ERIK Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) is on the hunt for the sadistic concentration camp commandant (Kevin Bacon) who murdered his parents. It transpires that the German officer has reinvented himself as power-hungry globe-trotter Sebastian Shaw, who intends to spark nuclear war between Russia and America aided by mutant sidekicks Emma Frost (January Jones), Azazel (Jason Flemyng) and Riptide (Alex Gonzalez). Standing in his way are telepath Charles Xavier (James McAvoy), shape-shifter Raven Darkholme (Jennifer Lawrence) and five gifted mutants. At first Erik and Charles work together to defeat Sebastian, their common enemy. However, a rift opens between the mutant leaders, lighting the fuse on the brutal and bloody war between the X-Men and Magneto's brotherhood. X-Men: First Class is an exhilarating, action-packed prequel based on the hugely popular Marvel Comics that establishes the mythology of the iconic characters and provides tantalising glimpses of where the series can go next. British director Matthew Vaughn delivers a sleek and satisfying opening chapter blessed with a tight script and snappy editing. McAvoy and Fassbender are assured actors, capable of heartbreaking emotion, and there are plenty of tears here as nuclear war looms.
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Bad Teacher (15)
ELIZABETH Halsey (Cameron Diaz) is a booze-addled wreck, draining her drippy, rich boyfriend dry until he finally musters the courage to dump her. So she reluctantly returns to her teaching job. Rebuffing the advances of the oafish PE master, Elizabeth sets her sights on handsome new teacher Scott Delacorte (Justin Timberlake). Unthinkably, Scott resists her flirtations and begins a tender romance with the school's prim and proper teacher, Amy Squirrel (Lucy Punch). Elizabeth is used to getting her own way and she declares war on Amy. Bad Teacher is a potty-mouthed comedy, underpinned by a script with too few laughs and a central heroine whose selfish escapades leave us without a single drop of sympathy. Diaz is a gifted comic actress but she is on a hiding to nothing here, never quite hitting the target with the lacklustre one-liners.
Punch is more appealing as the victim of Elizabeth's cruelty, while Timberlake pokes fun at his Trousersnake tag in the film's obligatory gross-out moment. Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg's gleefully un-PC script is a clutter of mean-spirited barbs and innuendo that leave us to wonder if we're in detention and Jake Kasdan's film is the punishment.
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