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X-MEN: FIRST CLASSMovie Reviews
Action drama and sequel to several previous movies, about the genesis of the rivalry between Magneto's Brotherhood and Professor X's X-Men. Cast:James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, January Jones, Rose Byrne, Jennifer LawrenceDirector:Matthew VaughnRelease Date:June 3, 2011DVD Release:September 9, 2011From:20th Century FoxRating:PG-13Length:2 hr. 20 min.
X-Men: First Class played to good not great reviews. • Claudia Puig wrote in USA Today, "...a classy re-boot.... Matthew Vaughn knows how to pack an action movie with a stylish punch... exciting, bold and thoroughly enjoyable..." • And Michael Phillips wrote in the Chicago Tribune, "...settles for moderately engrossing second-class mutant superheroism.... Directed with bland efficiency by Matthew Vaughn..." More Reviews Below...
X-Men: First Class Positive Reviews (48 Reviews, reviews below)
David Germain, Associated Press: VERY GOOD(cg) "...packed with action, humor, retro 1960s style that's both campy and sexy and a revisionist history lesson that puts the X-Men at the center of the Cuban missile crisis."(See all of David Germain's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 825 words, 06/02/11
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: EXCELLENT(cg) "...has the kind of youthful, Brit-knockabout pop energy Matthew Vaughn absorbed from his previous collaborations as producer of director Guy Ritchie's bloke-y larks..."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 804 words, 06/03/11
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a fireworks display of action, smarts and fun, plus a touch of class from actors who can really act.... who cares about plot holes and a few tacky effects?"(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 399 words, 06/10/11
Claudia Puig, USA Today: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a classy re-boot.... Matthew Vaughn knows how to pack an action movie with a stylish punch... exciting, bold and thoroughly enjoyable..."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 424 words, 06/03/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...high-tech and well-acted, with lots of action and noise... competent weekend entertainment.... It is not a great comic book movie or a bad one..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 716 words, 06/03/11
Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a little bit like an early Bond film, albeit one filtered through the Marvel Comics ethos, which among other things means it's more earnest and character-driven... Ugh."(See all of Glenn Kenny's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 676 words, 06/01/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (14 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD "...indulges in period nostalgia as it gazes into the future, using the backdrop of the cold war (and its turtlenecks) to explore how the past informs the present..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 758 words, 06/03/11
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a popcorn flick deluxe. It's big, bright, savvy, and so expansive you'll undoubtedly leave feeling you got your money's worth."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 448 words, 06/03/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...undone by a frustrating mire of multiple plots, overreaching special effects, leaden ancillary players and world-ending military standoffs..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 862 words, 06/03/11
Kyle Smith, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...sure-footed, nimbly executed... gallops along nicely for more than two fast-paced hours... Vaughn does keep up a spiffing pace while making the action blaze."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 836 words, 06/02/11
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...settles for moderately engrossing second-class mutant superheroism.... Directed with bland efficiency by Matthew Vaughn..."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 549 words, 06/03/11
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: FAIR "...thoroughly second-rate, but it's pleasant enough.... The climax is the biggest letdown, a giant hash of crosscutting and unremarkable CGI..."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 802 words, 06/04/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...high-tech and well-acted, with lots of action and noise... competent weekend entertainment.... It is not a great comic book movie or a bad one..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 716 words, 06/03/11
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "...dumbass, single-trick revisionist... Lacking a single memorable joke or striking image... as perfunctory and passionless as would-be franchise resurrections get."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 245 words, 06/08/11
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: VERY GOOD(cg) "Matthew Vaughn brings similar freshness to this comic creation as he did to 'Kick-Ass,' and manages to do so while hewing to the saga's serious dramatic intent."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 706 words, 06/03/11
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "Michael Fassbender's Erik/Magneto emerges as one of the most nuanced, conflicted, genuinely antiheroic protagonists in recent comic-book-movie memory."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 815 words, 06/03/11
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "McAvoy and Fassbender are serious actors... But there's just so much you can do with lines like 'You're not alone, Eric, you're not alone'..."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 494 words, 06/03/11
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the money they spend is up on the screen -- with actors and effects -- so that we won't mind spending our money on it."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 692 words, 06/03/11
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...has a mature confidence rarely seen in comic-book fare, with powerful drama and throwaway wit in perfect balance."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 665 words, 06/03/11
Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic: VERY GOOD(cg) "It's hard to say exactly why Kevin Bacon is so much fun in this movie... there's something about his sinister smirk that keeps all eyes on him."(See all of Kerry Lengel's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 483 words, 06/03/11
