A prequel with the ‘X’ factor?
This year might come to an end on a sour note for your humble hack. Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.’s prequel to John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) is set to hit cinemas in October and, considering that the film is near enough my favourite horror of all time, I am, it’s fair to say, somewhat concerned. However, my hopes have been lifted, in so far as Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass (2010)) has proven that a perfectly acceptable prequel is possible, which is what he has delivered with X-Men: First Class (2011).
X-aficionados know the score. Bryan Singer’s X-Men (2000) starred Patrick Stewart as Professor Charles Xavier, the leader of an academy for humans with superhuman abilities (X-Men) who is attempting to teach them responsible use of their powers. Sir Ian McKellen plays Erik Lensherr (Magneto, leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants), Xavier’s one-time best friend turned archenemy as a result of his embitterment towards ‘normal’ humans, whom he has never forgiven for their crimes against him.
Vaughn’s film opens in 1963, with the younger Xavier (Laurence Belcher, then James McAvoy) starting up his school, with Lensherr (Bill Milner, then Michael Fassbender) among his early students…
Seriously, Vaughn and co-writers Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz and Jane Goldman deliver here. Being a prequel, the whole labours somewhat against the inevitability of the events that we know the future holds – that is to say, Magneto must turn against humans, Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) must join forces with him, and Xavier will be losing the use of his legs. However, despite the sense of inevitability, the film still manages more than a few surprising twists, genuinely exciting action sequences and more than a little pleasing darkness along with some highly entertaining humour.
So, will ‘my’ prequel follow suit? Now, wouldn’t that be a fine ‘Thing’…
132 mins.