X-Men: First Class is the first installment of the second X-Men film trilogy. It opens in 1944 Poland where Dr. Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) preys upon the young Erik Lehnsherr, causing the boy emotional distress in order to unleash his magnetic powers. Meanwhile, in New York, a young Charles Xavier meets his first fellow mutant, Raven, and invites her to stay at his family’s estate. Eighteen years later, we find Erik (Michael Fassbender) in a bar killing men while on a hunt for this man who tormented him as a child, while professor Charles (James McAvoy) is in also in a bar, but using his telepathic powers to pick up a woman. However, both of these men’s lives will soon cross paths.
Sebastian Shaw plans to cause a nuclear war between the Russians and the Americans in order to allow the mutants to inherit the earth, and he has assembled a team of mutants to help him in this effort—sexy telepath Emma Frost (January Jones), teleporter Azazel (Jason Flemyng) and Riptide (as Alex González), who can launch deadly projectiles from his hands. Meanwhile, Charles has teamed up with CIA agent Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne) to assemble and train a team of young mutants to stop Shaw. In addition to shapeshifter Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) aka Mystique, his team of “X-Men” includes scientist Hank (Nicholas Hoult) aka Beast; Alex Summers (Lucas Till) aka Havok, who can shoot flame discs from his body; the winged Angel (Zoë Kravitz), who can fly; Banshee (Caleb Landry Jones), who can shatter things with his high-pitched scream; and the adaptive Darwin (Edi Gathegi), who can alter his body to help survive in any situation.
When Charles discovers that Erik is also after Shaw, they join forces. But the emotions that drive Erik’s personal vendetta may be more than Charles bargained for, and more than he can control.
I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It serves as a great prequel to the original X-Men films, giving interesting and entertaining origin stories for Professor X, Magneto and the X-Men team. The ’60s setting looks amazing, and the film plays out like a classic Bond spy thriller, with Sebastian Shaw as the evil villain and Emma Frost as the “Bond girl” characters…if those Bond characters had mutant powers. I had previously seen this film many years ago on Blu-ray, but I found it just as engaging to watch this time around. There is a wonderful mix of humor, action and drama that constantly drives the narrative, and never leaves a dull moment. And the special effects still hold up quite well five years later—even when compared to those of the trilogy’s more recent installments.
The technical presentation of this 4K UltraHD release is quite good. The audio track is amazing—whether it’s the echoing sound of Charles is inside someone’s head or using Cerebro, or the booming bass during action-packed sequences—the soundscape is vibrant and provides a fully-immersive experience. The 4K picture looks a bit darker than its Blu-ray counterpart, but also quite a bit richer. There was a particularly breathtaking scene where Charles and Erik are sitting on the Capitol steps at dawn; and the blues of Mystique’s and Beast’s complexions really pop on the 4K presentation. However, there are also some scenes with excessive grain that I didn’t notice as much on the Blu-ray version. While many scenes do look a bit more detailed, I don’t think the overall picture enhancements warrant an automatic double-dip for those who already own the previous Blu-ray release. But for those who don’t already own a copy of this fantastic film, this is the version to get.
All of the bonus features are ported from the previous Blu-ray release, and are contained only on the Blu-ray disc (except for the isolated score audio track, which appears on both discs). These include 20 minutes of short behind-the-scenes clips that can be watched inline with the film, an interactive exploration of the various mutant characters, 14 minutes of deleted/extended scenes, and an excellent and extensive 70-minute behind-the-scenes feature. There is also a Digital HD copy of the film included. The discs come packed in a standard UHD keepcase, without a slipcover.
What’s Included:
Film: (2:11:42)
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4K Ultra HD:
- 2160p / Widescreen 2.35:1
- HDR
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English Descriptive Audio 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French DTS 5.1, Composer’s Isolated Score Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French, Castilian, Danish, Dutch, German, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional)
- 1080p / Widescreen 2.35:1
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English Descriptive Audio 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Composer’s Isolated Score Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
- Digital HD copy redeemable via iTunes, Google Play or Vudu (UltraViolet)
- X Marks The Spot Viewing Mode (19:55)
