Reel to Reel: X-Men DVD extras make a great film even better

I am not a fan of movies being rebooted or revamped. To me, it just means that the studio that made the movie made a mistake and needs a fresh start or the studio would like to make more money on a familiar set of characters or plot. In the case of X-Men, I had no problem with 20th Century Fox retooling the franchise since the quality of the story needed to be restored after “X-Men: The Last Stand” and “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” were not well received by critics or fans alike. What came out was the best film of the franchise in “X-Men: First Class,” being released on DVD and Blu-ray on Sept 9.

Director Matthew Vaughn, known for his work on the 2010 superhero film “Kick-Ass,” gives his fresh take on the origin story of how the X-Men came together. The film is set in the 1960’s, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, with Charles Xavier (Professor X) and Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto) who are allies against a common enemy by the name of Sebastian Shaw, a man set on destroying the world. This threat leads Xavier to the discovery other mutants from around the world in order to assemble a team to take down Shaw. All the while, this group of mutants ask themselves whether they will ever be accepted into society.

Vaughn does an amazing job with the story and direction of the mutants coming together. Focusing the film on the Cuban Missile Crisis (which we know how that ended) does give the movie more weight as opposed to the average larger-than-life stories that comic book fans, such as myself, are accustomed to.

The connection that the mutants share is in their not knowing what to do with their powers. This  allowed me to enjoy the journey of self-discovery and growth amongst the likes of Mystique, Beast and Havoc. I found myself invested in the characters because there was a backstory to be told. Their stories were told in a fresh way, something that the other X-Men films lacked.

Along with the story, Vaughn does an incredible job with the imagery portrayed, setting a Bond-style theme with the clothing, scenery and even the technology shown in the film. The effects were spot on, although there was one or two moments where it was easy to spot the CGI that was used in the movie.

The cast is full of promising young talent led by James McAvoy as Xavier. A young, smart but slightly naive man to the ways of the world gave him a chance to grow into the Professor X that comic book fans have come to know. Strong performances from Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique), Nicholas Hoult (Beast) and Lucas Till (Havok) give the “good guys” a formidable adversary to the star-studded lineup that the “bad boys” trot out.

Kevin Bacon (Sebastian Shaw), leads the other side of the mutant struggle to achieve the purpose of mutants making a better use of their powers. Mad Men’s January Jones gives a very dry, stiff performance as Emma Frost, a telepathic mutant who can change herself into diamond form. The acting suits the character, who is always straightforward in whatever she does, which helps me not to hate Jones for potentially ruining the very important role she plays in the film.

The cast was great, but the star of this film is Michael Fassbender, who plays Magneto. Known for his work as Lt. Archie Hicox in “Inglorious Basterds,” Fassbender compelled me to focus on him in every scene he was in. Even when a certain scene had nothing to do with him, I still paid attention to see what he would do next. Fassbender did a great job of making me forget, even if it was for a moment, that he eventually turns against Xavier. With sequels being lined up, Fassbender will be a focal point and a real treat to watch in many more movies to come.

For the true hardcore fans, there might be some nit-picking at some of the character choices and whether or not they should have been put in the movie. Ultimately, it does not create an issue. “X-Men: First Class” gave me, as a fan of comics, a much more entertaining origin story than most superhero films have ever created. Visually stunning, with a sweeping score by Henry Jackman that pulls every scene together and strong story to follow, I just had a great time watching this movie and I will say that “First Class” is the best that the franchise has to offer.

The Blu-ray version comes with 10 Marvel “X-Men” Digital Comics with an exclusive “X-Men: First Class” backstory comic, more than two hours of never-before-seen extras, an eight part behind-the-scenes featurette charting the film from pre-production through post-production, including visual effects techniques and cataloguing “X-Men” transformations through make up and costume design. Both, the DVD version as well as the Blu-ray version, come with extended and deleted scenes and the composer’s isolated score.