I remember being unsure of this decision. But any new X-Men film is welcomed.
From the very start and throughout, I was utterly compelled and completely overwhelmed by what Vaughn and his team have made. I don't usually go nuts over summer blockbusters. But this one seemed to hit the right spots for me and ended up being in my top 10 films of 2011.
I was so surprised at how much I was enjoying it, amazed at some of the angles it went down and shocked at how interesting the script ended up being.
With all that amount of positivity, that does mean there are some good performances as well to speak of. The big draws are James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender as a younger Professor X and Magneto compared to the versions played by Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan. The relationship between them is great. The dialogue that McAvoy is given has so much depth and breaks down the use of the mutants powers so well that it becomes a short of its own within the main plot. Fassbender was the perfect casting choice and shows real threat when needed.
I was really not expecting much from Kevin Bacon as the main villain. But he managed to probably be one of the best villains from any Marvel movie.
Every minor role was done really well, especially by the younger actors. But the few exceptions that I would like to mention is Jennifer Lawrence and January Jones. Lawrence was good as Mystique and I loved the use of a cheeky cameo by the original and best portrayal of Mystique, Rebecca Romijn. As for Jones, being both super sexy and a bad-ass as the deadly Emma Frost was a great choice of casting.
From a technical standpoint, the 60's setting is great and the events in that time period really mix in well with the main characters. Also the costume design was like watching a Sean Connery James Bond film at times, especially with the outfits Fassbender's character was wearing in the early part. Even some of the visual effects looked 60's inspired. The score by Henry Jackman is terrific and one of the best from the Marvel films. I still listen to it every now and again to this day.
I rarely show so much love for not just a superhero film, but a film aimed for the summer market. Vaughn and his team have given us a constantly exciting blockbuster that is so much fun to watch. I just love the story and how everyone's path begins.
There are so many great individual scenes. My personal favourites are the one in Argentina is so tense and is always a delight to watch, and one towards the end involving Fassbender's character and a submarine.
For me, this the best Marvel film to date. It goes at a romping pace, it is pure entertainment, the very definition of a summer blockbuster and was the perfect re-boot to give this franchise the new energy that it needed.
It also contains what I think is the greatest cameo of all-time. Be sure to check that moment out if you haven't seen this.
Rating: 8/10
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