THE STORY BEGINS.

This attempt to jump-start the franchise by taking it in a new direction tells the story of how the young Professor X and Magneto (James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender) learned how to use their powers and collaborate until they realized that their perceptions of the human race clashed a little too much.

Matthew Vaughn places the climax smack in the middle of the Cuban missile crisis and has fun with the period details.

Overlong, but has plenty of action and boasts excellent work by an enthusiastic cast, including the two leads and Kevin Bacon as the head villain. 

2011-U.S. 132 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Matthew Vaughn. Screenplay: Ashley Edward Miller, Zack Stentz, Jane Goldman, Matthew Vaughn. Story: Sheldon Turner, Bryan Singer. Cast: James McAvoy (Charles Xavier), Michael Fassbender (Erik Lensherr), Rose Byrne (Moira MacTaggert), Jennifer Lawrence, Kevin Bacon, Nicholas Hoult, January Jones, Zoë Kravitz, Oliver Platt, Caleb Landry Jones… Michael Ironside, James Remar. Cameos: Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Romijn.

Trivia: Co-produced by Bryan Singer, who was considered as director; at an earlier stage, David S. Goyer was set to direct. Colin Firth was considered for Bacon’s role. Followed by X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014).