X-Men: First Class (2011)

In 1962, the United States government enlists the help of Mutants with superhuman abilities to stop a malicious dictator who is determined to start world war III.

Director:

Matthew Vaughn

Writers:

Ashley Miller (screenplay), Zack Stentz (screenplay),

Stars:

James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon

6 wins & 17 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James McAvoy	...	Charles Xavier (24 Years)
Laurence Belcher	...	Charles Xavier (12 Years)
Michael Fassbender	...	Erik Lensherr
Bill Milner	...	Young Erik
Kevin Bacon	...	Sebastian Shaw
Rose Byrne	...	Moira MacTaggert
Jennifer Lawrence	...	Raven / Mystique
Beth Goddard	...	Mrs. Xavier
Morgan Lily	...	Young Raven (10 yrs)
Oliver Platt	...	Man in Black Suit
Álex González	...	Janos Quested / Riptide
Jason Flemyng	...	Azazel
Zoë Kravitz	...	Angel Salvadore
January Jones	...	Emma Frost
Nicholas Hoult	...	Hank / Beast

Storyline

Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before they were archenemies, they were closest of friends, working together, with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. In the process, a rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto's Brotherhood and Professor X's X-MEN.

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Plot Keywords:

mutant | professor | cia agent | poland | concentration camp | 

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Taglines:

Before he was Professor X, he was Charles. Before he was Magneto, he was Erik. Before they were enemies, they were allies.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, some sexual content including brief partial nudity and language

Details

Official Sites:

20th Century Fox [France] 20th Century Fox [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English German French Spanish Russian

Release Date:

3 June 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

X-Men: Primera generación

Filming Locations:

Englefield House, Theale, Reading, Berkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$160,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$55,101,604 (USA) (3 June 2011)

Gross:

$146,405,371 (USA) (23 September 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Marvel Entertainment, Dune Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby Digital Datasat

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Amber Heard was rumored to play Mystique before Jennifer Lawrence was cast.

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Goofs

The pinball machine located in the mutant's government headquarters is "Fun Land". It is most easily visible between 58-59 minutes, where it is being played competitively by Havok and Darwin. Fun Land was produced by Gottlieb in May 1968.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Charles Xavier: Mother. What are you... I thought you were a burglar.
Mrs. Xavier: I didn't mean to scare you, darling. I was just getting a snack. Go back to bed. What's the matter? Go on, back to bed.I, I'll make you a hot chocolate.
Charles Xavier: Who are you? And what have you done with my mother?
Charles Xavier: [telepathically in her mind] My mother has never set foot in this kitchen in her life. And she certainly never made me a hot chocolate, unless you count ordering the maid to do it.
[...]

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Crazy Credits

Part of the closing credits take place in a sequence of X-symbols, chromosomes and DNA strands (reminiscent of the opening credits to Dr. No).

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Connections

Featured in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #1.20 (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Hippy Hippy Shake"
Written by Chan Romero (as Robert Lee Romero)
Performed by Chan Romero
Courtesy of Del-Fi/Rhino Entertainment Group
By arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

Superb! Rock-solid script, two amazing lead performances (the film is basically a bromance).

What you need to know about this movie before you go and see it. 1. Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy are superb. Each one, alone, would have made the movie terrific, but together? Forgetaboutit! Every step of the way, every scene, every emotion, these two men own the movie and watching their bromance is a treat from start to finish. Make no mistake about it, even when the world is on the brink of utter destruction what really matters is how these two men relate to one another. And when you watch the movie, you will care. 2. Everyone in the cast is good. Kevin Bacon has never been better, and Jennifer Lawrence is wonderful. Rose Byrne and January Jones aren't given much to do, Ray Wise and Michael Ironside only have a few short lines, but - across the board - the entire cast are a delight. 3. The story is tight. You've got a bad guy with a plan, which he sets about executing in A/B/C fashion. Against him, the good guys work together. Their motivations are different, of course, but they pretty much want him stopped so they unite. That's it. 4. Charles and Erik are fascinating characters. They debate. And viewers can debate endless about them, and about who is right, etc. As you watch you desperately wish they could stay friends, but you understand why they ultimately can't. Even if they themselves, in these early days, don't understand it yet. To have that so perfectly captured in a Summer Blockbuster movie is part of what makes this a treat and a future classic. But, aside from their relationship to each other, the movie takes time to make each of them interesting in his own right. We get to see Charles as a teacher, for instance, and come to understand how he impacts upon the lives of those he tutors. Some of Erik's best moments (away from Charles) are in his comments to Mystique about her appearance, making it clear that this man has more to him than the shadow of his past. 4. Most supporting characters have very little screen time. But that's okay, since this isn't THEIR story, really. Of the bunch, it is Mystique and Beast who are best served. Both have terrific character arcs that - in a lesser X-Men movie - might have been the highlight of the film. Here, their stories serve as quality background material to the main event (Charles and Erik). Beyond that, we just learn enough about everyone to know what they can do and like them a little bit, mostly through their banter and most obvious character traits. Once scene where most of the supporting characters are clearly terrified will certainly go a long way towards making you care about them for the rest of the movie. On the downside: Shaw's two henchmen don't get ANYTHING to do except use their powers, and at the end of the story we know as much about Emma Frost as we did at the beginning. But these are the exception, not the rule. 5. Visually, this movie is a treat. The FX are good, no surprise, but - much better - the actual sets/costumes are beautiful. Whether it's a remote CIA lab or a lap-dance club, whether it's the Magneto helmet or Mystique's everyday clothes, you are always admiring 'the look' of what's on screen. 6. There are action scenes all during the movie, but - having said that - the movie builds as it goes. The first half is more story-heavy/character-heavy so that when the action REALLY starts we care about everyone. And, again, it works. Even with the scant details given their characters, when Banshee and Havok (for example) go into battle you are invested in them to a certain degree. 7. There are surprises. Deaths, betrayals, cameos and name-dropping. But, as well as being cool, all of this makes perfect sense for the story/universe of the movies. Superb! Rock-solid script, two amazing lead performances (the film is basically a bromance). Haven't been this excited about the X-Men franchise since X2: X-Men United.