OK for kids 12+
Superhero film has action, thrills, tough moral questions.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this exciting X-Men prequel/origin story has plenty of action as the heroes and villains battle it out using their wide variety of special abilities, many of which can be deadly. Though overall the film has a bit of a retro feel due to the 1960s setting, there are big explosions/attacks, as well as hand-to-hand battles and a few intense death scenes -- including one in which a boy's mother is killed in front of him and another in which a coin becomes a lethal weapon. The threat of nuclear war hangs over most of the movie. Expect moderate drinking and smoking; female characters sometimes appear in their underwear, skimpy costumes, or less, though there's no actual nudity. Language is infrequent but does include one use of "f--k." The movie includes weighty discussions about morality, self-acceptance, and fear of the unknown and -- staying true to the original comic books -- makes comparisons between the Holocaust and how people react to the presence of mutants.
- Families can talk about the movie's messages. What do the mutants' struggles have in common with other challenges that people have faced? Why do people tend to fear what is different?
- What does the movie say about revenge? Is Erik justified in his pursuit of vengeance? Do the ends ever justify the means?
- What distinguishes the "good guys" and the "bad guys" in this movie? Do any of Shaw's arguments make sense?
The good stuff
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Messages: While many characters embrace the brand-new idea of mutants and humans living together in peace, others can't or won't; there's lots of conflict surrounding the idea of whether mutants should try to "fit in" or embrace their differences. But ultimately the message is that it's important to be yourself, whatever that self may be able to do or happens to look like. Still, some of the mutants feel justified in waging war against normal humans, who are afraid of them. And even the heroes feel like outcasts. Though the good guys are willing to protect non-mutants, there’s still a lively debate about why they should.
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Role models: Although some characters are clearly good (Charles Xavier) or clearly evil (Sebastian Shaw), many represent various shades of gray and are pulled in conflicting directions. Erik is driven by revenge and anger, though Charles helps soften some of his edges. Ultimately, the X-Men must take a stand to protect the regular people who fear them, even though they don't show the same willingness to watch the mutants’ backs. The movie has some strong, powerful female characters and a somewhat diverse cast.
What to watch for
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Violence: Plenty of action, including super-powered combat featuring energy beams, fireballs, whirlwinds, and sonic blasts, as well as super-strength fistfights that send characters flying across the room. A fierce assault pits super villains against normal people, who are easily (and brutally) dispatched. There are major explosions, crashes (plane, submarine, more), gunshots, and several flying blades, and a coin is turned into a lethal weapon, shown in slow-motion close-up as it hits its mark. A boy's mother is killed in front of him, scarring him for life. A man's hand is stabbed through with a knife; people are slashed with knives and swords. Overhanging threat of nuclear war.
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Sex: Frequent skimpy, Bond Girl-esque outfits and one blue, scaly female mutant who sometimes walks around nude (though it looks as though she's wearing all-over body armor). In one scene, a girl, seemingly naked under the covers, invites a man to join her in bed; other scenes show kissing/groping. One scene includes several women in lingerie who are implied to be call girls/escorts; another is set in what appears to be a strip club, though there's no actual nudity.
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Language: One memorable use of "f--k"; other language includes infrequent use of "ass," "hell," "goddamn," "oh my God," and "damn."
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Consumerism: Tie-in to vast quantities of related merchandise.
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Drinking, drugs and smoking: A few scenes show people drinking, both in rowdy bars and in more quiet moments at home -- sometimes to excess. The younger mutants have one somewhat wild party. Occasional smoking (accurate for the 1960s setting).
Fan Reviews provided by
5
Great Prequel.. watched online by JoseBoyd
This was possibly the best X-Men film yet. The series has only been getting better! You can stream it free at the website flickgatewày .(c)(o)(m)
4
Good Reboot of Franchise & Good Movie by cranky_dad
As mentioned in my review of Wolverine, I have enjoyed the X Men series, so I was a very curious how they would relaunch the series. They did a terrific job and as with Nolan's Dark Knight and Abrams' Star Trek, made us care about old characters more and welcomed new ones. James McAvoy & Michael Fassbender make an engaging younger Professor X & Magneto respectively. Using 1962 as a backdrop, they introduce us to each of the members of the team and villans in a measured way (never feels rushed) and we actually care what happens to them; I was particularly rooting for Jennifer Lawrence as young Mystique and Nicholas Hoult as Hank McCoy-Beast. Nice (but not overbearing) effects and cool costumes rounded it out well. Go see it!
5
WOw! by muchi3413
This by far is the best installment in the xmen series. The actors did a brilliant job in portraying the young mutants. The entire team did a wonderful job in telling such an emotional and suspenseful story. Bravo! This film is a must see. I do not reccomend it for any kids under the age of 14. It has a few moments that are a little grown up for young viewers. :)
4
X-men by rembrandt66
very good -worth seeing
5
Great movie! by marilieberman
If you like the other X-men movies, you'll be sure to LOVE this prequel flix.
5
a must see action thriller by diet pepsi
i for one did not know whether to see this movie at first due to some negative reviews but it turned out wonderful a nonstop action triller every secound full of action and suspence just an all around great way to spend the summer time at the theater one of the best action movies last year
5
cool sumer action movie by jess crush
when i went to see this movie i was a little unsure as to what to expect from it but all went well and i loved the movie it was awsome just fun fiun fun pure summer action blast that came out of nowhere but enjoyed it any way
3
The only thing that bugged me... by mtknightdog
Had some cheesiness (Young Mutants bragging about their powers) and some confusing character motivation moments (Seemed like some mutants chose Magneto's side just so he could have a decent sized gang of friends). Then again, saw some people getting emotional during the finale, so I guess it balances itself out.
~~ The only thing that bugged me... ~~
I just wished that the studio would admit that this was a reboot and stop trying to force on us that its a prequel. They used a ton of material from the older movies as marketing bait. Yet, there are too many glaring continuity errors to declare this an official prequel. (How is Emma Frost older in the past, yet she and Cyclops are the same age in Origins?!?)
The script seems to have been written without giving the older movies much of a thought (other than twice; the bar cameo and opening scene nod) They should just go forward with this movie as a new trilogy and leave the older trilogy and its spin-off (Origins) in its own universe
5
X-Men First Class.......My First Pick!!!! by sylar2744
Wow, what can I really say about the newest installment of the X-Men Franchise, well there isn't enough good things to say about it, this was by far the best X-Men movie they have made, Matthew Vaughn did a great job directing and and writers Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz are amazing. I have to be honest I was very hesitant when they cast James McAvoy as Charles Xavier, but he did not disapoint this maybe his best work yet. And Michael Fassbender as Magneto was absolutely brilliant. The rest of the cast was extrodinary as well and the movie was so well written that my wife instantly became obsessed with comics and learning more about the origins of each character. If you haven't seen X-Men first class you are doing yourself an injustice this movie was phenomenal.
3
Slow To Start by Coolman16
Mutations can be good and bad in the ways you perceive them. One could have the different eye colors or another toe, but the people in this film have way more than just different appearances. As a sequel of the original X-Men films, the film came far from close to the exciting, action, adventure film it was designed to be.
With the film different than most action-packed movies with black and white endings. X-Men: First Class has some gray area to make audiences think about it. While the film had some humor with Wolverine in one of the scenes, its a long way from being first.