X-Men: First Class

...in-jokes and deep-geekery references for die-hard comics fans, broader gags for the mainstream, and breathtaking special-effects setpieces for both ends of the spectrum.

The movie is high-tech and well-acted, with lots of action and noise as it portrays the origins of the X-Men, a group of about a dozen mutants (so far).

It smacks of rush and compromise, but there's thankfully enough to make you feel optimistic about the series' future once more.

...baggy and chaotic and over-long, but watchable, often enjoyably bizarre, and with the occasional flash of cold steel.