X-Men: First Class

Much like X-Men: First Class' titular mutant heroes, the modern superhero movie is the result of a steady process of evolution. The original X-Men showed us that they could actually be... well, any good. Spider-Man turned them into the most lucrative of smash hit blockbusters. Further down the line, The Dark Knight was a grown-up, intelligent thriller; and was followed by a growth in films that are aware of their status and context as superhero stories - 2010's Kick-Ass being the prime example of the "meta" comic book flick.

And now we have the next inevitable step in these "self-aware" superhero films: the highly-conscious prequel. For arguably the first time for a film of this genre, X-Men: First Class simply assumes a certain wealth of knowledge about its protagonists from its audience - knowledge drawn not from comic books, but from the previous movies themselves.

The first X-Men, after all, may have been an origin story for some of its characters, but still opened with many of the players already in place. First Class goes back considerably further, giving us the genesis of the X-Men as a very concept - and delights in playing with unexpected relationships and dynamics between characters we've already seen thirty-odd years down the line. In the process, it sets an impressive bar for other upcoming films - The Amazing Spider-Man, Superman: Man of Steel - that seek to rejuvenate or reboot a superhero franchise.

What's more, in a genre that's just starting to feel the threat of a "seen it all before" kind of audience indifference, it's not afraid to do something new. The idea of a superhero period piece is an inspired one, and going back to the 1960s - the home decade of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's original comics - is more than just an excuse for retro-looking telephones and Mad Men's January Jones to look like she's stepped straight off the set of Austin Powers. Using the Cuban Missile Crisis as the backdrop for the film's final act is a masterstroke - for every previous attempt that there's been to make superhero films feel more "realistic", here's the first (with the exception of Watchmen's alternate-universe) that comes crashing right into actual, recognisable historical events - and it makes the threat feel that bit more tangible.

That said, the action is far from the most compelling aspect of the film - and indeed, those thrilled by Matthew Vaughn and co-writer Jane Goldman's last effort, the aforementioned Kick-Ass, may be disappointed that the director doesn't get to cut loose with the sort of exquisitely choreographed violence in which that film revelled. The script is still hugely sharp, but its focus lies elsewhere - specifically, on the relationship between opposing mutant ideologists Charles "Professor" Xavier and Erik "Magneto" Lehnsherr.

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Given real chemistry by the brilliant James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender - whisper it, but they may even upstage Sirs Stewart and McKellen - their tension-filled "bromance" is at the heart of the film, and is the element that makes it stand out as more than the ordinary comic book blockbuster. Crucially, while the earlier films had already established that they were friends-turned-enemies, Vaughn and Goldman spend time exploring why these two so very different men became close in the first place. It's a deeply believable and rewarding relationship to watch develop - this year's Kirk and Spock, even - and one in which the viewer can invest enough emotional attachment that the inevitable parting of the ways actually feels like a gut-punch.

It's true that as a result of all this, the kids are largely overshadowed by the "teachers" - but they still get moments to shine, Jennifer Lawrence and Nicholas Hoult in particular drawing engaging depth from their internally-conflicted characters. Indeed, First Class does so much to get the viewer interested in possible future adventures of this group of young heroes - no mean feat, considering the chronology means that popular characters like Wolverine, Cyclops and Rogue are unavailable. It all means that far from being a last hurrah for the X-Men franchise, this feels like as much of an exciting new beginning as the first film did.