MOVIE REVIEW - X-Men First Class

More superhero comic book movies at the theaters this week with X-Men First Class, and we're not a better nation for it. I am not anti-superhero movie. But enough is enough.

For heavens sake. How far are they going to take some of this stuff anyway. X-Men FC, is a prequel on how then eventual X-Men became, X-Men. And to be frank, do we need this? I'm thinking not. But a whopping pay day in on the way for this studio, and these actors in a way most of them have never dreamed. But this is a total cheese-fest of the first order.

This story does have some allure and intriguing moments and ideas. It starts back in the 1940's as the mutant experiment that goes awry, and now mutants with tremendous powers are among us. One goes completely rogue, Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon). His plan is that since mankind will hunt down and exterminate the mutants, he then decides to orchestrate the real life Cuban Missile Crises of the early 1960's. The plan is that mankind will destroy themselves with nuclear war, and the mutants will take over and flourish on earth. For anyone under 35 reading this, we should point out, that "mutants" did not prevent the Cuban Missile Crises from happening, or prevent nuclear war as this movie takes credit for.

The one good thing about this flick is this. The beginning of the movie, where they establish Shaw as a diabolical and insane international criminal is very good. His character has a James Bond villain feel to it at it's inception. But then it all goes horribly wrong. This movie turns so bad it borders on unwatchable. It saddens me that Kevin Bacon got involved here. So many great movies to his credit like Apollo 13. But after you lose all your money as it was reported he did on Wall Street, I guess you gotta get on the gravy train. He is a fine actor, that has no business playing dress up with this bunch.

Special effects that are average at best, too many characters trying to squeeze in their time on screen, and scenes so amazingly absurd it resembles a bad monster movie from Japan in the 1960's. The final hour of this two hour quagmire is so incredibly horrible, I am amazed it made it through editing. It looks like they were making this up as they went along. Absolutely ridiculous fight scenes, that are embarrassing to the actors themselves. But for most of them, this is the payday they've waited for. So a little "Dude, you look ridiculous" from their friends and spouses will be all worthwhile.

James McAvoy who was just great in the recent, The Conspirator that was heralded by some as a great flick, stars here as well. But The Conspirator doesn't pay the bills, and this trash will be the gift that keeps on giving for all these actors. Hope your contract was good. Because this is rock bottom for sheer performing and acting. It looks like these guys were playing some superhero game in the backyard at 8 years old. Great activity for kids, but a movie?

X-Men First Class. Poorly named. Because this is a first class bomb.