X-Men: First Class, the prequel to the X-Men movies, fills in the back story of charcters you have grown to love or lays the foundation to a start loving them. So weather your a mutant guru or you know little about the franchise, X-men First Class stands on its own. Powerful performances, good story, classy direction, and a top notch cast infuses a fresh breath of life to the old X-Men franchise! It has all the right ingredients for a super hit movie.

You might not have guessed Professor X would have been a lively, charming guy who flirted a lot, or that Mystique was actually like a sister to Professor X before joining hands with Magneto. Magneto and Professor X were as close as brothers when they were still known as Erik Lehnsherr and Charles Xavier. The movie not only showcases the origins of the X-Men, but also the intricate and interwoven relationships shared by the central characters.

The movie begins with how Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr get to know of their powers, the way they grow up, understand their abilities, and learn to control them. Then the movie goes on to show how they join forces with the government to avert a nuclear holocaust during the cold war period, there is not a single dull moment.  It is Interesting to see how they have woven the real world with the “X-Men Universe” and give good reason to set the movie in the 1960. Strong dialogues and repartees between the characters feel as if taken from real history, some gems like “Peace was never an option”, and “Mutant and Proud!” would be good examples of this.

James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender do complete justice to their roles as Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr respectively. Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw, the nefarious scientist who heads the hellfire club which seeks to end the human race, is menacing. Director Matthew Vaughn has ensured that the viewer gets to feel the anger in Erik’s eyes, and the compassion in Xavier’s voice, on a personal level. The racy narration and non-stop action keeps the viewers riveted to their seats. X-Men: First Class answers all questions that a person would have had after watching the earlier X-Men movies, and it ensures that it is a perfect prequel in the sense that it leaves no loose threads and establishes a solid platform for the unraveling of the X-Men universe.