The malcontent mutants have regained their cinematic power in this stunning prequel...

It’s best to get the Batman Begins comparisons out of the way because, as adept as Christopher Nolan’s film was in reviving a tired franchise, the bar for reboots has been just been raised by Matthew Vaughn and co. Stylish, superbly written and with a winning mesh of action and emotion, X-Men: First Class isn’t just the best Marvel-related movie in years; it’s one of the best films of 2011.

An extremely poor poster campaign aside, it’s a remarkably successful film in every department, with the casting, Jane Goldman’s pacey and layered screenplay and Henry Jackman’s score all impressing. And it’s with no small amount of pride that British film lovers can see how this sceptred isle has provided the key personnel behind restoring the X-Men to the glory of the Bryan Singer years after the disappointment of Brett Ratner’s stinker and the underwhelming Wolverine prequel.

Singer’s role in the franchise, indeed, proves crucial in X-Men: First Class’ appeal. Goldman’s script comes from a Singer story concept and is laden with nods to his two contributions to the series, including a look at the early design for mutant detection machine Cerebro, and an updated take on the emergence of the young Erik Lensherr’s powers in a concentration camp. There’s also a doozie of a cameo appearance and a deeply poignant climax, both of which inform, rather that detract from, the first two X-Men films.

X-Men: First Class is very much its own beast, though, rather than an entertaining yet unnecessary addition to a filmic canon (ahem, Iron Man 2). Like JJ Abrams’ wonderful Star Trek – and, hopefully, Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man – First Class makes you ashamed for ever doubting its worth.

From a surprisingly dark and uncompromising opening through a breathless assembly of a mutant team in the second act to an outstanding finale framed around the Cuban Missile Crisis, X-Men: First Class repeatedly provides thrills and spills with a healthy dose of human – or mutant – emotion behind the smoke and mirrors. One genuinely moving sequence sees Charles Xavier (the ever-engaging James McAvoy) explaining to his hot-headed ally Erik (Michael Fassbender, more on whom later) that the key to unleashing the full might of his mutation lies in finding the middle ground ‘between rage and serenity’, and doing so by telepathically accessing a deeply hidden memory of Erik’s late mother. Jennifer Lawrence’s spirited portrayal of Raven Darkholme (the young Mystique) , meanwhile, and Nicholas Hoult’s take on the self-loathing of Dr Hank McCoy (the nascent Beast) serve as well-handled reminders that, at its heart, the X-Men stories have always been about prejudice and alienation.

It’s not all emotional turmoil and navel-gazing though, with the young mutants especially injecting a sense of fun into a franchise that had grown overly gloomy with X-Men: The Last Stand’s nod to the Dark Phoenix saga and the episodic vengeance arc of X-Men Origins: Wolverine. One set-piece sees Lucas Till’s Havok attempting to control his powers in what appears to be an early Danger Room and a training montage manages to avoid the genre clichés lampooned by Team America. Lawrence’s shape-shifting antics also raise a laugh, with the ‘evolve to survive’ talent of Darwin (Twilight’s Edi Gathegi) intelligently handled and Caleb Landry Jones’ immensely likeable turn as fledgling flyer Banshee. The villains of the piece are no one-trick ponies either, with Vaughn ever-present Jason Flemyng menacing as shape-shifter Azazel and the big bad of the piece Dr Sebastian Shaw (a swaggering Kevin Bacon) wielding a terrifying – but undeniably exciting – ability to absorb and release energy used against him. There’s eye candy for both sexes, too, with January Jones’ omnipresent cleavage and Lawrence’s curves a match for Fassbender’s polo-necked cool.

Not every aspect of this definite ensemble piece entirely works, with Jones’ Emma Frost given little to do other than display her décolletage and Rose Byrne and Oliver Platt a little underused as Dr Moira MacTaggert and ‘The Man in Black’, respectively. A nicknaming scene among the young mutants also feels patronisingly aimed at newcomers to the series and has a needless echo in the film’s cheesy final line.

But these are relatively minor quibbles for a film that succeeds as more than just a comic book film, thanks largely to Vaughn’s growth as a director – he’d be a fine choice to take on Bond, and after giving the franchise Daniel Craig, may just have found his successor in the masculine and dangerous Fassbender – Goldman’s expertly paced script and two nuanced performances from McAvoy and Fassbender. McAvoy is a charming and level-headed team leader but Fassbender is the undoubted star of the show, whether he’s malevolently torturing a Swiss banker and issuing death threats in fluent French, taking bloody revenge on exiled Nazis or finally allowing his heart to rule his head, with tragic consequences.

While the Cuban Missile Crisis backdrop feels like a tacked-on piece of subtext, X-Men: First Class is a taut and undeniably cool blockbuster. There’s never a dull moment as Goldman’s globetrotting tale zips through a tale of discovering, refining and unleashing superhuman abilities, with well-timed laughs, appealing heroes and dastardly enemies along the way.

Of course, you already know what the future holds for Professor X and Magneto. But thanks to this heroically entertaining film, joining them on the next stage of their battle will be irresistible.

X-Men: First Class goes on general UK release on Wednesday 1st June

See also:

London Comic Con -- X-Men: First Class panel

X-Men: First Class [2] Review

X-Men: First Class Clip: Here!

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