‘X-Men: First Class’ is top notch
X-Men: First Class (Cert 12, 126 mins, Action/Thriller/Romance)
Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) hunts down the sadistic concentration camp commandant (Kevin Bacon) who murdered his parents.
It transpires that the German officer has reinvented himself as power-hungry globe-trotter Sebastian Shaw, who intends to spark nuclear war between Russia and America aided by mutant sidekicks Emma Frost (January Jones), Azazel (Jason Flemyng) and Riptide (Alex Gonzalez).
Standing in his way are telepath Charles Xavier (James McAvoy), shape-shifter Raven Darkholme (Jennifer Lawrence) and five gifted mutants - Angel (Zoe Kravitz), Banshee (Caleb Landry Jones), Beast (Nicholas Hoult), Darwin (Edi Gathegi) and Havok (Lucas Till).
At first Erik and Charles work together to defeat Sebastian, their common enemy.
However, a rift opens between the mutant leaders, lighting the fuse on the brutal and bloody war between the X-Men and Magneto’s brotherhood.
X-Men: First Class is an exhilarating, action-packed prequel based on the hugely popular Marvel Comics that establishes the mythology of the iconic characters and provides tantalising glimpses of where the series can go next.
British director Matthew Vaughn delivers a sleek and satisfying opening chapter blessed with a tight script and snappy editing. McAvoy and Fassbender are assured actors, capable of heartbreaking emotion, and there are plenty of tears here as nuclear war looms.
The only quibble is Fassbender’s wavering accent, which jigs from Europe to County Kerry and resonates so strongly of the Emerald Isle by the closing frames that you have to question if the Polish prologue was fantasy.
Supporting performances, particularly Lawrence and Hoult, are compelling and Bacon is a suitably boo-some pantomime villain.
Rating: 4/5.
