Released : 2011 Genre : Action Adventure DramaStarcast : James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer LawrenceDesc :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. Before they were archenemies, they were closest of friends, working together, with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. In the process, a rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magnetos Brotherhood and Professor Xs XMEN. Duration : 2h 3minAt a German concentration camp in occupied Poland in 1944, scientist Dr. Klaus Schmidt observes young Erik Lensherr bend a metal gate with his mind when the child is separated from his parents. In his office, Schmidt orders Lensherr to similarly move a coin on a desk, and kills his mother when the child cannot. In his grief and anger, Lensherrs magnetic power manifests, killing two guards and destroying the room, to Schmidts delight.At a mansion in Westchester County, New York, young telepath Charles Xavier meets homeless young shapeshifter Raven. Overjoyed to meet someone else different, he invites her to live with his family.In 1962, an adult Lensherr is tracking down Schmidt to take revenge. In England, Oxford University graduate Xavier is publishing his thesis on mutation; Raven, now his foster sister, lives with him. In Las Vegas, CIA agent Moira MacTaggert follows U.S. Army Colonel Hendry into the Hellfire Club, where she sees Sebastian Shaw, Emma Frost, and Azazel. After Shaw threatens Hendry, Azazel disappears with the officer; moments later Hendry is in the War Room, advocating that the U.S. install nuclear missiles in Turkey. Shaw later kills Hendry, revealing himself as Schmidt and demonstrating the energyabsorbing mutant power that has deaged him.MacTaggert, seeking Xaviers advice on mutation, convinces him and Raven to join her at the CIA, where they convince Director McCone that mutants exist and Shaw is a threat. The unnamed Man in Black Suit, another CIA executive, sponsors the mutants and invites them to the CIAs secret Division X facility. Xavier locates Shaw, arriving in time to stop Lensherr, who had attacked Shaw, from drowning as Shaw escapes. Xavier brings Lensherr to Division X, where they meet young scientist Hank McCoy, a prehensilefooted mutant whom Xavier inadvertently outs as a mutant. McCoy, developing a bond with Raven, promises her he will find a way to normalize their appearance. Xavier uses a mutantlocating device, Cerebro, to find and recruit mutants for training to stop Shaw. He and Lensherr find stripper Angel Salvadore; taxi driver Armando Muoz, who takes the code name Darwin; Army prisoner Alex Summers, who calls himself Havok; and Sean Cassidy, who dubs himself Banshee. Raven takes the name Mystique. She also dubs Charles Prof. X and Erik Magneto.When Frost meets with a Soviet general in the USSR, Xavier and Lensherr capture her. Meanwhile, Azazel, Riptide and Shaw attack Division X, killing everyone but the young mutants and offering them the chance to join him. Angel accepts; when Darwin tries to fight back, Shaw kills him. With the facility destroyed, Xavier takes the mutants to train at his family mansion. McCoy devises protective uniforms and a stealth jet. In Moscow, Shaw compels the general to have the Soviet Union install nuclear missiles in Cuba.During the Cuban Missile Crisis, U.S. President John F. Kennedy institutes a blockade to stop a Soviet freighter from moving the nuclear missiles to Cuba. Shaw, wearing a helmet that foils Xaviers telepathy, accompanies the Soviet fleet to ensure the missiles arrive, trying to trigger World War III and achieve mutant ascendency. Raven goes to seduce Lensherr, who convinces her to embrace her nature as a mutant. Later, McCoy offers Raven his cure for her appearance, but she refuses. The cure backfires on McCoy, rendering him a leonine beast. Though ashamed of his new appearance, he pilots the mutants and MacTaggert to the blockade line. In an ensuing battle with Shaw, Lensherr takes the helmet for himself, allowing Xavier to immobilize Shaw. Despite Xaviers objections, Lensherr kills Shaw by forcing the Nazi coin through his brain.Fearing the mutants, the fleets fire their missiles at them. In a struggle, Xavier keeps Lensherr from destroying the fleets with the missiles, but when MacTaggert fires at Lensherr, a deflected bullet hits Xavier in the spine. Lensherr, remorseful, leaves with Mystique, Angel, Riptide and Azazel. A wheelchairbound Xavier and the mutants return to the mansion, where he intends to open a school. MacTaggert promises never to reveal his location and they kiss; at the CIA later, she says she has no clear memory of recent events. Lensherr, in a uniform with the helmet and calling himself Magneto, breaks Frost from confinement.