X-Men: my First Class on the bay of pigs

The education system in New Hampshire isn't great. At most public high schools in the Granite State, mine included, if you don't take an AP history course, you don't learn history. 

I didn't take any AP history courses.

So, my knowledge of the Cuban Missile Crisis is somewhat lacking. That being said, I do have a general idea of what went down. Therefore, I was surprised to learn that World War III was narrowly avoided thanks to a group of misfit mutants.

This prequel / origins movie attempts to introduce the X-Men, explain the antagonism between Professor X and Magneto, and tie it all together with historical events. That's a lot to accomplish in 132 minutes. Consequently, at times, the film feels rushed, especially during a rapid series of short scenes that disconcertingly jump between locations all over the world . In turn, the film sometimes seems contrived, but that, I believe, is the fault of the screenwriters, not Mathew Vaughn, the director. Despite my issues with the pacing of the story, I thought the dialogue was fast-paced and witty and the comedic breaks were extremely well received. This includes a hilarious cameo from Hugh Jackman as the Wolverine.  

As for the film itself, I thought the stylization was perfect; the coloring and the texture were beautifully retro. 

As for the acting? Honestly, it was a battle between scene stealers. 

I'm not going to lie, I had high hopes for James McAvoy, but for some reason he fell flat. I'm not sure what it was, but something about his portrayal of Charles Xavier was lacking. On the other hand, Michael Fassbender, as Erik Lehnsherr aka Magneto, was just epic. He pulled off the troubled mutant being torn between good and evil perfectly. You learn to love him, and I don't know about everyone else, but he pulled me in so much I couldn't wait to see him truly become evil. When he put on the helmet, marking his final transformation into evil, I swooned. Dear Magneto, if you're out there, my elbows have been a little dry lately and I'd love to have you tell me about how I shouldn't hide my true self. Call me. 

As for the kids, Jennifer Lawrence and Nicholas Hoult were amazing, but I don't think anyone's really that surprised. I am intrigued by one of the other actors, Caleb Jones, who plays the Banshee. An odd looking kid in a sea of attractive people, it would have been easy for him to have gotten lost, but instead his charisma and comedic energy leave him in the forefront of my mind. I am very interested to see what he, and Michael Fassbender, do in the future. 

Finally, Kevin Bacon as an evil super villain? Brilliant. 

X-Men: First Class was an ambitious movie, and due to it's all-star cast, solid directing, and beautiful cinematography, I'm going to have to say I think it succeeded. The summer blockbuster season has started off with a bang. Go see it. Even if you're not a huge comic book person, go see it.