X-Men Origins: Magneto

An outstanding effort, what a superb early summer this has been! The characters, effects, and story were all beyond great. Bryan Singer is back and it clearly showed. Add director Vaughn's touch and both display an amazing vision. They manage to keep the story intense and flowing but filled with depth and heart. They also kept an eye on what has come before without being burdened or overly tied to it. If you've never seen any x-film, you'll still love this movie. That said, it builds for another installment and I absolutely can't wait to see it and to see where we go next. The Singer and Vaughn team also manages to deliver a little bit of everything, and I mean EVERYTHING. There's intrigue, romance, conspiracy, drama, conflict, historical context, retro flavor, fun, humor and of course, kick butt comic book style slugfests. I think this is now the best comic book movie summer ever (even though it's not even officially summer yet) and I'm not exaggerating. 2008 was great but I think we have a new king. Thor was pure greatness and Captain America looks superb. This was the only question mark from Marvel's stable and they absolutely hit it out of the park. Erik and Charles are now given room to thrive and breathe, find their own voice and their own distinctiveness. The plot becomes more intricate as the situations become more dire. Not many adaptations have ever dug as deep as First Class. These are truly some of the most complex characters I've ever seen in a super hero based movie. They're a group of characters who are so well written and full of small, personal moments that they match the best of their rich, four-color origins. They become living, breathing people whom have pasts, presents and futures and I can't wait to see where this new cast takes us from this point forward. I love this younger Xavier and the fact that his youthful flaws are fully on display. Charles is caught up in himself as most people are in their youth. He is proud and confident young man, and he's certainly not the selfless person that we saw in the X-Men trilogy. I love the fact that the writers were smart enough to convey these elements and show a young man in need of growth. They easily could've made him a "mini me" version of Patrick Stewart's Xavier. Instead they went much deeper and the result is much more interesting. Charles' relationship with Raven/Mystique is fascinating especially when you compare both character to what they will become later. She's an assistant to him and he cares for her, but his ego causes unintended consequences. At times, Charles gives off a condescending, big-brother attitude and that fits so well to the growth the character needs to undertake. You see it in the way he treats the others. In the trilogy, he's exorcised that from his personality. Here, his ego is on a par with Magneto and that makes for an interesting dynamic. Overall, just like X2, I had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this movie.