Collection of short production videos that can either be viewed inline with the film (“Play in Movie Mode”) or separately (“View as Individual Featurettes”). Some of the topics include the cameos by some of the original trilogy’s stars, coming up with how to portray Professor X’s mind traveling, mixing and editing the dailies, a split-screen comparison between a pre-vis animatic and the final sequence, and creating the title sequence. The segments include behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with director/co-screenwriter Matthew Vaughn, production designer Chris Seagers, visual consultant Russell De Rozario, producer/co-story Bryan Singer, producers Lauren Shuler Donner & Simon Kinberg, visual effects designer John Dykstra, film editor Eddie Hamilton, 2nd assistant camera Wil Morris, production sound mixer Simon Hayes, HD dailies colorist Darren Rae, 1st assistant editor Adam Gough, actress Jennifer Lawrence (“Raven/Mystique”), and prologue title designers Simon Clowes & Kyle Cooper. Play All or select from “Erik in Auschwitz” (1:57), “Charles Meets Raven” (1:56), “Mr. Howlett Declines” (1:55), “Mindscape” (1:49), “Emulsional Journey” (4:13), “Rebecca’s Return” (1:44), “Cuban Beach Pre-Viz Sequence” (3:07), “Retro Cool” (2:51). - Composer’s Isolated Score 5.1 Dolby Digital (2:11:42)
View the film without dialogue, just the composer’s isolated score. - Cerebro: Mutant Tracker
In this interactive feature, mutants will appear on screen as you pan through Cerebo. When you click enter on the remote, you will be presented with a 1-minute video and fact sheet about the character on the screen. Once you have identified all of the mutants additional profiles are unlocked via BD-Live - Children of the Atom (1:09:49)
Seven-part making-of featurette that gives viewers an extensive behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film. Includes screen tests, make up tests, behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with producers Lauren Shuler Donner & Simon Kinberg, producer/co-story Bryan Singer, director/co-screenwriter Matthew Vaughn, executive producer Tarquin Pack, co-screenwriters Jane Golman, Ashley Miller & Zack Stentz, special make up designers Alec Gillis & Tom Woodruff Jr., make up effects Dave & Lou Elsey, head of make up and hair department Frances Hannon, costume designer Sammy Sheldon, visual consultant Russell De Rozario, costume props supervisor Ivo Coveney, production designer Chris Seagers, special effects supervisor Christopher Corbould, visual effects designer John Dykstra, visual effects supervisors Greg Steele & Jay Barton, look development supervisor Dante Quintana, digital supervisor Johnny Gibson, VFX art director Chris Grun, character modeling lead Dan Platt, digital double lead Chris Norpchen, character animator Kiel Figgins, animation supervisor Bernd Angerer, effects animation supervisor Brian Gazdik, music composer Henry Jackman, and actors James McAvoy (“Charles Xavier”), Michael Fassbender (“Erik Lehnsherr”), Kevin Bacon (“Sebastian Shaw”), January Jones (“Emma Frost”), Jason Flemyng (“Azazel”), Zoë Kravitz (“Angel Salvadore”), Jennifer Lawrence (“Raven/Mystique”), Rose Byrne (“Moira MacTaggert”), Lucas Till (“Alex Summers/Havok”), Caleb Lndry Jones (“Cassidy/Banshee”), Nicholas Hoult (“Hank/Beast”), Alex González (“Janos Quested/Riptide”) & Edi Gathegi (“Armando Muñoz/Darwin”). Play All or select from:- Second Genesis (10:01)
The filmmakers talk about the genesis of a Young X-men movie, selecting a director, re-writing the script, and the tight schedule. - Band of Brothers (11:51)
The filmmakers talk about selecting and casting the new X-Men and the younger versions of the original characters, and the cast members talk about taking on their roles. - Transformation (10:06)
The filmmakers talk about coming up with a new look for Beast, the Mystique make up process, and finding the right look for Azazel. - Suiting Up (8:33)
The filmmakers talk about designing the period costumes, the iconic X-Suits, and Magneto’s helmet. - New Frontier: A Dose of Style (9:55)
The filmmakers talk about using the early Bond films as inspiration for the look of the film, and sets like the submarine, the X-Jet, the war rooms and the X-Mansion. - Pulling Off The Impossible (10:23)
The filmmakers talk about the amazing visual effects and working with visual effects designer John Dykstra. - Sound and Fury (6:29)
A look at composing the film’s score.
- Second Genesis (10:01)
- Deleted Scenes (14:07)
A nice selection of thirteen deleted/extended scenes. (Though, I wish there has also been an introduction to explain what was added/cut and why.) Play All or select from “Erik in Argentinean Airport”, “Shaw with Cuban Generals”, “Charles and Moira’s Tryst, Part 1”, “Charles and Erik Recruit Angel (Extended)”, “The Russian Truck (Extended)”, “Erik v. Russian Guards (Extended)”, “Shaw’s Plan (Extended)”, “Havok Training, Part 1 (Extended)”, “Banshee Training, Part 1 (Extended)”, “Havok Training, Part 2 (Extended)”, “Banshee Training, Part 2 (Extended)”, “Havok and Raven in the Lab (Extended)”, and “Charles and Moira’s Tryst, Part 2”. - Digital Copy “How To” (3:35)
Obsolete video about how to transfer your digital copy from disc to PC and from iTunes to your mobile device.
Blu-ray:
Digital HD (Redemption Deadline 10/04/2019):
Extras:
All extras, besides the isolated film score, are found only on the Blu-ray Disc
Final Thoughts:
X-Men: First Class works well on many levels—as the start to the second X-Men film trilogy, as an origin story for the X-Men and some of the franchise’s major characters, and as a ’60s-style spy thriller. I found the film to be just as engaging and entertaining this time around. This release contains an great assortment of bonus material and the 4K disc provides excellent audio and video, but the minor upticks in picture quality may not warrant an automatic double-dip upgrade for those who already own the original Blu-ray release. However, this is definitely a must own title, and for those who don’t already own this film on Blu-ray, this release is definitely the version to pick up.
