Ah the prequel; the most unsatisfying of sequels. For the most part audiences want stories to progress, and yet it’s becoming more popular to stop a story in its tracks and go way back to the beginning.

The problem with this of course, is that this leaves very little in the way of surprises, as the outcome for the characters concerned has already been established further down in their timeline. So if a character is alive in the first film, any real sense of peril built upon in a prequel is bordering on the redundant.

And yet the prequels keep on coming.

X-Men: First Class is the fifth in the ever-growing X-Men film franchise; a franchise that doesn’t look like letting up any time soon, for better or worse.

The sixties, a period of serious unrest amongst the super powers. It’s no secret that the US and Russia weren’t seeing eye to eye. What was less known however, was that there was meddling from a third party, the Hellfire Club, intent on stirring the political pot to boiling point.

This was no ordinary club, led by no ordinary leader: Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon); Shaw is a mutant, as is every member of his gang. He’s got world domination on his mind and believes that getting the super powers all gnarled with one another will help his cause.

Thankfully though, he’s not the only mutant in the village, as scientist Moira McTaggart (Rosie Byrne) is only too aware. She’s been keeping an eye on Shaw and knows only too well of his bad apple status. She also knows about Charles Xavier (James McAvoy); a brilliant young mind in the world of all things mutant-y.

Charles, who is a mutant himself, knows that other mutants exist and is pushed by the CIA and Moira to track down other mutants and recruit them in the fight against Shaw and his unruly mutant mob.

His path eventually crosses that of Eric (Michael Fassbender); a mutant with the power to control metal through magnetism. They become friends and both help out on the mutant recruitment drive. With the clock ticking however, can Charles and his young team of mutants prepare themselves in time to take on Shaw and his deviants before World War III breaks out?

I still can't believe you let Don Draper jizz all over you like that. What a bastard.

As is the norm with superhero origins, there’s a lot of story to be told here, more so with the fact that there’s a number of mutants involved. So much so that the story side far outweighs the action. It’s just as well that the story is entertaining, and yet it’s still difficult to not feel a tad cheated; there was a time, long before prequels, where you could look forward to a summer blockbuster being an actionfest. You just don’t get that with today’s prequels. Despite some nice storytelling, the film keeps all its action sequences for the last 20 minutes. And of course being a prequel, you’ve got a good idea of the outcome, as we’ve already seen what comes next.

The talent on board this X-Men vehicle is certainly impressive. McAvoy in particular gives a good account of himself, particularly in giving Charles a much needed sense of humour. Fassbender seems to struggle a little, with a performance that is slightly stiff and underwhelming. And it’s also a shame that Mad Men’s January Jones is giving so little to do than look hot in skimpy outfits. Bacon appears to have the proverbial ball, playing out his Bond-like villain though.

Director Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass) has clearly gone for a Bond-like world too in his setting of the film, albeit with a dash of yeah-baby Austin Powers. And it’s certainly an attractive play set in which to place his X-Men toys. Ultimately though, as much as he dresses it up, the film is nothing more than X-Men Juniors. It makes for a nice story, but it’s really one that didn’t need to be told. It’s the kind of thing that could have been told in the good old days in a brief flashback, before moving on; but as the X-Men franchise is still a cash cow to be bled dry, it’s no wonder this prequel was green-lit.

X-Men: First Class is undeniably entertaining in places, it’s just that it’s nothing spectacular, which used to be a prerequisite for a summer blockbuster; clearly not anymore.