X-Men reboot is first-class
X-Men: First Class 8.30pm, Three After the trilogy-ending mess that was 2003’s The Last Stand and the critical mauling that greeted the first Wolverine spinoff, the X-Men were de-suited and rebooted in this 1960s-set, 2011 origin story. This is a time when Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) is only blue about not being able to get a date, Magneto (Michael Fassbender) isn’t mincing about in a helmet, and Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) not only possesses luxuriant hair, but is only legless at the Oxford student union on weekends.
As any self-respecting comicbook geek knows, all three are united by their genetic mutations (chameleon-esque charms, ability to manipulate metal and telepathy respectively), and this time the trio, and a cadre of raw mutant recruits, are all out to stop the nefarious Sebastian Shaw (a nattily dressed Kevin Bacon), who has designs on starting World War III so he and his fellow ‘‘children of the atom’’ can rule a post-nuclear Earth.
Combining the talents of Kick Ass director Matthew Vaughn, Thor writers Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz and X-Men 1 and 2 director Bryan Singer in an advisory role, this is a rollicking, robust and relatively intelligent rollercoaster ride that will appeal to ‘‘uncanny’’ obsessives and newcomers alike. – James Croot