In Theaters, June 3, 2011 : X-MEN FIRST CLASS

Official Synopsis : X-Men: First Class charts the epic beginning of the X-Men saga, and reveals a secret history of famous global events. Before mutants had revealed themselves to the world, and before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Not archenemies, they were instead at first the closest of friends, working together with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop Armageddon. In the process, a grave rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-Men.

What to Expect : Big and loud summer blockbuster with a decent amount of wit and a dream cast. It won't forever change the genre, but it will satisfy fans of the comics and those hoping that the X-Men movies would find a way to shine once more after the not-so-good "Last Stand" and "Wolverine". Director Matthew Vaughn, who rose to fame with "Kick-Ass" pulls off another hit.

Critical Response : Critics were mostly pleased. The positive reviews flowed in, but a fair amount of mixed ones flew in as well. Lisa Kennedy of the Denver Post musters the courage to call this movie "the finest comic-book flick since 2008's 'The Dark Knight'". A bold statement, which seems justified at first glance, especially since Frank Lovece of the Film Journal International calls it "a dark and emotionally complex movie for grownups". Veteran critic Leonard Maltin argues that "despite its flaws, 'X-Men: First Class' is an effective reboot of a once-solid series". There have been however angry voices, like Clay Cane's from BET.com who claims that this movie "managed to tarnish the franchise even more than 2009's 'Wolverine '". Decidedly disappointed by the movie was also Roger Ebert of Chicago Sun-Times whose mixed review calls it "competent weekend entertainment...not a great comic book movie, like 'Spiderman 2', or a bad one, like 'Thor'." The movie is 87% fresh on Rottentomatoes.com, with 141 positive reviews, and 22 negative ones.

More Details : 

• Starring : James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, Rose Byrne, Jennifer Lawrence, Oliver Platt, January Jones.

• Director : Matthew Vaughn.

• Screenplay : Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz, Jane Goldman, Matthew Vaughn.

• Running Time : 132 min.

• Rating : PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, some sexual content including brief partial nudity and language.

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