X-Men: First Class

****
Dir. Matthew Vaughn

After Marvel's failure with X-Men Origins: Wolverine, director Matthew Vaughn was bold to take on this project. Yet to my surprise, this turned out to be my favorite of the four big superhero movies this summer.

When I found out that this film was not going to feature the famous five (Cyclops, Jean, Beast, Iceman, Angel), I was rather disappointed. However, First Class chronicles an even better story: the origins of Xavier and Magneto. Set during the Cold War, global tensions are all the more enhanced when the age of mutants comes upon humanity. Striving to integrate mutants into society, Charles Xavier (James McCavoy) marks himself as a critically acclaimed scientist from Oxford. As he becomes entangled in world affairs in an attempt to prevent World War 3, he meets Holocaust survivor and fellow mutant Erik Lehnsheer (Michael Fassbender). From there, the two friends form a specialized team of super humans to save the planet, and thus the X-Men are born.

Not only was the film very cinematic in its structure, but what I was most intrigued by was McCavoy and Fassbender's performances. Both were dynamic in bringing the characters of Charles and Erik to life. While there were a few characters that could've been more developed, which is a problem I've seen throughout the X-Men franchise, the two big ones were done justice.

Vaughn does an excellent job of utilizing the cinematography to produce great action scenes, and just good visual effects overall. The only problem with it from a cinematic standpoint was that it had too much of a modern feel, despite its taking place during the Cold War. Nevertheless, I felt Vaughn did a great job in progressing the plot, and in building up to the key climactic moments.

The pacing of this film is just right. There's plenty of fast-paced action, but Vaughn uses it appropriately and really emphasizes character development to drive the story. There's grittiness, political intrigue, romance, and an array of supernatural powers; everything you want in an X-Men movie.

This franchise has had its fair share of ups and downs, but Vaughn does some really solid work in this installment. While it's no Dark Knight, it's definitely one for nerds everywhere.