Comic books and their more mature cousins, the graphic novel, have become a prime source of material for movies. Many of the most popular blockbusters rank in the hundreds of millions for box office receipts started their lives as comic books that sold for twelve cents at the local soda fountain. There is a major concern virtually unique to this specific type of movie; the large number of fans that are expert in the tiniest elements of the production. Not only do they readily notice the slightest of mistakes in the storyline or the fashion in which their favorite characters are depicted but they are all exceptional vocal in the plethora of genre conventions and myriad of web sites and social networks devoted to the exchange and collection of these errors. They demand a level of continuity that is not even achieved in movies directly based on the lives of real people or historically recoded events. successful filmmakers that come to realize their primary fan base have heated debates over whether Hans Solo shot first (he did), so they have devised a lexicon of new terms to cover their track and keep them from the advancing lynch mobs at the next comic-con. Among the most commonly used are‘re-imagining’ and ‘reboot’. These terms have become powerful tools in the arsenal of any filmmaker who decides to rely on comic books as the basis of his films. First of all in the two great houses of power in the comic world, ‘DC and Marvel, both have routinely used ‘Rec-Con’, retroactive continuity, to smooth over the differences that have arisen over years of telling the stories. The typical way of achieving this is to institute the changes at the quantum level by spinning off entire new universes where the circumstances were different leading to ‘fan approved’ variations. Writers can explore the death of a major character without fear of reprisal by the extremely picky devotees of the comic. One of the most influential and lucratively successful filmmakers to address these dilemmas is Bryan Singer. As the main force behind the ‘X-Men’ franchise he has a track record than impresses fans and studio executives alike. This influence recently extended to the latest outing of the characters; ‘X Men: First Class’. This film takes us back in time to the start of it all laying the foundation to at least one possible version of the story.

Singer is not credited with the script, direction or production of this film but is listed as the creator of the story. He has stated that it was intended to be consistent with the first two installments of the franchise, the ones he made. This excludes ‘Wolverine’ and the third ‘X Men’ flick; a very convenient little detail. In fact, there is some indication that this movie represents a fresh reboot to the story allowing for differences present within the ‘Singer X Men Universe’. It’s sort of like when we were kids shouting ‘Do Over’ to negate an outcome in a game opposite to our interest. In most cases where these plot devices are employed I find the results pedantic and uninspired; an excuse for lack of imagination. Singer expertly avoids this through sheer expression of talent combined with a demonstrated love for the comic book source material. This is a fan creating films for the enjoyment of other fans and that makes all the difference in the world. This ploy also affords Singer and his compatriots a larger degree of latitude going forward. Taking Singer’s story and working it into a screenplay were Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz. I’ve noticed that a mixed gender writing team trend to be better in creating strong female characters especially in male dominated situations. This is certainly the case here. Miller and Stentz had previously demonstrated this in their writing for and production for ‘Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles’, ‘Fringe’ and ‘Andromeda’, all series with a remarkably strong female presence. They are also continuing their collaboration in the Marvel universe in their involvement in ‘Thor’. It might seem odd that Singer would step down from the director’s chair but Matthew Vaughn was an excellent selection for a replacement. He is no stranger to fantasy and action with a resume that includes; ‘Kick Ass’ and Stardust’. Under the marked influence of Bryan Singer this turned out to be a creative dream team making this one of the better origin stories out there. Usually the origin film is so overcrowded with the necessary exposition that there is little room for an emotional arc. This was not the case here. ‘X Men First Class’ tells a strongly crafted story that provides excellent emotional arcs set against one of the most imaginative setting I’ve seen in a long time.

One aspect of construction used in this prequel or, as it is being called, pre-boot. Was placing it in a specific time and place tied to the real world; the early nineteen sixties. Many of us Boomers who grew u reading the original ‘X Men’ comics recall the tension present in the adult world that readily permeated our understand of current events. Although too young to be directly influenced by the cold war we knew there was a deadly serious reason why we were marched down to the school basement bomb shelter on a regular basis. Those tense days in November 1962 did not escape our notice. This is the setting used remarkably well for this film. It also afforded the filmmaker a novel opportunity to set the film in the context of a classic gold age of spy flicks. While there was a decidedly ‘Bond’ inspired look and feel to this film but they did not go overboard with this concept. For example they didn’t use the distinctive ‘Bond’ sound which gave this film a unique identity even though it doffed its hat to the classics. The main villain here, Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) is ripped from am Ian Fleming novel augmented by intense super powers and a lust to throw the world into the throws of nuclear war for his own lust for power. The story has a firm foundation with the friendship between future adversaries Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik ‘’ Magneto’ Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender). The story details the difference in their fundamental ideological difference that lead to their separation and the creation of ‘The X Men’ and the diametrically opposed ‘Brotherhood of Mutants’. This takes us into a real world appreciation of how society deals with those that are different.

Underscoring this on a more intimate and emotional perspective is the relationship shown between Hank ‘Beast’ McCoy (Nicholas Hoult) and Raven/ Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence). Their budding relationship is based on their own physical differences and ultimately they way they choice to deal with them. Add to this the character of Emma Frost (January Jones) as the ultimate ‘Bond Girl’ and you have a perfect blend of spy thriller and super hero blockbuster action movie. This is one of the most imaginative films of its kind made to date. While it falls a little short in the emotional impact of ‘Spider-Man 2’ or ‘Iron Man’ and goes in a different direction that the dark ‘Christopher Nolan ‘Batman’ it has carved out its own niche and works exceptionally well.