X-Men: First Class (3 1/2 Stars - 4 Stars)

            Every sinking franchise must have a reboot in order to keep the fans alive and well. It worked with the Batman franchise, the James Bond franchise, the Star Trek franchise, and now, it works with the X-Men franchise. The first two movies were done really well with Bryan Singer behind the camera. He now returns in the producer role in this new prequel, or what I would argue as a reboot. The all too familiar "Usual Suspects" lineup and the titles, "Bad Hat Harry Productions" gave me a nostalgic trip back to the first two movies before they were soured up.

            The movie focuses on Charles Xavier, and Erik Lensherr as they were young during the backdrop of the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Charles' goal in life is to find, and study mutants, welcoming them in open arms. Erik's goal was to kill Sebastian Shaw, who murdered his mother in the concentration camp. Meanwhile, Sebastian seeks in creating a nuclear war, in order to secure the mutant race, by staging the Cuban Missile Crisis.

            The first part that works really well is the reintroducing of the characters. Mystique is my favorite character in this movie because before, we would see her as a loyal henchman who doesn't have a word in anything. In this movie, we know how she feels, we know her inner conflict, and the chemistry formed between certain characters. The other thing I like about this movie is how we identify Professor X as Charles, and Magneto as Erik. They are more than just action figures. They are mutants with relatable human qualities. We understand Erik's pain in the concentration camps and his path to find catharsis through killing Sebastian Shaw. On the other hand, Charles serves as the shoulder angel and tries to talk Erik out of his destructive path. We see Charles more in this movie instead of him as the wise old sage. We see him with conflicting scenarios and we see him suffer.

            This works so much for an X-Men movie. For one, Charles sets up a school for mutants. However, in this movie, Charles actually trains the new recruits. We see a bright and wonderful montage of each mutant progressing during their training. I also like the civil rights inserts in the movie. The X-Men franchise is to reflect on the Civil Rights movements and the right for equality. In this movie, there are some homosexual inserts that are a little fun to spot out, such as, don't ask, don't tell, and being proud. For once, this movie deals greatly about accepting one's identity. We see Raven with her hideous blue form and not accepting it, and in the end, she becomes proud of herself as a mutant. I respect that and I think that's what defines an X-Men movie.

            The movie is visually told really well. Although the fight scenes are spectacularly done, it does not get so much in the way of the story and is used only when needed. Apart from the split-screen editing used in the training montage, there are some impressive visuals, such as the missiles flying back and forth, and the fight scenes. Being that it's a prequel. The prototype look served really well. The X-Jet is a modified version of the Blackbird. The original X-suits were blue and yellow. The basement was not high tech at all but more of a bomb shelter.

            The movie does a fine job of reinventing the franchise through drastic changes. Now there is a difference between the inconsistencies with movies like "Armageddon," as opposed to this movie. In Armageddon, the story was boring and clichéd ridden. It got to the point where the story doesn't really mattered and the movie experience is taken away. All that's left is pointing out the numerous flaws in the scientific accuracy of the movie. In this movie, I was captivated in the story so much, that the inconsistencies and the plot holes didn't really mattered. It was the same with J.J. Abram's "Star Trek," where we get so into the story, we learn to accept Kirk as a fast paced rebel, instead of noting his major differences in the old movies.

            It's an X-Men movie that we've long been waiting for. It's a great X-Men movie, but above all, it's a great movie in general. Despite being a reboot, or having many continuity errors, the movie ties everything up so neatly, leading up to the all time rivalry of Magneto and Professor X. For every rivalry to form, there has to be a good solid reason. This movie answers the "why."