If I told you I just got back from seeing a comic-book movie, you’d probably have a hard time guessing which one. There are so many out there these days, but one prequel features my absolute favorite superhero team. Which is it? Well, I like to “Make Mine Marvel” and for that reason, “Uncanny X-Men” was my favorite comic book as a kid.
The X-Men have been featured in three previous films, “X-Men,” “X2” and “X-Men: The Last Stand.” These were followed by the spin-off, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.”
I was not a fan of the Wolverine movie. He’s easily my favorite mutant and the story started off great. Remember, it probably was one of the most anticipated comic adaptations of all time (behind “Thor” and the upcoming Captain America flick), but aside from featuring the supercool mutants Gambit and Deadpool, the movie simply fell flat for me.
Needless to say, when I first heard a prequel was in the works for my favorite team, I was not amused. The franchise seemed to be out of steam. But I started seeing trailers and they hinted at what was confirmed from viewing the film. My first instincts about “X-Men: First Class” were wrong. Great new actors and a stylish 1960s setting electrify the franchise back to life.
Magneto is awesome — James Bond meets, well … Wolverine (almost). The friendship between early Magneto and young Xavier is very dynamic. And who would have thought Kevin Bacon, an actor who looks almost nothing like the villain Sebastian Shaw, could pull off one of the most faithful portrayals of a comic book villain to date? It was beautiful!
Sure, I was a little miffed that Xavier’s first team in the film were Havok, Beast, Mystique, Darwin and Banshee instead of the traditional Cyclops, Beast, Angel, Iceman and Jean Grey — but if you look at the film as a reboot, I think you’ll find the deviation acceptable.
I’m a fan!
The explosive climax of the film was shot right here in Georgia on Jekyll Island. That’s something to be proud of. Also Wolver-MEAN fans, the hairy mutant does make a cameo appearance. Woo hoo!