X Men: First Class - B

In theaters. Rated R, 131 minutes. Trailer.

Given the films I review every summer, its obvious that the superhero film is not my favorite genre. But, the positive reviews and directorial pedigree (Matthew Vaughn) put me in the theater. The film traces the origins of each of the X-Men and the current alignment of the mutants. We begin with Magneto's (Michael Fassbender) experiences in the concentration camps during World War 2 and then get on with the others with mixed success. Click below for more on XMFC:

We see Professor X (James McAvoy) and Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) meet as children and then get recruited by the CIA (agents played by Rose Byrne and Oliver Platt). They use Professor X's telepathic powers to recruit the other mutants to battle the bad mutants led by a horribly miscast Kevin Bacon and his wooden sidekicks (they are like something out of the Batman and Robin TV show; except for Emma Frost (ably played by January Jones...). The assembly of the mutants is VERY pedestrian and uninteresting, stylish as it may be put together.

I was very bored by pretty much everything except the relationship between Magneto and Professor X as they semi-wrestle with a few difficult issues. They present the only adult storyline in an otherwise kid-friendly film. The film was a pretty solid B- until the final scene on the beach, which nearly lifted it to B+ because of its existential and Magneto-heavy sequences.

Fassbender is the best thing about the film and, combined with his elegant performance in Inglorious Basterds, has pretty much solidified himself as one of my favorite actors. He conveys intelligence and intensity along with a little panache in both films - he should immediately be handed the 007 franchise, post-haste.