X-Men: First Class

I would like to start by apologizing to any die-hard Marvel and X-Men fans for skipping movies. At the time that I recorded the marathon, I assumed that this was the third movie since they had played the first two in order. Luckily, I do not think that it was necessary for me to watch every movie in between since this one jumps back to the beginning of the X-Men. And don't worry, I will watch all the movies that I am still missing.

Now, without further ado, let me get to the movie. I have to admit that this is my favourite X-Men movie so far. I feel a bit guilty about this since it does not include any of the legendary actors of the first few, and even the majority if the characters in this one are different. However, I loved everything about this movie. The mutants that you meet in this movie are almost better than the originals because they have such unique physical mutations, which I felt there was less of in the first two. Even the personalities of the characters seem deeper somehow. Rather than confident, adult (or teen) mutants fighting evil alongside Professor X, they are mostly scared adolescents and you g adults learning for the first time that they are not alone an trying to embrace what they are.

I have to admit that the back stories were a smart addition to the opening scenes of the movie. Of course, they were necessary later in to clarify and advance plots, but they also helped to explain how Professor  X and Magneto became who and what they were. The little interaction with Charles and Raven was adorable! I love that even as a child Charles had thy nurturing aspect to him, despite - or possibly because of - his rich upbringing. One thing I wonder is how he managed to convince his family to take in Raven. Whatever the answer, I adore the relationship that formed out of it. He always saw her as a sister, but also as a pupil (a common way for Charles to view people, apparently). The way that he did everything for her and took care of her is admirable. However, Raven never saw him as a brother or teacher as much as her hero. She knew that she was different and didn't feel like she was with him because he saw her a being like everyone else. She saw that he was someone who love her enough to get past her unique appearance. And she fell in love. It was cute, but also sad to watch their relationship as it changed during their years at Oxford. I will admit that Charles' flirting was a problem to their relationship, and not what i would expect for Professor X. On the other hand, Erik had a terrible childhood. As a Jewish-European, he and his family were put into a Nazi concentration camp. Then, as if that wasnt bad enough, Shaw (a closet mutant) tries to force Erik's powers by killing his mother! Can you say cold-blooded, heartless killer? Seriously, for a twelve year old boy, that is the worst thing in the world. I find it sad, but completely understandable, that he then dedicates the rest of his life to finding Shaw and killing him. He became so heartless until he met Charles, and even still Magneto's steely personality never completely melted away. The young versions of them were not exactly what I had expected, nonetheless James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender portrayed brilliant younger version of their respective counterparts. They lived up to the legendary friendship of Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart.

I love that the paths of Charles and Erik cross coincidentally when the government recruits the professor to help them deal with Shaw, who is attempting to start war between America and the Soviets. As a history buff, I must interject here that it was ingenious of the writers to have the real event influence the actions of the characters an vice versa. It was a nice touch to add real news footage throughout the film. Back on topic, I loved watching the two men going around using Cerebro to locate all of the mutants and recruiting them as a special government department. And the appearance by Wolverine...priceless! The interactions with the young students, the betrayals, the rescues missions, the training; all of it was so neat to watch. In the first two movies, you only see mutants fighting or in hiding. Never do you see them interacting like normal people, or learning how to use their powers. I also thought that it was a fun and interesting idea to have all of their mutant names as "code names" that the youths came up with for their government mission.

I was shocked that they actually had a relationship between Charles and Moira because I could not foresee a way in which that could end without her dying. Luckily, the writers did an amazing job at weaving that into the plot. The final, brilliant touch that topped off this masterpiece was the fight between Charles and Erik on the beach when Erik accidentally shot the bullet into Charles and paralyzed him! I would never in a million years have guesse that he was the reason for Professor X being in a wheelchair. Magneto must feel guilty any time he sees his friend (and despite their opposition, I still believe them to be more friends than enemies). Overall, it was AMAZING!