Like any of these X-Men movies, there's way too many characters in this, but X-Men: First Class is still kind of fun. The 60s backdrop is a refreshing addition to the tired "superhero origins" story, even if it feels a little underused. Indeed, director Matthew Vaughn seems a kind of hesitant about a number of things in this flick, but he's packed it with so many characters and set-pieces that it hardly becomes an issue. Personally I enjoyed the campness of X-Men and kind of wished that Vaughn had been brave enough to crank it up a little more.

McAvoy and Fassbender are terrific as Xavier and Erik and display some top-notch chemistry. Fassbender comes out particularly well in this and he steals a good few scenes from the all-ready strong cast. In fact Fassbender's performance left me wishing that the whole film had just centered around him, a 1960s-style Secret Agent piece with Magneto on a Get Carter-style revenge spree (with you know, the ability to move metal with his mind). Oh well! You can't have it all! Still, certainly not the worst popcorn blockbuster out there!