There’s nothing Hollywood loves more than a moneymaking franchise. But even executives there realize the formula can get tired after three — or seven — films. Reluctant to give up certain box office success, they’ve come up with a solution: reboot the franchise. Usually this means developing the backstory with the use of younger, more demographically friendly actors. And sometimes it works. 2009’s “Star Trek” was clever and more entertaining than many of the older films.
The same is true of “X-Men: First Class.” Producers have taken a property that felt moribund from the beginning and created a classy comic book flick that truly feels fresh.
| On screen |
| ‘X-Men: First Class’ |
| 4 out of 5 stars |
| Stars: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence |
| Director: Matthew Vaughn |
| Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, some sexual content including brief partial nudity, and language |
| Running time: 132 minutes |
The young actors had big shoes to fill: In 2000’s “X-Men,” Professor X was played by Patrick Stewart and Magneto by Ian McKellen, two men often found on the Shakespearean stage. The youngsters are more than up to the task. Here, James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender reveal how Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr became Professor X and Magneto — and all but destroyed their friendship in the process.
It’s 1962. Charles has just graduated from Oxford, having written a dissertation on genetic mutations, while Erik is in Geneva plotting how to kill the concentration camp leader (Kevin Bacon) who murdered his mother. Charles doesn’t reveal to anyone but his adopted sister Raven (Jennifer Lawrence), also a mutant, that he can read minds and control bodies. His instead uses his knowledge to pick up girls: “It’s a very groovy mutation,” he says to women with red hair.
Charles is soon recruited by CIA agent Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne) after she witnesses some mutants make off with a senator. He assembles a team to take down Sebastian Shaw, as Bacon’s character later styles himself. Shaw has decided the master race won’t be Aryans, but powerful mutants — he’s even turned himself into one. “An exceptional group of young people,” Charles describes his team of young mutants — only to find them showing off their skills in a frat-party atmosphere. He thus starts his famous school, to teach his new friends to control their skills and use them for good.
But Erik isn’t completely on his side. Perhaps he has a case of Stockholm syndrome. He begins to believe Shaw’s argument that humans and mutants must inevitably face war: Normal human beings will “battle their own extinction.”
Many of these themes were present in the original “X-Men.” They’re certainly not subtle here either, but they’re handled more gracefully. McAvoy and Fassbender are two very talented men, who have created characters of their own, while staying true to the originals. It’s their powerful presence that makes “X-Men: First Class” so engaging. Male friendship isn’t often explored on-screen in an adult way.
Professor X, Magneto and the rest of the crew might be younger here. But they’ve created a more thoughtful, mature film — while still providing the action that fans expect.
