X marks the spot for some summer movie fun. Is X-Men: First Class a perfect origins film? No. Are there plausible holes for the die hard fan who will meticulously dissect this one for any flaws in continuity? Yes. But for the rest of us who simply want a solid plot and have our basic questions answered as to how the blue chick and the guy in the wheel chair came to be; it is top notch.

X-Men: First Class goes all the way back to the start with Charles Xavier (James McAvoy / Laurence Belcher (at age 12) ) when he discovers that he isn’t the only mutant on the planet and that all of his educational studies have not been science fiction. Raven / Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) is struggling with wanting to fit in and Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto (Michael Fassbender) only wants to seek revenge on the man, Sebastian Shaw, (Kevin Bacon) who murdered his mum. When Shaw starts manipulating what we know as the 1962 Cuban Missile Crises, it is up to Xavier and the rest of the mutants to try and stop him.

A few ticks past two hours in length can be brutal in most flicks but this one seemed to move by fairly quickly. There is a lot of character development which keeps you engaged. They blend that with humor, action, and volatile situations. If you have seen any of the previous X-Men films you know where everyone ends up. So it is fun to watch the pieces unfold. Unless of course you are the meticulous dissector mentioned earlier. The average film goer with a mediocre respect for the franchise will possibly enjoy it even more.

The studio had only a short span of time to create this film and it looks fantastic considering. The effects and imagery are solid while the acting, though never perfect in these genre films, is arguably above par. The casting of professionals like McAvoy and Bacon assuredly attributed to this. The other members of the cast play out their parts solid enough to carry the emotion you would expect from young people trying to come to grips with their abilities. There is a lot of story to develop and the writers get it all in without too many holes or eye rolling moments. All of these things come together to make this an enjoyable summer blockbuster. But sadly, not for the whole family.

X-Men: First Class is rated PG-13 but more suitable for the 16 and up. Though certainly not deserving of an R rating there are things here that parents should take note of. It is a violent film in comparison to many of the superhero/marvel films. Though they all have this element I found this one to be more intense than others. The language gets a little iffy at times too with one F bomb and a G-D thrown in. The rest contains minor expletives through-out. Though not gratuitous there are other quickly inserted sensual scenes that might make many parents raise an eye-brow or squirm uncomfortably in their seat if watching with a younger family member. For the rest of us though it was a smart, fun time at the theater and I give it 4 out of 5 brain buckets. Just stop trying to figure it all out and you will have even more fun.

Matt Mungle

Review copyright 2011 Mungleshow Productions. Used by Permission.