In my opinion this is a great film! It explains how each of the main characters become the person they are in the other films! If you've brought the three other films you must have this one to complete your collection. Brilliant, that's all you can say!

"X-Men: First Class" is that rare thing: a superhero movie that manages to satisfy intellectually and emotionally as well as viscerally. Telling the hitherto unrevealed tale about how a friendship turned sour between two super-powered mutants trying to establish their new vision for humanity, director Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake, Kick-Ass) succeeds in creating a character-driven story that's gripping in its own right, whilst also underpinning all four of the "X-Men" movies we've already seen so far.

Relocating the franchise to the early 1960s, the movie drips with early-James-Bond era cool, and also takes advantage of real-world historical events (such as the Cuban Missile Crisis) to ramp up the political elements that have always played around the edges of the franchise.

It's also undeniably fun to see primitive versions of the concepts and characters that we already know and love from the previous X-Men movies: including one cameo that threatens to steal the entire film out from under James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender's noses (which is no mean feat).

Imaginatively-conceived action scenes sit alongside more intimate and personal character-based subplots, whilst the rise and fall of Professor X and Magneto's friendship is as bittersweet as it is inevitable. This is a superhero movie with real heart and soul, as well as the by-now prerequisite thrilling visuals and exciting powers. Viewers won't be able to help being swept up in the drama of the story, and X-Men fans in particular will love it.

Fans of the X-Men have had it good over the last 10 years or so. After the well-received animated TV series in the '90s, Marvel felt the comic book ensemble series had a lot of legs as a movie franchise. Technology had advanced enough to be able to produce a decent and believable adaptation of the comic, heavy on mutants and various special effects. This was due to be the basis for rolling out various other superhero movies over time - Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Daredevil etc, and so a lot of care and attention went into the movie. The idea had actually been floating around since the beginning of the '90s, jumping around such famous industry names as James Cameron and Joss Whedon. Eventually the success of the original X-Men movie led to not only two direct sequels, but a spin-off in X-Men Origins: Wolverine as well.

Around the time of the third film, the idea of a First Class story was thrown around as another spin-off idea. Published as a limited series in 2006, First Class covered the original team of X-Men which meant a loss of some familiar faces such as Wolverine, instead relying on Xavier and Cyclops alongside lesser known characters such as Angel. Using the simple idea as a basis, but playing around with the lineup, X-Men First Class was developed into a film, including elements of another spin off idea - X-Men Origins: Magneto. This results in the script being quite Xavier/Magneto heavy, which isn't a bad thing at all.

X-Men First Class is set in the 1960s mostly, with the Cuban Missle Crisis at the forefront. James McAvoy takes the leader role as Dr. Charles Xavier, eventually working alongside Michael Fassbender as Erik Lensherr aka Magneto. We learn how Xavier meets his first fellow mutant in Raven (Jennifer Lawrence), and puts together a team to work with the CIA due to wanting to contain other mutants who are abusing their powers. The enemy team is led by Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) and contains familiar characters such as Emma Frost (January Jones).

The key to the movie however is the relationship between Xavier and Magneto. Even though we do see Charles' role as a leader to his team - Beast (Nicholas Hoult), Banshee (Caleb Landry Jones) and Havok (Lucas Till) - it's his desire to lead Erik down the right path that drives the storyline. From the beginning, we see Erik's terrible treatment at the hands of Shaw back in a German concentration camp in 1944, and from then his uncontrollable anger and desire for revenge spirals out of control. This develops over time not only against Shaw, but towards humans in general, as we see his inevitable transformation into Magneto. We know where the story ends up (Xavier in a wheelchair, Magneto as the bad guy etc) and yet it's absolutely fascinating to watch it unfold and see how we get to that point.

I have to say that I had my doubts at first, especially after the excellent trilogy of original X-Men movies (Wolverine was not as good), however both McAvoy and Fassbender are completely convincing, believable and engaging in their roles. Honestly, by the end of the film, you will have completely forgotten that anyone else ever played these roles. The setting could easily be put straight into the James Bond series, and it gives First Class a completely different feel to any other comic book movie. The unique setting along with the performances is what makes this stand out from the crowd.

There are other mutants involved, a few welcome cameos, and twists and turns that you don't see coming. It's a story that keeps you on your toes, waiting for the next move and it leaves you wanting so much more by the end. Rose Byrne (Damages, Insidious) gives a great performance as Moira MacTaggert, a CIA agent, and has great chemistry with McAvoy. It's very important to keep the storyline grounded in reality, and helps to draw the audience in. The humans are just as needed as the mutants. We also see a few links to previous movies, but overall this is one that could stand alone if needed.

This is definitely in my Top 5 MUST BUY Blu-rays of 2011. The story is one that will have you keep coming back for more. There's a great mix of action, comedy and tragedy, some first class acting, and it's a movie that almost manages to reinvent the comic book genre. After you watch this, you'll be hoping it's the start of a long-running franchise because returning to the original movies feels like a step down now. It deserves to be seen on Blu-ray as the picture quality is exceptional, from the setting to the costumes and the special effects for the mutant powers. Everything will leave you in awe. Most importantly, it's not a film that uses effects for the sake of it. It doesn't rely on set pieces simply because the story or dialogue is weak. X-Men First Class is a movie that delivers on every level - sound, visual, dialogue, acting, special effects, and so much more.

Between this and Thor, we've really been spoilt this year!