X-Men, and no where close to X2, but better than X3 and Wolverine fo sho.


Sat Jun 04, 2011 1:39 am
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Post Re: X-Men: First Class
trixster wrote:
Eh, I was sorta disappointed.

It was a lot sillier and goofier than I was expecting, which I guess comes with the mutant territory, but the great thing about the earlier films (or at least the first two) is how grounded in reality they were. They took themselves seriously, dammit! And this one just doesn't seem to. I know it's paying homage to the series' 60s roots (as well as James Bond films) but the tone doesn't quite seem to jive with the material.

But Michael Fassbender is awesome and nearly saved the whole thing. I would've preferred the entire film to be Magneto hunting Nazis; how terrific would that be?!?

And of course Wolverine got the best line.

Still, though, disappointing.
I pretty much agree completely with this, ESPECIALLY about preferring just 2 hours of watching Fassbender kill Nazis. :watsup:


Sat Jun 04, 2011 3:19 am
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Post Re: X-Men: First Class
Jedi Master Carr wrote:
I don't think BK saw the same film as me. No sense of urgency? The Cuban Missile plot was great and the scenes at the end at the end were extremely tense. Fassbender was amazing as Magneto and I thought McAvoy did a great job as Xavier. I loved the scenes between him and Magneto. The rest of the cast was great as well, although Jennifer Lawrence stood out as Mystique. She is becoming a great actress. Overall I thought it was a great film and it is either on par with X2 or might even usurp it for me.


I'm going to write an article in the next few days but to address this first; you had to know that nothing would happen, since nothing happened in history. So if you know the outcome, how is there tension? When Shaw puts on the helmet, you knew Erik would take it from him later, so again, no tension for me.

And Lawrence along with Bacon were the weak links in the acting department of those whose characters played a bigger part than "They look at me differently, I'll join you Magneto," and "I don't understand my powers, thank you for teaching me Charles,".

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Sat Jun 04, 2011 3:43 am
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Post Re: X-Men: First Class
You know the problem with X-MEN: FIRST CLASS?? It's the fact that when I see characters like MAGNETO and Professor X on screen, I immediately think of Sir Ian Mckellen and Patrick Stewert: Both are tremendous actors that were made for these characters, not James Mcevoy and Michael Fassender.. This really didn't need backstory at all and came off grasping and reaching..

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Sat Jun 04, 2011 5:26 am
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Post Re: X-Men: First Class
BK wrote:
Jedi Master Carr wrote:
I don't think BK saw the same film as me. No sense of urgency? The Cuban Missile plot was great and the scenes at the end at the end were extremely tense. Fassbender was amazing as Magneto and I thought McAvoy did a great job as Xavier. I loved the scenes between him and Magneto. The rest of the cast was great as well, although Jennifer Lawrence stood out as Mystique. She is becoming a great actress. Overall I thought it was a great film and it is either on par with X2 or might even usurp it for me.


I'm going to write an article in the next few days but to address this first; you had to know that nothing would happen, since nothing happened in history. So if you know the outcome, how is there tension? When Shaw puts on the helmet, you knew Erik would take it from him later, so again, no tension for me.

And Lawrence along with Bacon were the weak links in the acting department of those whose characters played a bigger part than "They look at me differently, I'll join you Magneto," and "I don't understand my powers, thank you for teaching me Charles,".



Well I disagree with you. I think the movie had plenty of tension and I think you are in the minority here especially about Lawrence. She has gotten raves from everyone just about who has seen the movie.


Sat Jun 04, 2011 2:13 pm
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Post Re: X-Men: First Class
STEVE ROGERS wrote:
You know the problem with X-MEN: FIRST CLASS?? It's the fact that when I see characters like MAGNETO and Professor X on screen, I immediately think of Sir Ian Mckellen and Patrick Stewert: Both are tremendous actors that were made for these characters, not James Mcevoy and Michael Fassender.. This really didn't need backstory at all and came off grasping and reaching..


I really disagree with you because they are younger here and both characters have a deep backstory. You obliviously know nothing about the comics because Magneto is one of the most complex characters in Marvel Comics and I would love to see more films featuring him.


Sat Jun 04, 2011 2:14 pm
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Post Re: X-Men: First Class
As awesome as a Magneto film would be, I just don't think it would make that much money. Fassbender ain't a star yet and Magneto's still a villain to most people. It'd need a low budget or a director who knows what he's doing.

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Sat Jun 04, 2011 2:52 pm
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Post Re: X-Men: First Class
A giant chunk of X-Men Origins: Magneto material found its way into First Class. That's why Sheldon Turner gets a story credit, even though he didn't do a thing on the film.


Sat Jun 04, 2011 4:24 pm
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Post Re: X-Men: First Class
Magnus Prime wrote:
But Fassbender better be a star soon. Four performances I've seen from him (Hunger, Inglourious Basterds, Fish Tank, and this) and all have been aces. And I'm 99.9% sure he'll deliver with Promethus and A Dangerous Method.

He's in 300 too (he's the guy who cuts off the Persian emissary's arm and then says "then we will fight in the shade"), but it's hardly a star-making turn.

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zwackerm wrote:
If John Wick 2 even makes 30 million I will eat 1,000 shoes.


Same.


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Sat Jun 04, 2011 4:29 pm
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Post Re: X-Men: First Class
This is among the five best, most entertaining superhero films ever.

There better be a sequel. Or I'll cry.

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Sat Jun 04, 2011 6:56 pm
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Post Re: X-Men: First Class
Dude, you need to stop with the hyperbole.

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zwackerm wrote:
If John Wick 2 even makes 30 million I will eat 1,000 shoes.


Same.


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Sat Jun 04, 2011 6:58 pm
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Post Re: X-Men: First Class
It's truth.

Batman Returns, The Dark Knight, Superman Returns, X-Men: First Class, X2. Those are the best superhero movies, with Kick-Ass and Hellboy II just missing the cut.

No hyperbole.

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Sat Jun 04, 2011 7:01 pm
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Post Re: X-Men: First Class
First of all, for reasons The Dark Shape already mentioned, we never ever need a X-Men Origins: Magneto movie. From the first shot to the last, this film was it! It just happened to have a lot of other interesting characters and events happening as well. :thumbsup:

Secondly, I'm kind of alright with the concept of this NOT getting a sequel. This movie does everything it needs to in order to provide the origins of the characters and set up Singer's films. It proves that the Anakin Skywalker arc (which is essentially Magneto's in this film) is better told in one movie than three. :thumbsup: Finally, Matthew Vaughn is a very talented filmmaker who has proven to be uncannily strong in any genre he tackles. He's made two solid superhero movies... Now I'm ready to see him get a bit more diverse! I wonder if he could make a good movie that didn't have at least a dozen people die...


Sat Jun 04, 2011 9:41 pm
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Post Re: X-Men: First Class
The best in the series so far!!! A classic superhero drama picture!!!

Awesome!

A


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