Spider-man may have made it profitable, but just over a decade ago Bryan Singer's 2000 movie X-Men made the comic book/superhero a viable pursuit for studios, meaning every year since the box office has been cluttered with super powers and comic adaptations. Every superhero imaginable has either got a movie or had one in development, and as we wait patiently for the inevitable cross-over in next year's The Avengers, we go back to where it all began, with the prequel X-Men: First Class.

The film follows the journeys of two men - Charles Xavier (James McAvoy), a rich Oxford student with the power to read and control minds, and Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender), a holocaust survivor who uses his mutation (bending and controlling metal) to travel the world exacting revenge on the men who killed his mother. The pair meet when on the tail of a dangerous mutant, Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon), a man with a connection to Erik’s past who plans to lead his kind to take over the world by starting the Cuban Missile Crisis. With a group of younger mutants (Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult), the men join a CIA operative (Rose Byrne) to stop Shaw, but will Charles and Erik's different ideas on how humans and mutants should get along get in the way of saving the world?

Think about it, can anyone name a really great prequel? Well, you can now! Director Matthew Vaughan has channelled 60's James Bond movies to bring a slick, suave movie. An intelligently crafted plot and script adheres to the Singer movies (rather than the comic books), creating a smooth narrative that slots easy into the cinematic cannon. The effects are brilliant, as is the use of the Cuban Missile Crisis as a backdrop to the action, underlining the film’s themes of mistrust and paranoia. Core to the narrative is the debate between Erik and Charles - whether it is better understanding towards a cold outside world is better than fighting fire with fire. The script is so compelling that you aren’t definitively pushed either way, thus letting the audience decide (always the best course of action).

A great cast is spearheaded by the principle duo, in particular Fassbender, who is brilliant as the future Magneto. Cold as ice yet with a raging moral paradox within, the actor is fantastic to watch and this may be the movie that announces him as a genuine movie star.

McAvoy is superb as Xavier, no mean feat given Patrick Stewart was so definitive in the role. Playing as a rich, well-meaning idealist (as opposed to Lehnsherr’s bitter, vengeful persona), it's not as grandstanding as Fassbender's performance but no less necessary. An odd choice for a villain, Kevin Bacon gives a great account for himself, going from Nazi torturer to playboy megalomaniac in a surprisingly seamless way. Elsewhere, Nicholas Hoult and Jennifer Lawrence are likeable as the young mutants, and Rose Byrne gives a spirited performance as the CIA agent following the secret war. Mad Men star January Jones is completely stunning as Emma Frost.

A brilliant example of reviving a familiar franchise and still bringing something new to the table. Vaughan's direction is aided by startling performances, particularly from McAvoy and Fassbender. Far from running out of steam, "X-Men: First Class" will leave you hungry for more.


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