'X-Men' Franchise Goes in New Direction with 'First Class'

With "X-Men: First Class," the hugely popular franchise really does look to be changing direction for a fresh new course. While many characters from the previous films return, we get to see them in a different light. We only got glimpses and ideas of certain mutants while a select few were expanded on more than others. With this one, we get to know more about those who were simply relegated to good mutant or bad mutant status. It signals a smart reboot for the series which was promised with "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," but while that one was a box office smash, it was also a big critical disappointment.

In the past, the "X-Men" movies were described as having ensemble casts. That was easy to believe with actors such as Patrick Stewart, Sir Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, and Hugh Jackman among others headlining the cast. But when you look at the original, its two sequels and the first prequel, they really centered around one character: Wolverine. With the great Hugh Jackman portraying him, that became very understandable. Plus, Wolverine was the Jason Bourne of this franchise; he knew little about his past and where he came from, and he spent the first three movies trying to figure all that out.

When it came to the rest of the mutants, we only got to know so much about them. We knew that Professor Charles Xavier and Magneto were once really good friends, but while we understand how that friendship fell apart, we never understood how it came together or how they still find the time to have friendly chats despite their differences. Perhaps the only other mutant who got as much character development was Rogue who was played in the first three films by Anna Paquin. Others like Mystique are simply relegated to bad guy or bad girl status as they represent mutants wanting to eliminate those humans who are not like them.

"X-Men: First Class" actually marks the first film and prequel in this series to not focus on Wolverine. If that character does appear in the Matthew Vaughn directed prequel, it'll be in a very short cameo. This time we will get to know the other mutants more in-depth than previously shown. We will see how Xavier came to develop the powers he has, and of how Magneto began a friendship with him. We'll also get to learn more about Mystique who is this time played by "Winter's Bone" actress Jennifer Lawrence. The possibilities are endless as to where the franchise can go from here.

The "X-Men" film series is one of the more unique in Hollywood history in that it has the capacity to stretch in so many different directions. After having Wolverine dominate the stories of the past four movies, now other characters will get their chance to shine. Plus, with Bryan Singer returning to the series as a producer, you can bet that the 5^th film in this franchise will be strong on character development. That's what makes these movies more memorable than the average comic book adaptations, and it makes you want to see this franchise live on with more films.

See also:

X-Men Origins: Wolverine