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X-Men: First Class

Play trailer 2:44 Poster for X-Men: First Class PG-13 Released Jun 3, 2011 2h 6m Action Adventure Fantasy Sci-Fi Play Trailer Watchlist
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86% Tomatometer 295 Reviews 87% Popcornmeter 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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X-Men: First Class

X-Men: First Class

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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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Critics Reviews

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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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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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 James E Better than most X-men movies. The characters in this film shine, and the parallels between real world and X-men mythos are fun and interesting. McCavoy and Fassbender are the bread and butter in this film. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/03/25 Full Review Calvin O Overall the story and acting aren't bad. It's just a bit boring at times. I guess that's what happens when your main goal is to clean up storylines. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 04/28/25 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

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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