X-Men: First Class

I self-critically admit that I expected more from Vaughn than he could realistically do. When the magnetic Fassbender and the musing McAvoy are on the screen, it's as dark, immersive, and adult funny as I'd hoped. First Class has a very serious soul - it revolves around collective guilt, revenge, and the right to rule the world. The best scenes are not the action scenes, but the ones which are most conversational, where it stands out how far the creators can descend and how suggestive this comic book saga can be. The more realistic and mature the X-men look, the more they have trouble dealing with the "teenage" element. Fortunately, Vaughn kept some distance and perspective, yet I was not interested in the first class with the exception of the mentors, and it seemed that it was makeweight. This wasn't the case in Singer's day. It's like all the energy and attraction falls on the central duo. However, this is rewarded with absolutely devastating energy, and although the film sometimes breathes heavily, in the end it offers emotions and depth related to the legendary duo. It's just the comparison with singer's coherence and composure that prevents me from being completely enthusiastic. Anyway, I'd be very surprised if a more stylish and soulful spectacle came to movie theatres this year. (05/30/2011)

I had hoped that Vaughn’s contribution to the franchise would be for non-fans of X-Men what J.J. Abrams last film was for non-fans of Star Trek. It’s not. The desire to establish a mutant fan club didn’t arise. They wouldn’t necessarily have had to emulate the enjoyable Bondian feeling (starting with Fassbender, who resembles a young Sean Connery, continuing with the overly self-regarding sixties design and ending with the closing credits), the more or less successful combining of the grown-up (restoration of a myth) with the childish (action nonsense), the fictional with the real…. It would have been enough to write a balanced screenplay, cast actors who are capable of delivering “grand” speeches, not rely solely on editing but also on the mise-en-scene here and there, and exaggerate, but within the limits of genre stylisation. (Yes, with appropriate exaggeration, a bit in the spirit of Command & Conquer: Red Alert, you can even get away with a flying submarine.) This is the first X-Men film that is not a groundbreaking work taking the genre into new dimensions, instead merely stepping across the genre boundaries where Singer has already tread (the sociological dimension and the openness of the queer interpretation, but it is superbly entertaining from start to finish, though never with its silliness. 80% (05/30/2011)

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

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)