[edit] Cast James McAvoy as Dr. Charles Xavier: The telepathic leader and founder of the XMen and one of Magnetos best friends until conflicts of opinion create a rivalry between them and their teams.[6] McAvoy admitted that he did not read comics when he was a kid, but added that he was a fan of the cartoons from the age of 10. While he describes the older Charles Xavier as a monk... a selfless, egoless almost sexless force for the betterment of humanity and mortality, he says that the younger Xavier is a very different person. Its quite fun because the complete opposite of that is an egofueled, sexed up selfserving dude. And not going too far with it, but hes definitely got an ego and hes definitely got a sex drive as well.[7] McAvoy admitted he felt that there was a comparison between XavierMagneto and Martin Luther King Jr.Malcolm X stating, A lot of the time... in the comic books, Erik comes and goes; he goes back and forward really in what he believes and how he is going to achieve it. And in this film its sort of like meeting them at a point where they are still finding out who they are and you are still seeing some of the events that shaped them, not through their early life, but some of the key events in the sort of equal rights or civil rights struggle that helped shape them.[8] Laurence Belcher as Charles Xavier (12 years)[9] Michael Fassbender as Erik Lensherr Magneto: The leader and founder of the Brotherhood of Mutants and one of Xaviers best friends until conflicts of opinion create a rivalry between them and their teams. Lensherr is capable of manipulating and generating electromagnetic fields. [10] Fassbender said that Matthew Vaughn saw him in an audition for one of his other films and just thought that he would be right for this film. After Fassbender read the script, he said he liked it and then he tried to convince the producers that he was right for the part. When reading Magnetos history (he admitted that he did not know that much about the XMen) he said to himself that he thought the story was going to be really interesting work. When asked if he was a good guy or bad guy at this point he said that he doesnt really think in those terms. He saw Erik as a Machiavellian character. Fassbender also admitted to watching Sir Ian McKellens performances to get a flavor of what Magneto was like (while also stating that he liked it) but decided to paint a new canvas of the character, stating, So I did my homework and preparation and you want to respect what someone else has done, especially because the fan base really liked what Ian McKellen has done with it. But while I could have gone and studied him as a young man and brought that to the performance, I dont think Matthew is very interested in that. So Im just going my own way and working with whatever is in the comic books and the script.[11] Vaughn said that Erik is straight up cool, hes Harrison Ford while Professor X is ObiWan Kenobi.[12] Bill Milner as Young Erik Lensherr [13] Note: The onscreen credits spell the characters name as Lensherr. However, previous XMen films, the films official website and the Marvel Comics web page for the character spell the name Lehnsherr.[14][15] Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw: A former Nazi scientist and the leader of the Hellfire Club, a secret society bent on taking over the world.[16][17] Shaw is a mutant who can absorb kinetic and radiated energy and redirect it. While in the comics this power is depicted by having Shaw grow up to ten times his original size, producer Lauren Shuler Donner said this was not considered as it would look like the Hulk, it would be silly. Visual effects supervisor John Dykstra instead depicted Shaws absorption by having him deflecting through repeated iterations that appear in a short period.[12] Jennifer Lawrence as Raven Darkholme Mystique: A shapeshifting mutant and Charles Xaviers childhood friend.[18] Mystiques blue form required Lawrence to undergo an eighthour makeup process similar that of Rebecca Romijn for the other XMen films.[12] Morgan Lily as Young Raven (10 years)[19] January Jones as Emma Frost: A telepath who can also change her body into diamond form and is a member of the Hellfire Club.[13] Alice Eve was originally announced to play Emma Frost.[20] Rose Byrne as Moira MacTaggert: A CIA agent.