X-Men: First Class

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Science Fiction & Fantasy

This movie introduced me to more characters which I never bothered to google before.
I went overboard, and instead of just examining who Angel, Azazel, Riptide, Sebastian Shaw and Darwin were for starters I even went further into other characters not depicted here in the movie. Hmm..maybe they will be in the next one..?

Two bonuses for me were the cameo appearances of two very familiar and favorite X-men characters (both starring in previous movies of X-men...won't spoil it for you though *grin*) They jolted me out of my comfy seat in the moviehouse more than the rest of this film. Watch out for their brief but very notable scenes :-)

I gave the special effects a nod of approval. Though the storyline wasn't exactly mind-boggling, it was enough to also keep me happy with the progress of the film.

However, I have to frankly point out that the movie was not the of the caliber that I'd be spinning catherine wheels in jubilation while cheering until I was Mystique-blue in the face.

I just can't put my finger into it.
The formula for the movie (known actors, great special effects, catastrophic scenario for conflict etc.) is there but I'm not touched by the magic this time.

Was it because there wasn't one particular hero or heroine I could focus on?
Weren't the evil villains and the pitiful conflict in the heart of Magneto enough?
Or was it because I just wasn't overly excited and concerned about the Cuban Missile Crisis?

There was still entertainment -
I saw on the big screen all these other famous actors I've seen at one time or another (ha, I saw a guy from Sex and the City! and oh there's Oliver Platt ala MIB);
all these sexy ladies flaunting their 60s lingerie;
these costumed villains have such uber-cool powers though they didn't say much - Azazel may have fathered NightCrawler in the future but at least I could understand Kurt's accent! - and Riptide never opened his mouth to say one word at all *boo*

Some characterization had its moments - I liked the actor playing Beast showing us some very human foibles - an irony considering his beastly beauty, and Kevin Bacon was very swanky and evilicious as the energy-absorbing Mr. Shaw.

Oh, and let's not forget being shown how Charles and Eric (Professor X and Magneto) met and started off as being good friends, and how the writers have given us a story to present that not everything is simply a matter of black or white, Americans and Russians or Cubans nor is it just friend versus foe or human versus mutant.

I would love to see other prequels for the X-men series.
I just can't promise to be bowled over by them :-)