Reported from Pedestrian TV's site, another review hails the new film positively, but with minor setbacks, to read the full review, just hit the link of course, Good Day Peeps!
This is director Matthew Vaughn's second foray into the comic book film world- the first being the fantastic Kick-Ass. Vaughn is an engaging and exciting director- incidentally this film is only 5 minutes shorter than Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides (which I saw the night after) but feels about half the length- thanks to the pace and plot-driven storyline. Fans will be happy to note that Bryan Singer also returns as co-writer and producer which could be part of the reason why this film is a return to form for the franchise.
The driving force is undoubtedly the friendship (and its eventual demise) between Professor X and Magneto, portrayed brilliantly by James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender. The actors had big shoes to fill, playing the roles made famous on screen by Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, but they delivered. Even for 'non-fans', it makes for a spine-tingling moment when you realise what is to become of the two comrades. Fassbender steals the film- he is commanding and charismatic (delivering quite a few laughs), as you learn what lies behind his insatiable appetite for revenge. Just a slight side note, but I'm still lost as to why his character suddenly became 'Irish' (Fassbender's native tongue) in the last 20 minutes of the film.
Jennifer Lawrence (read: Winter's Bone girl) is also strong as Mystique. She manages to draw interest and adds complexity to a role which is fairly one-dimensional: 'I want to look normal!' vs 'I should embrace myself as I am, right?' January Jones delivers a largely lifeless performance as Emma Frost. Sure there's eye-candy as she traipses around lingerie-clad, like a mod-ish Bond girl but there's zero sass. It seems all too convenient that the filmmakers thought they could just pull Betty Draper from her 60s housewife setting to the 60s world of the X-Men. As she announces momentously "I wouldn't call it a war exactly, that suggests both sides stand an equal chance of winning", she sounds a bit like it's the fiftieth take of the day, and the 'war' in question is the furthest thing on her mind.