Pre-quels are curious things. Is it a sign of desperation, that the writers have run out of ideas for taking the characters forward or that the previously disregarded back-story is now deemed suitable script fodder? I'm not a comic book expert so I have no idea whether X-Men: First Class fits into either of those categories (please do let me know - my life is too full of other mindless internet surfing these days).
Which leads to the key question is it worth it? Well I can answer that with a resounding 'yes' - every one of the 243 minutes. And the reason why it works is purely down to the cast.
This is much more of a character-led film than the other X-Men movies. In a nutshell it's about how Professor X came to be in wheelchair and arch enemy of Magneto but in having such skilled actors as James McAvoy (Xavier) and Michael Fassbender (Erik/Magneto) what you get is the depth of character necessary to elevate this above the usual movie froth.
When the camera pans to Xavier's tear-filled eyes and pained face you genuinely believe that he has been inside Erik's head and witnessed the horrors and subsequent pain he experienced as a child. It gives the characters the heart and soul and connection needed to get the audiences buy-in to the rest of the story which revolves around the cuban missile crisis.
This isn't going to win Oscars but it shows the difference great acting can make to blockbuster.
It's going to get 85% from me and if I had the time I'd probably go and see it again. It's got 8.1/10 on IMDb and on Rotten Tomatoes there is a rare meeting of minds between critics and film-goers with it getting 87% and 89% respectively.
There is this nicely amusing compare and contrast real history with the events in X Men: First Class on the Guardian blog
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