X-Men: First Class (5 Stars)

My guest writer Kay already reviewed this film here.

Of the four X-Men films made so far this prequel is the best. From the beginning it drew me in with its excitement, drama and fast pacing. I quickly grew to love the characters of Charles Xavier (Professor X) and Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto). It's amusing to see the young Charles as a womanizer.

The film begins in 1944, but most of the events take place in 1962 against the background of the Cuban missile crisis. I can't fault the film as an opus within itself, but it takes great liberties with the chronology of the X-Men comics and the Marvel universe in general. Random characters are thrown together who were up to 20 years apart in their first appearances in the comics. Sebastian Shaw knew Magneto as a child? Mystique grew up as Professor X's sister? And Hank McCoy turned blue before the X-Men were formed? Tut tut tut..... Still, it was fun watching the characters I know and love. Even if they were anachronisms. I was surprised at the inclusion of Riptide in Sebastian Shaw's Hellfire Club, since he was a relatively minor character who wasn't introduced until 1986. The only character I didn't recognise was Darwin. I had to google to find out who he was, and he actually didn't appear in the X-Men comics until 2006. The reason for his inclusion must have been his skin colour; the film had to be politically correct and include at least one black mutant. Silly.

Click here to watch the trailer.

And click on this picture if you want to read about the REAL X-Men first class, as they were first portrayed in the comics in 1963. Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Angel, Iceman and the Beast. Those were the good old days.