ReWatch: The First Official Trailer For X-MEN: FIRST CLASS

Rewatching the first official trailer for X-Men: First Class is a reminder of how different the movie looked from the X-Men films that came before it. Released in 2011, the trailer introduced audiences to a younger generation of mutants while taking the franchise back to the 1960s. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender took over the roles of Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr, while Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Rose Byrne, January Jones, and Kevin Bacon joined them in a story that promised to reveal how Professor X and Magneto first became friends before eventually becoming enemies.

X-Men: First Class follows Charles and Erik, two mutants who discover others with eXtraordinary abilities and recruit them into a team. Their mission becomes tied to the Cuban Missile Crisis as the mutant Sebastian Shaw attempts to manipulate the United States and Soviet Union into nuclear war. Although Charles and Erik initially work together to save the world, their different beliefs about humans and mutants eventually drive them apart and sets the groundwork for their future conflict.

The trailer was especially interesting at the time because the X-Men franchise was coming off two poorly received movies, X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. There was understandable skepticism about another prequel, but First Class quickly changed the conversation. Critics responded strongly to Matthew Vaughn’s direction, the screenplay, the period setting, and especially the performances from McAvoy and Fassbender. Its theatrical run earned more than $350 million worldwide. It also received a B+ CinemaScore from opening-weekend moviegoers, showing that general audiences responded positively even though the opening was more modest than some previous X-Men films.

Watching the trailer again, the biggest appeal is seeing the beginning of a relationship that fans already know is destined to fall apart. McAvoy’s Charles is optimistic and fascinated by the possibilities of mutantkind, while Fassbender’s Erik carries the anger and trauma that will eventually transform him into Magneto. The trailer also captures the stylish 1960s atmosphere and the larger-than-life superhero action that helped First Class stand apart from the earlier movies. More than a decade later, X-Men: First Class remains one of the better-regarded entries in the film franchise.

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