Though I am sure that mutants are not everyone’s cup up tea, they certainly are mine. This movie has it all : a well crafted story, great CGI animation and a quality cast. It is completely flawless.
The story is set in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis and follows the lives of Charles Xavier, (James McAvoy ) and Erik Lensherr / Magneto (Michael Fassbender) as they attempt to thwart the plans of Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) who wishes to ‘liberate’ the mutants by destroying the human race through nuclear war.
There are several reasons why this is my favorite movie of 2011. For one thing, the acting is exceptional in this movie. My favorite character from the series, the high level telepath Charles Xavier, has always been a calm, charming man and James McAvoy did an impeccable job bringing him to life. McAvoy managed to maintain the collected and intelligent persona that is Xavier. Plus, he’s just lovely to look at.
Other notable acting performances were from Michael Fassbender and Kevin Bacon, who put such a great effort into their characters.
A beautiful aspect to watch was the budding friendship between Xavier and Erik/Magneto. Aware of Eriks troubled past, Xavier tries to comfort Erik by making him see that revenge will not ease his suffering. Though they are mutants, the human element in this movie is very obvious.
The story was, by far, my favorite part. It was ingenious the way the writers weaved the mutant struggle around the Cuban Missile Crisis, managing to make the possibility of nuclear war the fault of the mutant villan Sebastian Shaw. You realize the effort they put into creating a believable story linked in with reality when you see Shaw personally meet a Russian General to coerce him into making the Russians place their missiles in Cuba.
For those of you unfamiliar with the X Men Comics or even the original X Men movies, this movie will stand on its own as a work of sheer brilliance and a grand introduction to the rest of the series. As for the diehard fans, you will get a true understanding of the origins of your favorite characters and a further appreciation for franchise.
Sources : X-Men First Class: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-Men:_First_Class