X-Men: First Class (2011)

Jack, Ann, Michael, and I saw this prequel before the fireworks two weeks ago and had fun, though I remember little from the others in the series (2000, '03, '06, '09). Big and splashy, lots of great special effects, a huge cast, a dramatic orchestral score by Henry Jackman, and a hilarious cameo by Hugh Jackman (no relation) round out the experience. The leads are James McAvoy (I wrote about him in The Last Station) as Professor Charles Xavier and Michael Fassbender (a few comments in Fish Tank) as Erik/Magneto, who bring the requisite gentle intelligence and simmering anger, respectively, to their roles. Erik at 12 is played by Bill Milner who was so terrific in Son of Rambow and Is Anybody There? Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone which earned her an Oscar nomination and The Beaver) plays Raven/Mystique (the blue girl) as a person and not just a mutant, as does Nicholas Hoult (covered in A Single Man) as Hank/Beast. Rose Byrne (covered in Bridesmaids) and Kevin Bacon (favorites: Diner (1982), Footloose (1984), Flatliners (1990), He Said, She Said (1991), A Few Good Men (1992), The River Wild (1994), Sleepers (1996), Mystic River (2003), The Woodsman (2004), Where the Truth Lies (2005)--I love that title, and small parts in Frost/Nixon and My One and Only) are the most-seen humans in the ensemble. According to the long list of trivia, many actresses were considered for the role of Emma Frost, but January Jones (Pirate Radio, Unknown) finally won the role, playing a different kind of 60s woman than Betty Draper in Mad Men and she has a wonderful sexy wardrobe, all in white. Yes, this is a period movie, beginning in the Holocaust and moving into the 60s, with some songs of those eras sprinkled in among the original score. To listen to said score, do as I did and play this, then advance as youtube suggests, one by one.

British director Matthew Vaughn (I wrote about him in Kick-Ass) was also not the first choice but reviewers and audiences have loved this, with its screenplay credited to Vaughn, Ashley Edward Miller, Zack Stentz (Miller and Stentz are among the writers of Thor), and Jane Goldman (co-wrote Kick-Ass and Vaughn's other movies), with story by Bryan Singer (who directed and had a story credit on the first two X-Men) and Sheldon Turner (The Longest Yard (2005), Up in the Air). Rottentomatoes' critics have rated it 86% and audiences 89%. If you're a fan, you've already seen it. If you're not, but you like action and science fiction, you'll probably like it.