3. X-Men First Class: Magneto Moves The Satellite Dish
X-Men First Class was good. It was really good. But, I almost never watched it as I was still upset at the car crash that was Wolverine: Origins. Before going in, I had a horrible premonition that as well as a Wolverine cameo we would also be treated to the ridiculous sight of Striker still wandering across Middle America in his worn out sneakers, after suffering the effects of what can only be described as the most bizarre use of mutant powers in film history. As for Deadpool... well, my eyelid still twitches when I think on that sacrilege. Anyway, I went, and I do not know if it was the writing or the performance of Michael Fassbender or both, but I was totally hooked on Magnetos origin story. I love Fassbender, and thought he was excellent in Prometheus this year too. The guy has real screen presence, although I did avert my eyes for a moment when his other helmet came out in Shame. In what is a genuinely shocking early scene we are given insight into what kind of rage and hurt he has been tapping into to generate his powers, when the diabolical Sebastian Shaw resorts to a truly awful act to make him perform as a child. However, its not until Charles Xavier coaxes out even more powerful emotions by mining a sweeter memory do we see what Magneto is capable of, and I felt the old eyes beginning to swell...again. Now, I had heard that X-Men First Class was written, filmed and post produced in a very short period of time. Given how good the final product was, it really was one of 2011 best surprises. The fact it managed to weave in Holocaust, Cold War and personal melodrama plotlines so well also made me forgive the Fox Studios for the sins of Wolverine: Origins. Well, almost.