X-MEN: 1ST CLASS
A convoluted mutant origin story that mistakes shock for substance.
Should You Watch It?
X-MEN: 1ST CLASS has some good special effects and poignant moments. It also contains moral ideas about self-sacrifice, doing the right thing, becoming a better man, and rejecting Nazi racism.
But those strengths are buried under a confused jumble of storylines. The movie covers the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Charles and Erik’s relationship, mutant identity, National Socialism, tolerance, and elitism, while using shocking content to keep the story moving. The result is a convoluted, uninvolving film with cruel violence, strong profanity, and intense sexual content.
Its humanist worldview promotes evolution and includes confusing Anti-American and politically correct elements. The redemptive material does not overcome the content or the weak storytelling.
For your family, skip this one and choose something more worthwhile.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESX-MEN: 1ST CLASS explores the beginnings of the X-Men and their future enemies.
Erik, later known as Magneto, seeks revenge against Shaw, a National Socialist mutant who murdered Erik’s mother. Meanwhile, the wealthy and gifted Charles Xavier hopes mutants and human beings can live peacefully. When the CIA recruits Charles to stop mutants from turning the Cold War into World War III, Charles meets Erik. Their very different approaches threaten their mission and their friendship.
Is It Any Good?
Two stars means this film has a few worthwhile elements but falls short as entertainment. The special effects are good, and some moments are poignant. The central conflict between Charles and Erik also provides material for moral and emotional weight.
The story, however, is extremely convoluted. Too many plotlines develop at the same time, including the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, mutant self-discovery, National Socialism, tolerance, and elitism. The spectacle overwhelms the plot structure, leaving a jumbled, second-class B-movie that may leave audiences yawning.
The Worldview
X-MEN: 1ST CLASS presents a strong humanist, evolutionary worldview. Evolution is promoted as the source of everything, while human beings are treated as little more than tools for advancing the plot. The film also explores revenge, uncontrollable anger, elitism, tolerance, and the conflict between using power to help others and using it for personal will.
The film contains some moral and redemptive elements. Self-sacrifice appears as one lead repeatedly saves the other. Characters refer to doing the right thing and being the better man. A man crosses himself, and Nazi racism is rebuked. These ideas offer some moral clarity, but they do not overcome the film’s broader worldview.
The movie also includes confusing Anti-American and politically correct elements that suggest moral equivalency between the United States and Communist Russia during the Cuban Missile Crisis. It presents the United States as having provoked the crisis, although the story later reveals that a Nazi mutant manipulated both nations.
The film’s longing for justice is distorted by its revenge motif. Scripture says, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God” (Romans 12:19).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Strong humanist, evolutionary worldview, with overt evolution dogma as the source of everything, a revenge motif, and elements of uncontrollable rage and anger, mitigated slightly by some redemptive elements with self-sacrifice as lead character saves the other lead multiple times, and strong moral elements such as multiple references to “doing the right thing” and “being the better man,” and one demonstration of Christian faith as man crosses himself, and Nazi racism rebuked, but with confusing Romantic, Communist, Anti-American, politically correct moral equivalency between Soviet Communist Russia and the United States in Cuban missile crisis, positing that the USA had provoked the crisis, although both nations were being manipulated by a Nazi mutant in the movie; nine obscenities, including the “f” bomb, and six strong profanities, including JC; very strong violence includes boy’s mother shot in front of him when he could not obey Nazi, man rips out metal filling from tooth of another man, young man crushes the heads of two men through his power, boy violently destroys a room, man stabs another man in the hand then kills two other men, explosions, gunfire, people murdered, man kills multiple people with sharp swords, coin goes all the way through man’s head and kills him, and men thrown to the ground and through windows; some intense sexual content and innuendo includes two scenes of woman trying to seduce men, man actually shown passionately touching well endowed woman in underwear but it turns out to be a mind control fantasy, two men on bed and showgirl comes in with exchange of crude talk, and passionate kissing; no explicit nudity but lots of show girls through many parts of the movie walking around in underwear; alcohol use; smoking; and, Jews are taken to concentration camp and revenge motif.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
The film distinguishes between using power to help and using it for personal anger. How should Christians respond when anger feels justified?
James 1:20 · Romans 12:19The story includes repeated references to doing the right thing and being the better man. What does Scripture say makes a person truly good?
Micah 6:8 · Ephesians 2:10The film promotes evolution as the source of everything. How does that idea differ from the Bible’s account of creation and human worth?
Genesis 1:27 · Colossians 1:16The movie presents conflict between nations and questions who is responsible for it. What does Scripture teach about truth, justice, and peacemaking?
Proverbs 12:22 · Matthew 5:9The Final Word
X-MEN: 1ST CLASS offers good effects and a few poignant, redemptive moments, but its tangled story, cruel violence, profanity, salacious content, and humanist worldview overwhelm those strengths. For your family, SKIP IT. Consider these instead.
