X-MEN: FIRST CLASS NOW ON DVD & BLU-RAY

“X-MEN: FIRST CLASS” is now available on DVD and Blu-ray. One big reason to watch: James McAvoy as Charles Xavier, the young Professor X, and Michael Fassbender as his counterpart, Erik Lensherr, the young Magneto. Of course, this is before there was a Professor X or a Magneto. It’s the early 1960s and both of these characters are just coming into their own. Meanwhile, the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. are at the brink of a nuclear war. It will take everything these two future rivals have along with their newly minted crew of mutants to save the world from total destruction!

Then there’s Kevin Bacon who provides an excellent performance as the villain, Sebastian Shaw, a Nazi officer running a concentration camp who will go on to wreak more havoc as a mutant. He “cultivates” Erik Lensherr’s powers. Just to make a point, Shaw executes Lensherr’s mother. It’s no mistake that Bacon was cast as the villain. He is not exactly that far removed in degrees of separation from director Matthew Vaughn (“KICK ASS”). Vaughn is close friends with director James Gunn who did his own twisted real superhero movie, “SUPER.” In that movie, Kevin Bacon plays a badass villain and, if you haven’t seen it, go seek it out.

The look and feel of this movie is addictive. If you’ve seen it, you know you’ll want to see it again. It’s a great story, primarily exploring the characters of Charles and Erik and the all the shades of gray that make it difficult to side with one or the other. And there are a number of subplots mostly involving the young mutants trying to figure out their place in the world. Again, it’s the style, the James Bond cool, that will keep you watching. If you can, you should treat yourself to the Blu-ray which is loaded with extra goodies which include 10 Marvel “X-Men” digital comics with an exclusive “X-Men: First Class” backstory comic, interactive videos, interviews, deleted scenes and what is favorite of mine, the score to the movie. That is one kick ass soundtrack.