X-Men: First Class

Very retro and very stylish younger brother of Singer’s original X-Men. To start with I would like to say that Vaughn is a genius, because such an incredible amount of story, twists and character development are combined in this compact unit. In fact, I wouldn’t mind if the movie were three hours long and the director added those scenes that definitely ended up on the cutting room floor. The action is first-class. And no shortage of shots that will have your eyes on stalks and even some pretty decent tricks (with the coin) are included to help the story and not just to look good and appear in the trailer to attract the audience to the movie theater. Almost all the characters are well-developed, no doubt about that, but First Class relies mainly on Fassbender and his Magnet (people are swines, I would have gone with him). He is roughly equally important as Wolverine was for the part one and he is at very least equally iconic, if not more. Logan’s appearance would have pleased me more if I hadn’t already read about it in almost every review. McAvoy’s Charles isn’t bad either, very surprising both for his playboy behavior and for his no-nonsense approach to the role. Almost all of the baddies have something to them, and mostly the mysterious Kevin Bacon (you can see how much he enjoyed himself) and the chillingly beautiful January Jones. Otherwise, it’s a clever summer hit that does honor to the brand and I wouldn’t mind looking back into the past like this again some day. (02/06/2011)

Two men with a nearly brotherly bond, the fascinating teenager Mystique and the birth of several legends. And by its very nature, once a small, modest spin-off about Magneto, which under Vaughn's hands grew from a mutant matchmaker to the most anticipated blockbuster in recent months. When then the vengeful Erik Lensherr chases after the most sinister world gang against the backdrop of the Cold War, and the freshly graduated Charles Xavier teaches mutants how to deal with themselves, a well-deserved chill runs down your spine. Whether it's the story, the effects, the action, or the perfect actors (for me, McAvoy is the clear ruler). This tragedy has a clearly defined ending from the beginning, but by being able to stir up almost all emotions to the maximum, it reaches for the position of one of the comic book kings. (07/06/2011)

Somehow I can’t bring myself to give this movie five stars, mainly because I’ve never been exactly fond of X-Men. The movies were great, but I never thought, like with Watchmen, that they were perfect and that I would devour every movie that had the word X-Men in the title. Anyway, I don’t mind X-men and that was also the reason why I gave this movie a go. However, I must say that this film is probably the best thing that could have happened to the franchise, because in addition to great actors, it features an absolutely perfect story, which, if you do not know the source material, you do not know how it will develop in the next moments. And that it will eventually develop differently than is customary in American films? That’s the icing on the cake. If I said a moment ago that actors were great, then I need to repeat that because they were truly divine. That goes for probably everyone who appears in the film, and there are a lot of characters. For example, the one-minute cameo of Hugh Jackman is totally great. The same goes for the special effects. I felt a bit sorry that X-Men weren’t closer to my heart. But if another film is made, which could easily happen, I will think about going to see it at the cinema. It seems that I’ve grown fond of X-Men after all. (29/12/2012)

Don’t let my high rating mislead you. Matthew Vaughn doesn’t pick up where Bryan Singer left off; his movie is closer to Brett Ratner’s X-Men: The Last Stand. What makes Vaughn better than Ratner, however, is the balance between childishness and maturity in telling the story (both are present in Vaughn’s work while Ratner was just childish), remarkably more characters and a much faster pace (at “normal” speed, the film would have lasted three hours) and much more epic, top-notch action, which never seems botched up or over-the-top. This properly colorful eye-candy action-packed blockbuster, which will impress even teen viewers (for whom Singer’s films were too psychological), is made more playful by the fact that its best scene is a few-second-long “go-fuck-yourself” cameo by Hugh Jackman lounging around in a seedy bar. By this, the creators prove that they didn’t choose this direction because they were unable to follow in Singer’s footsteps, but because they know how to perfect this pulp genre and bring more pleasure to a wider audience than anyone before. Of the actors, Michael Fassbender turns in the best performance; I can easily see him as a new Ethan Hunt or James Bond (the second-best scene of the movie, which coincidentally also takes place in a bar, is Fassbender’s in Argentina). Kevin Bacon makes a very convincing villain. James McAvoy is more or less okay, which, however, is not enough for the character of Charles Xavier. The rest of the cast are just their sidekicks, but the cameos by a number of stars (e.g. Platt and Ironside) are nice. (01/06/2011)

Fans of comic book blockbusters can rest assured. My sole star does not mean that they would be in any way deprived of a hefty portion of special effects, action, and adventure of their favorite heroes, presented undoubtedly on a decent craftsmanship level. My rating is mainly related to the fact that adaptations of superhero comics are a genre that I have a decidedly negative relationship with. I consider myself a rational person and prefer the scientific method when exploring the surrounding world. Superhero comics have always repelled me with their close connection to the sphere of paranormal mysticism. The exceptional abilities of superheroes stem from religious beliefs and their world is based on the idea of ritual supernatural forces. Scientific discoveries and technology usually serve as mere props, and the X-Men superheroes are much closer to pagan gods than to characters from my favorite sci-fi genre. So Superman and X-Men have a particularly hard time with me. If they still want to impress me, they must come up with significantly deeper psychology than what is customary in typical blockbusters (unfortunately, the psychology of the characters in X-Men: First Class is very shallow), and with fully developed characters (in First Class, even such crucial decisions as choosing sides on the barricades seem like the actors just flipped a coin). The director must come up with ingeniously structured storytelling (compare the incredibly polished intro of Snyder's Watchmen with Vaughn's First Class, which reeks of popcorn from afar). I understand that exaggeration is essential in the genre, but even here, I appreciate moderation and, to the extent possible, prefer adherence to natural laws. The final nail in the coffin is Vaughn's ability to cater to the needs of entertainment-hungry teenagers. He simply knows what to make for teenagers, but in my case, it's precisely the opposite and I simply do not belong to his target audience. Overall impression: 25%. (12/06/2017)