X-Men: First Class

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. (12/29/2012)

I have so much to tell you :-) But after leaving the cinema, my head is spinning and I'm unlikely to get anything coherent out of myself. Anyway, I'm impressed with the grandeur, thoughtfulness, and color. The moment Charles shed a tear when he entered Eric's head, I shed two. I was almost rolling on the floor during the few minutes when the "youngsters" learned to control their abilities. So, Vaughn has clearly scored again for me and I look forward to all his future endeavors. Yes, X-Men just knocked Inception out of my top 10. (06/28/2011)

I didn’t go see the new X-Men, but the new Vaughn. Which was maybe a mistake because the studio slightly blunted his energetic, no-holds-barred work. But even this way it’s outstanding, but more accentuated sixties stylization (the places where this is comes to the fore are among the best) and being less episodic would have helped, as well as cutting down the length of the final, over-the-top showdown. Vaughn directs best with just a couple of actors and tension build-up spaghetti western style. It’s true that the characters are rather two-dimensional, but the actors easily raise the standard, especially the Fassbender - Bacon - McAvoy trio. (06/03/2011)

Phenomenal! Vaughn brings the series back to where it originally started. As a comic book movie that uses its brain where others flex their muscles, it doesn't for a moment compromise on the audience-appealing spectacle, which doesn't lack wit, exaggeration, and... action. It is mature in its acting, plot, and direction, with no dead spots or lapses in pace. I’ll have more to say (hopefully) after the second viewing. Now I am just reveling in the memories of a film that was satisfying in every way. PS: There is nothing for me to add the second time either. Except that Fassbender rules like nobody’s business. Perfect in every detail. (06/02/2011)

A fun blockbuster, but Singer’s X-Men are still better. Those two hours went very fast and I certainly wasn’t bored, but after the excellent reviews and trailers, I can’t help but feel mildly disappointed. It’s just too shallow and straightforward, played only for effect (so many dramatic looks!) and without any depth. There are some very silly moments (for instance, when Eric moves the big satellite), though fortunately, they are outnumbered by the cool ones. But even in the strongest moments I had the feeling that it could be more polished (Eric agitated in the concentration camp, Shaw’s attack on the CIA, the flying submarine), and the number of scenes of the type “the characters stand stiff waiting for something to happen, and when something does happen, they start moving on command” was above the tolerable limit. I didn’t leave the cinema with negative feelings, though – the last half hour is quite bombastic – but I still feel that it could have been better. PS: The most surprising thing today was the rosy hell of the trailer for The Magical Duvet. Someone must have thought it has the same target audience. :-) (06/02/2011)