X-Men: First Class

Okay, I saw the 12:01 showing of this movie and I very rarely see the first showing of any movie because I'm usually under the impression that no movie is worth getting to bed that late for. The Lord of the Rings was one of those movies as was Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Those were just two of the movies I've done that for so you know this movie is in rare air. Now while this movie is entertaining and worth the price of admission, it definitely isn't worth 12:01. Directed by relative newbie Matthew Vaughn, the man behind the lens of Kick Ass and Layer Cake does an admirable job pulling this story together on the screen but there are a few times, okay a LOT of times where this movie loses steam. I can only blame the director for that and it makes me think this movie in the hands of a better more talented director would have been worth getting to bed late for.

X-Men: First Class could have actually been called The Rise of Magneto since the movie pretty much circled around the Cuban missile crisis and Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto's need for revenge over the murder of his mother. He is without a doubt the most fascinating character on the screen from start to finish. Michael Fassbender plays Magneto with a seething anger just below the surface that could erupt at anytime which makes him the anti-hero and we always root for the anti-hero (see Wolverine). Now the man fueling this anger is Sebastian Shaw, the leader of The Hellfire Club played surprisingly well by Kevin Bacon (yes we have a Kevin Bacon sighting and who knew the man could speak German?). While Erik hunts down Sebastian Charles Xavier is doing his own hunting, of young nubile and naive college girls while writing his thesis on the mutant gene. He's sought out by the CIA Agent Moira MacTaggert played by Rose Byrne after she watches a General be manipulated to sign off on the US installing nuclear weapons in Turkey at the hands of Sebastian Shaw.

In dealing with the CIA, Charles meets Hank McCoy/Beast played by Nicholas Hoult who introduces Charles to his creation the mighty Cerebro. Through Cerebro Charles finds a handful of mutant teenagers to build a team that can go up against Sebastian's lethal Emma Frost played by January Jones and the rest of his hardened Hellfire Club. That would have been fine but the problem is the producers choose to have these two groups meet during the Cuban missile crisis and it's during all of that when this movie loses it's momentum. This movie would have been worth the 12:01 viewing time had it just dealt with mutants coming into their own and dealing with the choice of showing themselves to the public at large. Instead you get an altered history lesson and if you plan on seeing Transformers: Dark of the Moon prepare yourself for another one of those altered history lesson.

Don't get me wrong however, X-Men: First Class is a quality movie and far better then that last crappy X-Men: Last Stand movie. There are nice casting surprises that I won't give away here but they will make you laugh and remember the earlier movies. This movie is visually arresting if you pine for 60's fashion and cars. I would imagine a good portion of the budget was blown on skinny slacks, turtle necks, and classic cars. Scored by Henry Jackman who's over time only scored lighthearted films like Monsters Vs. Aliens, Gulliver's Travel, and Winnie the Pooh does a very good job for this being such a heavy handed and dramatic film. His theme for Magneto is not only menacing and dark but addictive and appropriate as well.

Worth seeing? Absolutely (just for Kevin Bacon alone). It just wasn't worth seeing it at 12:01. See you at the theater!