The reason for watching man older movies is for a current, topical reminder to give me the kick up the arse I need to dig a particular film out of my DVD collection. So with the advent of the stylish X-Men - First Class trailer, I felt the need to watch a classy X-Men movie...and sharpish. Since I'd seen X2 and The Last Stand somewhat recently (and you won't catch me watching Wolverine anytime soon) it was Bryan Singer's original that took centre stage.
You'll know from previous reviews of X2, Superman Returns and Valkyrie what I love about Singer's directing style; the old fashioned steady takes, the character-centric drama, the stunning visual economy with scenes and dialogue he employs(minimising both to tell the leanest possible version of the plot), the clever casting, the tension filled action set-pieces and the adult, thrillerish tone...all of this leads to some of the best story telling in Hollywood today.
AS for X-Men specifically, well it's interesting how Singer (along with producer Ralph Winter) can stretch a smallish budget to epic blockbuster levels of scale, the photography is glossier than it's more film-y, more sophisticated sequel, and the third act (Magneto takes over the world 007 plot) feels a bit tacked on. There's some nice humour (Wolverine to Cyclops, "You're a dick!"), great exploration of discrimination in society, and the introduction of one of the strongest leading men of the last decade; one Mr Hugh Jackman.
Not bad for a little superhero movie that it's parent studio (Fox) tried to ignore.
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