Film Review: X-Men: First Class [2011]

X-Men: First Class presents the origins of both Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr as they team-up to take on the leader of the Hellfire Club Sebastian Shaw. X-Men: First Class follows the groundwork set by former director Bryan Singer who is overseeing as producer for this film. The film becomes grounded as cameos by Hugh Jackman as Logan and Rebecca Romijn as Raven/Mystique solidify the continuity within the previous X-Men films.

There seems to be an X-Men film about every three years: X-Men (2000), X2: X-Men United (2003), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), and X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009). Expect the next X-Men film to hit theaters by 2014 as these characters are explored further in the tentatively titled X-Men: Second Genesis.

The film begins in 1944 with a young Erik Lehnsherr who is beginning to explore his powers. He is tested by Nazi officer who later becomes Sebastian Shaw. Meanwhile a young Charles Xavier meets Raven who can alter her appearance. After World War II, Erik hunts down the person who murdered his mother in 1962.

The CIA investigates the Hellfire Club who is lead by Sebastian Shaw and his Brotherhood of Mutants which includes both Emma Frost and Azazel. Moira MacTaggert teams up with Charles Xavier to take down Sebastian Shaw. Meanwhile Erik Lehnsherr tracks down Sebastian Shaw who gets away as Charles and the CIA closes in. Shaw gets away and Erik and Charles team up and form the X-Men.

The film uses the Cuban Missile Crisis as the setting between the final confrontation between Hellfire Club leader Sebastian Shaw and Erik Lehnsherr. The fallout follows as Erik becomes Magneto and takes Shaw’s Brotherhood of Mutants and Charles leads the X-Men.

Following the appearance of Azazel in X-Men: First Class his original comic appearance was with Uncanny X-Men: The Draco in 2003. The story reveals the true origins of Nightcrawler as the son of mutant terrorist Mystique and the teleporter Azazel. It was written by Chuck Austen who was well known for his mature series War Machine Max.

The only issue with his writing that there are too many sub-plots within The Draco story arc including the conflicts between Havok and Polaris, Professor X, and Juggarnaut. The story is painful to read as the front summaries get too much information and even relate to things that have not happened yet in the story. The series artist is Philip Tan who still continues to draw today however was getting started back then. His artwork is a mix on anime and Western styles that never really caught on back then.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED – 5 OUT OF 5