X-Men: First Class, a compelling character study disguised as high concept summer entertainment, is an origin story that should entice viewers to revisit the first three X-Men films.  To use that oft-quoted T.S. Eliot line, “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”

Directed by surefooted filmmaker Matthew Vaughn, X-Men: First Class delves into the deep bond between Erik “Magneto” Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) and Charles “Professor X”  Xavier (James McAvoy), diametrically opposed men who, during the early 1960s, forged a formidable alliance to take down Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon), the mutant who engineered the Cuban Missile Crises.

Shaw’s connection to Erik begins in WWII, when he violently attempts to mold the youth’s powers, killing the boy’s mother in the process.  Twenty years later, Erik is now a multilingual assassin (and yes, the globetrotting action sequences prove Fassbender should be the next 007) bent on slaying the Nazis doctors who enslaved him, with Shaw serving as his final target.  Erik is marked by tragedy, and his only mode of survival is to pretty much rage against the dying of the light (or in his case, anyone who stands in the way).

Charles is born into a life of privilege.  Blessed with telepathic powers, the Oxford grad spends his days studying genetics, with his best friend, fellow mutant Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) by his side.  Always eager for connection, Charles is a nurturer and teacher who believes humans and mutants can co-exist peacefully.  When CIA agent Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne) uncovers Sebastian Shaw’s plan to start World War III, she enlists Charles to help her stop Shaw and educate her higher-ups on the existence of mutants.

During a botched operation, Charles crosses paths with Erik, and the two, aided by a high tech government head-piece named Cerebro, gather a group of superhuman teenagers to help them harness their powers.  In a span of minutes, we are introduced to Sean “Banshee” Cassidy (Caleb Landry Jones), whose sonic screams gives him the power of flight, Alex “Havok” Summers (Lucas Till), a youth who emits circular energy waves of destruction, Darwin (Edi Gathegi), an individual who can adapt to any environment, and Angel (Zoe Kravitz), a waif blessed with insect-like wings.

Shaw, however, has his own crew of troublemakers (they’re called the Hellfire Club), with telepath Emma Frost (January Jones) serving as his right hand woman and teleporter Azazel (Jason Flemyng) and whirlwind creating Riptide (Alex Gonzalez) providing muscle as his henchmen.  The two teams come to a head during the Cuban Missile Crisis, an incident which serves as a profound and galvanizing moment for each of the mutants.  When the dust is settled and the mission is accomplished, the mutants have to choose their leader: Professor X or Magneto.

The film’s strongest asset lies in the chemistry between Fassbender and McAvoy, both pitch perfect as leaders who realize that, even in future confrontations, their bond will never be broken.  It is Charles who teaches Erik to summon all aspects of his personality, and not just anger, to fully harness and control his immense powers.  Though generous in spirit, Charles is also a flawed figure, never fully accepting Raven in her pure blue form.  While Charles and Hank “Beast” McCoy (Nicholas Hoult) are bending over to be accepted by humans, Magneto convinces Raven that any shape or color, as long you’re a mutant, is beautiful.  For the first time in her life, Raven (aka Mystique), is empowered, and her eventual split from Charles is actually understandable.

Magneto is bent on leading his mutants into a world that will never answer to humans.  He has seen the evil that men do, and even though Professor X is his best friend, the battle lines are drawn.  Thanks to X-Men: First Class, yet another Grade-A feature from Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass, Layer Cake, Stardust), that war is far from over.

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posted by Greg Srisavasdi