With all of this X-Men chatter lately, you’d think it was the ‘90s all over again (I guess that’s what X-Men ‘97 is all about, really). Seriously, have the X-Men ever been this much a part of public discussion as they are right now?I mean, between their upcoming role in Avengers: Doomsday, their future in the MCU, and (spoiler!) one of their members appearing in another MCU project, the X-Men just seem ubiquitous right now… and I like it! It got me thinking about what is arguably the best X-Men movie of all time, 2011’s X-Men: First Class. I’ve loved most of the X-Men movies, but this one stands head and shoulders above the rest. Here’s why. (Image credit: 20th Century Fox)Making Charles And Erik’s Relationship The Center Of The Film Was The Right CallWhile it’s popular to believe that Professor Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr, aka Magneto, were inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, respectively, the truth is, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby never intended for the comparison. That said, it just fits so perfectly, doesn’t it? The fight for Mutant rights is certainly analogous to the Civil Rights Movement. That movement kickstarted in the mid-’50s, while the X-Men debuted in 1963. Plus, Martin Luther King Jr.’s peaceful approach to integration is similar to what Professor X would later propose, while Magneto’s more militant approach mirrored the earlier “By Any Means Necessary” approach by Malcolm X. X-Men: First Class wonderfully shows this dichotomy of peace vs. force. Throughout the film, we see Charles (James McAvoy) and Erik (Michael Fassbender) working together to create mutant acceptance. Erik, a survivor of the Holocaust, views humankind with disdain, but, because of Charles’ optimism and friendship, tries to make it work. As you already know, it doesn’t work. The CIA creates a special unit for mutants, but it turns out that the government is just as quick to get rid of them, which breaks the bond between Magneto and Charles. Their friendship and ultimate parting of ways really work as the crux of this film.(Image credit: 20th Century Fox)The Time Period Has Never Felt More Important In A Comic Book MovieX-Men: Days of Future Past focuses on the “future,” 2023, and also 1973. The film’s conceit is more just an excuse to connect the “old” X-Men from the 2000s with the “new” X-Men of the 2010s. Only X-Men: First Class really makes the time period feel wholly essential to the story, as it takes place in the 1960s at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis. In fact, the whole third act consists of a what-if scenario of what-if mutants actually were the cause of all of the international tension back then? We also get a true sense of the overall turmoil back in the ‘60s, which was, again, the height of the Civil Rights Movement.All of this makes X-Men: First Class feel like not only a comic book film, but also a great history lesson, which is amazing. (Image credit: 20th Century Fox)It Gets To The Heart Of What Makes X-Men Special - The Fight To End Bigotry From Different SidesIs First Class a movie that explores race and social justice? Not really, but it certainly feels like one. X-Men has always been the most “woke” popular comic book series. Mutants can be substituted for any particular race, religion, or sexual orientation, and the “enemy” is anybody who views them as disgusting, or worse, sinful and deserving to be eradicated. First Class works better than any other X-Men film because it fully leans into this. It’s great not just because it’s enthralling, but also because it truly tackles the issue of what the best way to fight bigotry is, and it never really lands on an absolute answer (as it shouldn’t). Was Charles right? Was Magneto? That’s up for the viewer to decide, which is why I think this X-Men film in particular is the most special, and the greatest of them all.