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "...epic enough on its own terms if not quite big enough to expand beyond its genre and matter to people who find it difficult to care about characters..."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 932 words, 06/03/11
Mike Russell, Portland Oregonian: VERY GOOD(cg) "...recaptures the character-driven strengths of the first two films in this superhero series -- while adding a surprising dash of '60s spy-movie style."(See all of Mike Russell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 271 words, 06/03/11
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a bit off base. When we're not being strangled by symphonic foreboding, we're being tickled by tunes and fashions from an 'Austin Powers' movie."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 409 words, 06/03/11
Steve Spears, St. Petersburg Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "McAvoy and Fassbender do not disappoint. The scenes of their recruitment of fellow mutants is priceless, imparting a rollicking 'Ocean's Eleven' feel..."(See all of Steve Spears's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 566 words, 06/02/11
Tom Long, Detroit News: FAIR(cg) "Not that it's ever an outright bad movie; it just feels like a heavily recycled one, which is, of course, the prevailing trend in summer blockbusters. Oh, well."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 599 words, 06/03/11
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the characters are so strong you sometimes forget you're watching a story about telepaths and men who can bend steel with their minds."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 572 words, 06/03/11
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (10 Reviews)
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "...dumbass, single-trick revisionist... Lacking a single memorable joke or striking image... as perfunctory and passionless as would-be franchise resurrections get."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 245 words, 06/08/11
Katey Rich, Cinema Blend: EXCELLENT(cg) "...exactly what a comic book movie ought to be, full of energy and wit and actors who seem to know exactly how much fun it is to be a superhero."(See all of Katey Rich's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 752 words, 05/28/11
Tasha Robinson, AV Club: VERY GOOD(cg) "...packs around a dozen origin stories into one crowded, world-spanning, two-hour-plus action film... maintains admirable coherence and propulsive pacing throughout."(See all of Tasha Robinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 463 words, 06/02/11
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: EXCELLENT(cg) "A prequel/reboot easily on a par with J.J. Abrams' 'Star Trek'... special credit to the performances of McAvoy, Fassbender and Lawrence."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 660 words, 06/03/11
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD "...indulges in period nostalgia as it gazes into the future, using the backdrop of the cold war (and its turtlenecks) to explore how the past informs the present..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 758 words, 06/03/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...undone by a frustrating mire of multiple plots, overreaching special effects, leaden ancillary players and world-ending military standoffs..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 862 words, 06/03/11
Dana Stevens, Slate: MODERATE "...ludicrous but endearing moments of bro-bonding are all that sets this otherwise stock-issue superhero movie apart from its mass-produced brethren."(See all of Dana Stevens's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 700 words, 06/02/11
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: WEAK "...like a Bond film that's been dragged out, Spielberg-style, to stupefying lengths and overstuffed with episodes and themes... it starts to feel completely random."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,191 words, 06/01/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "...smart, stylish... co-writer/director Matthew Vaughn manages to invest this unabashedly commercial product with a unique stylistic identity."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,245 words, 05/29/11
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: EXCELLENT "...arguably the best hour of Marvel Comics-derived filmmaking among the torrent of it that's cascaded across screens... Audacious, confident, fueled by youthful energy..."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,207 words, 05/30/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...undone by a frustrating mire of multiple plots, overreaching special effects, leaden ancillary players and world-ending military standoffs..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 862 words, 06/03/11
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: VERY GOOD(cg) "Vaughn tries and to a large extent succeeds in balancing plot and character, humor and emotion, but he is less effective in giving his saga a real, solid substance."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 845 words, 05/28/11
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD "...indulges in period nostalgia as it gazes into the future, using the backdrop of the cold war (and its turtlenecks) to explore how the past informs the present..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 758 words, 06/03/11
19.8 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
X-Men: First Class's reviews are separated by an average 19.8 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
X-Men: First Class (48 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:X-Men: First Class's reviews cover 76.3% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 32,475 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 677 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
X-Men: First Class Coverage, Volume & Length (48 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 1.1 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
X-Men: First Class's reviews on average broke 1.1 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is X-Men: First Class's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
X-Men: First Class (48 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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