[21] Nicholas Hoult as Dr. Henry Hank McCoy Beast: A former scientist and political activist who transformed into a frightening looking mutant in an attempt to cure himself, but is kind at heart.[22] Broadway actor Benjamin Walker was previously cast as Beast. He turned down the role to star in the Broadway musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.[23] Hoult was chosen for being gentle with a capability of being fierce, and had little computer graphics in the character except for the big simianlike feet and the transformation sequence leading the actor to use makeup that took four hours to apply when Hank becomes the Beast, which include a mask, contact lenses, a muscle furry suit and fake teeth.[12] Amalgamated Dynamics Alec Gills said Beast design intended for a furbased creature, with something akin to a wolfs pelt on his face, his arms everywhere, and that the suits employed actual dyed fur from fox pelts.[24] Oliver Platt as The Man in Black: A CIA agent and head of Division X, a government agency working with the XMen.[25] Ray Wise as the United States Secretary of State.[26] Zo Kravitz as Angel Salvadore: A mutant with dragonfly wings and acidic saliva.[13] Caleb Landry Jones as Sean Cassidy Banshee: A mutant capable of ultrasonic screaming, used in various ways including as a means of flight. Jones spent much time with the stunt team to prepare for the scenes in the harness that depict Banshees flying as Jones suffers from acrophobia.[12] Lucas Till as Alex Summers Havok: A mutant who has the ability to absorb energy and discharge it as blasts.[27] Edi Gathegi as Armando Muoz Darwin: A mutant with the power of reactive evolution.[28] All of Darwins transformations getting gills, turning his skin into concrete were done through computer graphics.[12] Jason Flemyng as Azazel: A Hellfire Club member who teleports.[29] lex Gonzlez as Janos Quested Riptide: A mutant with the ability to create powerful whirlwinds from his hands and body.[30][31] Glenn Morshower as Col. Hendry Matt Craven as CIA Director McCone Rade Sherbedgia as Russian General Michael Ironside as a U.S. Navy Captain James Remar as a U.S. General Annabelle Wallis as Amy: A young woman Xavier flirts with in a bar after observing she has heterochromia Don Creech as William Stryker Brendan Fehr as Communications Officer Aleksander Krupa as a Russian Navy CaptainIn uncredited cameo appearances, Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Romijn reprise their roles as Logan Wolverine[32] and Mystique.[33] John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev appear in archival footage of speeches during the Cuban missile crisis.[edit] Production[edit] DevelopmentIn April 2006, one month before the release of XMen: The Last Stand, writer Zak Penn revealed he was contracted to write and direct a spinoff.[34] He explained in 2007 that the original idea was to have me do a young XMen spinoff, a spinoff of the young XMen characters. But someone came up with a pretty interesting idea [...] it was this guy who worked with me named Mike Chamoy, he worked a lot with me on X3. He came up with how to do a young XMen movie which is not what youd expect.[35] Penn compared the idea to the comic book series XMen: First Class,[36] and Josh Schwartz was writing the screenplay in May 2008.[37] Schwartzs writing assignment also included the possibility of directing of XMen: First Class,[38] but Fox approached Bryan Singer, director of XMen and X2, in October 2009.[39] The original idea was to greenlight the film depending on the success of XMen Origins: Magneto,[40] but Singer added elements of the Magneto spinoff, merged into a new script by Jamie Moss.[39] In addition to Moss, Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz were hired to rewrite the script. Miller compared it tonally to Singers work on the first two XMen films.[41] Singer dropped out of the directors position in March 2010 due to his commitment to a Jack the Giant Killer adaptation. He formalized his duties from director to producer.[42][43] Matthew Vaughn signed on as Singers replacement in May 2010. With his hiring, Fox announced a June 3, 2011 release date,[5] and Jane Goldman was hired for another rewrite.[44] Vaughn wanted to model XMen: First Class after the 2009 Star Trek film, taking the franchise in a new direction with a fresh, young cast.[45] An action scene that was to have been set in a dream sequence with revolving rooms was scrapped after the release of Inception.