X-Men: First Class

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X-Men: First Class

PG-13

Released Jun 3, 2011

2h 6m

Action

Adventure

Fantasy

Sci-Fi

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Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

295 Reviews

87%

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100,000+ Ratings

In the early 1960s, during the height of the Cold War, a mutant named Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) meets a fellow mutant named Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender). Despite their vastly different backgrounds -- Charles grew up with a wealthy family, while Erik lost his parents at Auschwitz -- the two become close friends. As the world teeters on the brink of a nuclear war, Charles and Erik with other mutants join forces to save humanity. However, a situation soon tears the friends apart.

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Critics Consensus

With a strong script, stylish direction, and powerful performances from its well-rounded cast, X-Men: First Class is a welcome return to form for the franchise.

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Jarrah E Hodge

Bitch Media

The acting, special effects, and writing were excellent, except possibly the two times Xavier tries to hit on women in bars by saying they have "groovy mutation[s]".

Jan 7, 2021

Full Review

Shubhra Gupta

The Indian Express

First Class can safely be watched by first-timers, but old faithfuls of the franchise will get a little more, tracing the origins of their favourite characters.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 2, 2019

Full Review

Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

If you didn't see the previous movies, you may not be able to appreciate some of the subtle references, but that won't make you enjoy the movie any less. Check it out.

Rated: B

Sep 8, 2017

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

... Jennifer Lawrence is superb as the young blue-skinned shape-changer Mystique, trying to reconcile her identity crisis with Xavier’s sometimes oblivious idealism.

Sep 9, 2023

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

A summer movie where audiences will leave talking about the performances and the ideas, not the mindless battles.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jun 7, 2023

Full Review

Cory Woodroof

Lumination Network

This is an immensely fun, engaging, stylish superhero film that I fully recommend for your viewing pleasure.

Feb 11, 2022

Full Review

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Audience Member

"With a strong script" ?? Really? To me it's one of the dumbest script I've ever seen. Seems like made by a kid playing hero. Two scenes are laughable: young Magneto screaming "endlessly", artificially in a stupidy scene that is only good in the minds of the creators; another one is adult Magneto moving satellite dishes. Besides, the whole movie seems like made by adolescents with no talent.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

07/12/25

Full Review

tim s

First Class expertly relaunches the X-Men film series with a prequel that does justice to the legacy of the characters. Witnessing Magneto's tragic origin, his initial encounter with Charles Xavier, and their eventual divide are stellar moments. Michael Fassbender as young Magneto is the best performer in the whole thing. He expertly conveys sorrow, rage, and excitement.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/07/25

Full Review

Frank the Pug .

A great prequel/reboot--preboot? for the iconic heroes

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/25/25

Full Review

Stephen C

Success in 2 hours and 6 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated PG-13 for Intense Sequences of Action, Brief Partial Nudity, Intense Sequences of Violence, Language and Some Sexual Content!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $146,400,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/24/25

Full Review

Mate P

***SLIGHT SPOILERS*** X-Men: First Class is impressive in the sense that it's a really well-made prequel. It has great already existing characters, but it's not required for the audience to know them. The film pulls so many of them and their stories together and connects them perfectly to the existing films. My only complaint about the character is that Angel's turn to Sebastian Shaw's side doesn't make sense. It came out of nothing for me. There are some cheesy lines here and there, but overall the dialogues are natural and fitting enough. The cinematography is good with simple, but effective lighting and camera movements. The editing is creative with some extremely cool transitions. The score is awesome and so are the visual effects. The cast is amazing, but the acting performances are mixed for me. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender are fantastic, while some others are good, but there are a few performances I didn't enjoy. X-Men: First Class is a great prequel that could totally work without the other films.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/12/25

Full Review

Eye C

A great starting point for the mutants. Great performances and the historic context are the best of this movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/06/25

Full Review

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Matthew Vaughn

Director

James McAvoy

Charles Xavier

Michael Fassbender

Erik Lehnsherr

Rose Byrne

Moira MacTaggert

Jennifer Lawrence

Raven

January Jones

Emma Frost

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Synopsis

In the early 1960s, during the height of the Cold War, a mutant named Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) meets a fellow mutant named Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender). Despite their vastly different backgrounds -- Charles grew up with a wealthy family, while Erik lost his parents at Auschwitz -- the two become close friends. As the world teeters on the brink of a nuclear war, Charles and Erik with other mutants join forces to save humanity. However, a situation soon tears the friends apart.

Director: Matthew Vaughn
Producer: Bryan Singer, Lauren Shuler Donner, Simon Kinberg, Gregory Goodman
Screenwriter: Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz, Jane Goldman, Matthew Vaughn
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Bad Hat Harry, Donners' Company
Rating: PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Action|Brief Partial Nudity|Intense Sequences of Violence|Language|Some Sexual Content)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 3, 2011, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $146.4M
Runtime: 2h 6m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, DTS

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