Who doesn’t love a back story?

Ever wondered how your favorite Marvel heroes were before they started saving the world in comic books and in the big screen? Director Matthew Vaughn tells the battles of the first human mutants to destroy and to save the world in X-Men: First Class.

Mostly set during the Cold War, the movie follows how the lives of Erik Lehnsherr and Charles Xavier crossed. Erik’s mother was killed by (literally) power-hungry Sebastian Shaw because Erik could not show his powers. Shaw took Erik under his wing and as Erik put it, he became “Frankenstein’s monster”. Driven by his hatred, Erik sought out Shaw for revenge. In one of his attempts to kill Shaw, Erik met telepath and genetic mutation expert, Charles Xavier. Charles, on the other hand, was helping the CIA in stopping Shaw from starting a nuclear war between Soviet Russia and USA. In order to stop Shaw, Charles and Erik recruited other mutants to help their cause. But turns out, the nuclear war was just Shaw’s tool to gain domination over society who he thinks will annihilate them because of fear. Conflict worsened when some of Charles’ recruited mutants chose the dark side.

The movie ends with a heart-stopping face-off not only between Soviet Russia and USA, but also between Charles’ side and Shaw’s forces. Erik was able to avenge his mother’s death, but turns out he was sympathetic to Shaw’s causes. Erik, now called Magneto, led the mutants on the dark side in continuing Shaw’s vision of conquering over “normal” people. Charles became Professor X and continued recruiting and training mutants to protect society, hence the X-men that most of us know.

Now, what made the movie click for me?

One. Good story. I was never a fan of superheros without back stories. When I first encountered the X-men, they were already there combating the evil. But with this movie, it gave these heroes and villains a deeper and more complete sense of who they are. And for a non-fan like me, it feels great to know how Professor X landed in a wheelchair. *laughs*

Two. An even better story-telling. I liked how producers meshed real events in the 60s in the timeline of the story to make it seem more real. Besides that, the development of the characters were very apparent. Not to mention that movie was visually-appealing! From production design, make-up, special effects and even music, I applaud the filmmakers!

Finally. An awesome cast. To tell the truth, I do not know half of the actors in the movie, but they all look good (especially James McAvoy). And they know how to act (which is a step-up from a lot Hollywood films)!

Today’s impulsive trip to the theater was totally worth it! Now, excuse me while I download and watch all other X-men movies.