[46] The 1960s setting of XMen: First Class was technologically inspired by the James Bond films of that era, also adding to the international feel of the characters. The XMen costumes looked much more as they did in the original comics compared with the first three films.[47]Describing his thought process toward the material, Vaughn said, Unfinished business, thats what inspired me. I was totally excited about doing X3 and basically cowrote the script with [Simon] Kinberg and Zak Penn. We did that in six days together, and then storyboarded the whole movie ... and then, like an idiot, thought that I didnt have enough time to make the film I wanted, so I had to leave. I sort of regretted that ever since, and when Fox rang me up and said, Do you want a chance to reboot XMen and put your stamp all over it? When they told me that, I thought they were joking at first, and then they told me it would happen in the 60s against the Cuban missile crisis as the backdrop, I thought, God, this sounds cool. Why not? Lets do it.[48] My main goal was to make as good a film that could stand on its own two feet regardless of all the other films. However, I thought anything that worked in all the other movies, and I could have some fun with nodding towards, I would. But my main rule was, You know what, were trying to reboot and start a whole new XMen franchise and therefore, making a film work on its own two feet was far more important than trying to be referential to the prior movies.[49] He said, Its not like the other XMen movies, which I think is important. I think they need to sort of take on a new... you know, what Batman Begins did for all those Batman movies? We bloody well need it. Im not saying its going to be as good as Batman Begins, but its the same sort of attitude.[50]The film cost approximately 160 million to produce before tax breaks,[51] with the eventual cost around 140 million.[3][edit] FilmingPrincipal photography began on August 31, 2010, in Oxford, England, which included St Aldates street and some of the University of Oxfords buildings, lasting for two days.[52] Production then moved to Pinewood Studios in Iver,[53] and to Georgia in October, including Jekyll Island, Thunderbolt and Savannah,[54] after sites in Louisiana, North Carolina[55] and West Michigan were considered.[56] Jekyll Island was chosen over Tybee Island after a producer reviewed the locations on Google Earth and thought the water near Jekyll looked more blue.[55] Additional location shooting took place in Russia.[47] A section of the plot is set in the Argentine coastal city of Villa Gesell, but was filmed elsewhere in the country.[57][24] Washington, D.C. and the Mojave Desert also served as locations. Vaughn said he shot the film in anamorphic to create a widescreen experience, which is emblematic of 60s movies, such as the James Bond films.[24] The aesthetics of the decade were also invoked by designers Simon Clowes and Kyle Cooper of Prologue Films, who were responsible for the end credits and tried to do something that could be done with traditional optical. The credits animation depicts DNA strands through simple geometric shapes, drawing inspiration from both Saul Bass and Maurice Binders work in the Bond films.[58][edit] EffectsWhile seven companies were involved with the visual effects,[24] the producers still tried to employ practical effects whenever possible: most of the objects young Erik throws after his mother is shot were actually on location; Havoks beams were digital, but the explosions were real and light effects were used on set to provide reference; and for Angels flight, Ze Kravitz stood on elevated platforms and was dangled on wires including on the location in Georgia for the battle in the Cuban beach. As Emma Frost kept on going in and out of her diamond form, January Jones stunt double wore a jumpsuit covered in mirrors for motion capture and lighting reference to prevent Jones from undergoing frequent wardrobe changes due to the transformations.[12][edit] MusicHenry Jackman wrote the score, which draws inspiration from John Barrys work in the James Bond films as Matthew saw Magneto as an early James Bond, we wanted to update that Barryesque feeling for our 21stcentury.[59] The British band Take That provided the films official song, Love Love, played during the end credits.[60][edit] Reception[edit] Box officeXMen: First Class, which opened on approximately 6,900 screens at 3,641 locations, earned 55.1 million on its opening weekend and also debuted at No.1 at the American and Canadian box office,[61][62] including 3.37 million at its Friday midnight launch.