by Ken San Nicolas

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Time: 2 hours 11 minutes

Genre: Action

Starring: James McAvoy, Kevin Bacon, January Jones, Michael Fassbender

Director Matthew Vaughn re-boots the popular X-men franchise with a hip prequel to the origin of the mutant team. Before he was known as Professor X, Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) was a popular Oxford University graduate renown for his work on genetic mutation. This thesis catches the eye of CIA agent Moira McTaggert (Rose Byrne), who enlists the help of Xavier in order to stop the notorious criminal Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon). Aided by a young Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender), they recruit the first group of mutants tasked with saving the world from threats like Shaw.

What makes this fourth film in the series so refreshing is the rich storytelling. Seeing the roots of such popular characters as Mystique, Professor X and Magneto is very captivating. There are rich mysteries to be solved in the film and the audience eats it up with eager expectation. Whether it be the ominous fate of Charles and Erik's friendship, or the origin of Hank McCoy, "X-men First Class" serves up a delicious variety of Marvel lore.

While the special effects and CG are good, the film's true strength lies in the depth of the characters. This is a very nostalgic look at some of history's greatest comic book characters and the film does very well in its homage.

If you love the franchise, catch "X-men First Class" this weekend at Tango Theatres.

4 out of 5 stars