Cinema Verdict Review: X-Men: First Class

X-Men: First Class

OPENING: 06/03/2011

STUDIO: Fox

RUN TIME: 132 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
Witness the moment that will change our world.

Opening Statement
I’ve always had a bit more affection for the X-Men franchise than it honestly deserves. Prior to the release of X-Men: First Class, four installments of the series had been churned out; only one of which had actually been a really satisfying picture (that would be X2: X-Men United). Despite this, the immense potential lurking within the depths of the franchise is undeniable. Part of the reason that a film like X-Men: The Last Stand is so frustrating is that it’s obvious the film could have been a terrific summer blockbuster had it been handled better. Rather than actually re-booting the series, Fox decided to launch an in-continuity prequel which would explore the origins of the mutant superhero team. So, how does X-Men: First Class fare? Well…the series still has a lot of potential.

Facts of the Case
Our story begins in the 1940s, when young Erik Lehnsherr (Bill Milner, Is Anybody There?) is a prisoner in a German concentration camp. During his stay there, he’s tortured and experimented on by a Nazi scientist (Kevin Bacon, Sleepers) eager to learn more about Erik’s unique magnetic abilities. Fast forward to the early 1960s, as an adult Erik (Michael Fassbender, Inglourious Basterds) is on an unrelenting mission to hunt down the man who tormented him all those years ago. It’s during this process that Erik meets Charles Xavier (James McAvoy, The Last King of Scotland), a professor of genetics with his own set of fascinating abilities (of the telepathic variety, of course).

To make a long set-up short, Charles and Erik decide to join forces with a handful of other young mutants and aid the CIA in a mission to prevent nuclear war from breaking out. Over the course of this mission, the two men’s sharp philosophical differences begin to become apparent. How much longer will the vengeful Erik and the peaceful Charles be able to continue working together before their personal ideologies split them apart?

The Evidence
Obviously, the answer is, “not much longer.” We all know where these characters are going; it’s up to X-Men: First Class to make the journey there compelling. I suppose you could call it a success in that regard, as the film is rarely dull or uninteresting. Even so, this semi-reboot of the series gets an absurdly large amount of things wrong. It’s appropriate that the film opens with a scene mirroring the opening scene from the first X-Men, as this film mirrors the close-but-no-cigar quality level of that movie in a variety of ways.

There are a variety of problems with this flick, but the most immediately noticeable one is the screenplay by director Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman, Zack Stentz and Ashley Miller (“Too many chefs” and all that, I suppose). There’s an embarrassingly large of amount of flat-out awful dialogue in the film, much of which comes from scenes in which characters casually make up iconic names (“No, you’re not G-Men…you’re more like…X-Men”). On numerous occasions, I was able to silently quotes lines from the film before the characters even delivered them (sadly, this was due to by-the-numbers writing rather than recently-developed telepathic abilities). In addition, character development is an enormous problem. Several of the characters go through very abrupt changes without any proper set-up; perhaps they know what they’re supposed to be up to in the sequels. The blatant social commentary (an element used skillfully in the Singer films) is handled very awkwardly this time around; it’s as if the writers were completely disinterested in that element of the franchise and half-heartedly stuck in a few lame slogans just for the sake of it (“Mutant and proud!” becomes an increasingly ungainly catchphrase).

Additionally, the film’s attempt at period design is laughable; it’s very easy to forget that you’re watching a film set in the ‘60s. You’re suddenly reminded of the film’s era when a character casually slips the word “groovy” into a sentence or JFK turns up on the television or Kevin Bacon turns up in a silly ascot, but there are entirely too many anachronisms killing the retro vibe. This problem is perfectly symbolized by the end credits, which fuse a hip Saul Bass-style credit sequence with Henry Jackman’s thoroughly modern action score (save for a handful of occasional 007-ish twangs).

The film relies far too much on simplistic fan service; those cornball moments designed to generate applause in crowded theatres that will fall completely flat when viewed at home (though a fleeting cameo from a franchise veteran is a pitch-perfect delight). The film also suffers from being burdened with the task of doing a boatload of set-up, as it seems to spend nearly its entire running time setting the stage for other, more interesting films (the Cuban Missile Crisis-themed central plot of this outing proves a good deal less interesting to watch than it must have seemed on paper). There’s at least one gaping plot hole that many audience members will notice, too.

And yet, I remain interested in this incarnation of the franchise and those other, better films that it may produce. Why? As I said, there’s still a lot of potential. For all of the movie’s faults, you have to give it credit for spot-on casting. In particular, Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy are superb as the future Magneto and Professor X, respectively. Fassbender sells some very weak material simply with the steely conviction of his performance, while McAvoy is even more disarmingly charming than usual as the bright, amiable Charles. In addition, Nicholas Hoult (A Single Man), gives a young Hank McCoy an effective Clark Kent-ish quality, while Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone) turns in solid work as a conflicted young Mystique. Kevin Bacon has a ball hamming it up as the villain, January Jones’ stiff screen presence actually works well for Emma Frost and Rose Byrne is an appealing presence as CIA Agent Moira MacTaggert. The cast for a terrific X-Men is undoubtedly in place, and they’re what keep X-Men: First Class so thoroughly watchable throughout (Fassbender in particular commands attention every time he strolls onscreen; he’s as strong a presence in this film as Ian McKellan was in the others).

This is easily director Matthew Vaughn’s weakest film to date (and considering that he co-wrote the screenplay, he can be blamed for many of its problems), but he does bring a level of stylistic flair and energy to the proceedings that sets it apart from the others (Bryan Singer had much better control of tone, but his considerably more dour approach would have amplified this film’s weaknesses). For instance, an obligatory training montage is turned into frisky fun due to Vaughn’s impressively fluid use of split-screen techniques.

Closing Statement
Still, X-Men: First Class is a mediocre film rescued on occasion by surface-level pleasures. It’s kinda fun while you watch it, but it sours in retrospect and will likely fare poorly on repeat viewings. The stage is set for a splendid X-Men adventure if the filmmakers can muster one. One can only hope that the magic will actually happen next time.

The Verdict
6/10

• >“”>