[63] This opening was much lower than the opening weekends of XMen: The Last Stand (102.7 million), X2: XMen United (85.5 million), and XMen Origins: Wolverine (85.0 million), but it was slightly higher than the original film (54.5 million).[62] Executives at 20th Century Fox said they achieved their goal by opening with about the same numbers as the first XMen film and that it was an excellent start to a new chapter of the franchise.[61] The film also brought in 61 million at foreign box offices during its opening weekend.[64] In its second weekend XMen: First Class dropped 56.2, the second smallest second weekend drop in the franchise behind X2: XMen United (53.2), and came in with an estimated 24.1 million, in second place to Super 8.[65]The film grossed 146,408,305 in the United States and Canada as well as 206,208,385 internationally, bringing its worldwide total to 352,616,690.[66][edit] Critical responseThe film has received positive reviews, with the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes showing 87 freshness and a rating of 7.410 from 218 reviews counted as of June 14, 2011, the consensus being With a strong script, stylish direction, and powerful performances from its wellrounded cast, XMen: First Class is a welcome return to form for the franchise.[67] On Metacritic, the film received 65 out of 100 based on 37 reviews.[68]Before May 24, the movie was screened for Internet film critics. Brendan Connelly of BleedingCool.com said it contains some of the briskest and most efficient storytelling Ive seen in any recent blockbuster. An awful lot happens, and awfully quickly at times, but its all clear and while some nice moments might be over in the blink of an eye, this can only reward repeat viewers.[69] Den of Geeks Michael Leader said that despite all the ropey posters and offputting promo material, XMen: First Class manages to be a summer movie with something to say. Lets just hope they dont run this one into the ground, too, because I dread seeing an XMen: Economy Class down the line.[70] However, Simon Miraudo of Quickflix.com was less favorable, stating that just when [Vaughn] starts to have a little fun, you can practically feel him pull back, lest he get too campy or weird.[71]Among the major trade publications, Tod McCarthy of the The Hollywood Reporter described the film as audacious, confident and fueled by youthful energy, and said that director Vaughn impressively maintains a strong focus dedicated to clarity and dramatic power ... and orchestrates the mayhem with a laudable coherence, a task made easier by a charging, churning score by Henry Jackman....[72] Justin Chang of Variety said the film feels swift, sleek and remarkably coherent, and that the visual effects designed by John Dykstra are smoothly and imaginatively integrated....[73] Frank Lovece of Film Journal International lauded a wickedly smart script with a multilayered theme that ... never loses sight of its ultimate story, and makes each emotional motivation interlock, often shockingly playing for keeps with its characters. This is not a kids movie, unless your kid is comfortable with an opening tenminute sequence set in a harrowing World War II concentration camp and told entirely in subtitled German.[33]In consumer publications, Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly lauded the kind of youthful, Britknockabout pop energy director Matthew Vaughn absorbed from his previous collaborations as producer of director Guy Ritchies blokey larks, and found McAvoy and Fassbender a casting triumph. These two have, yes, real star magnetism, both individually and together: Theyre both cool and intense, suave and unaffected, playful and dead serious about their grand comicbook work.[74] Peter Howell of the Toronto Star called it a blockbuster with brains and said Vaughn brings similar freshness to this comic creation as he did to KickAss, and manages to do so while hewing to the sagas serious dramatic intent.[75] However, Betsy Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times bemoaned its misplaced and misplayed ambition, and felt that its moments of greatness ... are fleeting, ultimately undone by a frustrating mire of multiple plots, overreaching special effects, leaden ancillary players and worldending military standoffs that have all the tension of a water balloon fight.[76] Roger Ebert, straddling, called it hightech and wellacted but merely competent weekend entertainment. It is not a great comic book movie.[77]

Releshed Date  20 - July - 2011