So who was John Galt? Well, in a Marvel comic, he would have been a X -Man, possibly Magneto, recruiting the “others” who just like him are outsiders in the world because of their special abilities. Men and women who deserve their own alternate universe where they are not used for what they can do for the rest of the human race and then destroyed for the very same ability that sets them apart. But safe, respected  and valued in a reality that is theirs and where they call the shots.

A lot in the X-Men-First Class reminded me of Atlas Shrugged because the film too divides the world and not without a reason, between those who have the power of ability and those who just have power. There are also powerful men of purpose straight out of Ayn Rand’s sketch book. Especially Michael Fassbender with his blue frost eyes, a face that seems to have been chiselled out of ice and a body that belongs in a Renaissance museum but looks equally dramatic as it glides through frames like reigned-in force of Nature. He is also the one with the most angst. We first see him in a Polish concentration camp, as a boy whose grief at being parted from his mother literally makes the gates shudder open, setting into a motion, a haunting tragedy that does not see peace as an option. Ever.

He grows up as Erik Lehnsherr and begins to  look for the man who destroyed his childhood, Dr Schmidt (played with great enjoyment by Kevin Bacon as he jumps from being a Nazi to a Cold War villain without missing a grimace). Schmid now has a new name and agenda. He has an army of servile mutants, he himself has become one and is playing mind games with the CIA and KGB. He wants, you see, an all out nuclear war so that he can rule what is left of the world. We also globe trot with Erik as he goes looking for his foe and then runs into Charles Xavier (James McAvoy, an actor whose compelling eyes do most of the talking and who should be in verbose films like the Social Network but is a good fit here too). Xavier is a telepath, a mind reader, the voice of reason telling Erik profound things like,”True focus lies somewhere between rage and serenity.”

He is the one everyone turns to harness their powers. Powers that he says should not own them but be owned by them. Among his many proteges is  Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) whose body image issues could resonate with any teenage girl aching to be “normal.”  Only the eye-popping special effects when  normal looking people suddenly become wailing banshees, acquire wings, emit fire balls and in one case, turn into a living diamond, remind you that this is a comic book adaptation though the  philosophy in its soul is not comical by any means. 

 Some of the best moments in the film unfold between Charles and Erik when they bond and clash and part as equals though leaving behind a sense of absence in each other. January Jones is a Bond girl in a mutant avatar and there is a lot of skin on show, making you realise why this franchise is called X-Men. Women can at best be baits and accomplices, not equals here. Why, even the no nonsense CIA agent Moira Mac (Rose Byrne) strips down to her lingerie to do her bit for America.

The most entertaining part is ofcourse, the mutant intervention in the US and Soviet face off in Cuba during the Kennedy era.  Also amusing and engaging are the 60s and 70s design sensibilities evident in the designer dens of the stylish villain. The pungent background music, revolving doors, luxurious submarines, yachts and the impossible gadgets pay homage to the times when even evil was dapper.  

Director Matthew Vaughn and editor Lee Smith ( with credits like Inception and The Dark Knight) take us on an exciting  ride into the past and right into high octane, spectacular action sequences but there are also moments of calm as when Erik and Charles play chess or bond over a lost childhood memory with tears streaming down their faces. Definitely worth the price of a ticket and a bucket of popcorn.

Reema Moudgil is the author of  Perfect Eight (http://www.flipkart.com/b/books/perfect-eight-reema-moudgil-book-9380032870?affid=unboxedwri )