X-Men: First Class

X-Men: First Class is awesome. In fact, I'm willing to say it's my favorite summer movie so far.

The only actors I really recognized were January Jones (from Mad Men), that other woman from the tv show Damages, and Kevin Bacon. They are both fantastic. In fact, all the casting is good.

I was a big fan of the comic growing up. However, even if you've never read an X-Men comic, this movie can be enjoyed. Of course, it certainly doesn't inhibit you to know some stories of these characters going in.

One of my favorite things about this movie is that it fills in a lot of the blanks that I never got from the comics. I'm sure they made comic book stories about the X-Men origins, but I must have missed them. I only got bits and pieces of the X-Men legacy along the way. So, it was nice to see this story fully filled out.

I also like that the story takes place in the 1960s. They stay true to that theme, and follow through with it. The story ties into the Cuban missile crisis that America faced during JFK's administration.

It is also fun to discover the mutant abilities along with the characters. They are newly learning to wield their incredible powers. And, if you know how these characters develop in later years, it is more fun to watch.

The story follows Erik (who later becomes Magneto) and Professor Xavier (who eventually runs the school for mutants, and becomes the lead "good guy.") as they discover the mutant phenomenon. They each track down existing mutants and begin to get some organization going within the mutant community. Meanwhile, there are evil forces at work that they must battle.

One of the great things about the X-Men series is the seemingly endless supply of innovative characters. They are not necessarily "super". They are just evolved humans with mutated abilities. They are more "advanced" humans. The story deals with their relations with "unevolved" humans who are intimidated, skeptical, and fearful of the mutant population. The mutants themselves are divided on the issue. The mutants who believe in peaceful relations with the normal human population eventually become the "good guys." The ones who want to conquer and defend against the humans eventually become the "bad guys." It has depth, and it is interesting.

As I said, I read X-Men growing up. I don't have any nit-picky problems with this movie, as some comic book fans might. I loved it for what it is. If you like superheroes, and action, then check it out. If you like it, then I recommend continuing to watch the three prior X-Men movies. They are very consistent with each other.

my rating: 3.5 out of 5