I’ve read that this movie is part of the continuity of the Bryan Singer films. Despite the presence of Bryan Singer’s name among the writing credits I don’t think that’s quite the case. The team that forms over the course of this film is neither the Wein/Claremont-influenced group from the Singer movies nor a faithful rendition of the original X-men from the comics.

Not that that matters much. Comic book continuity is a pretty elastic thing.

In this movie we get Angel, sure, but not Warren Worthington. Instead it’s Angel Salvadore (AKA Tempest) who gets the air cover role. There’s no Cyclops, and instead we get Havok. He is Scott Summers’s brother in the funnybooks, but clearly the relationship has been flipped for the purposes of this movie. Beast is around too, although rather than in action scenes it’s as the X-Men’s resident scientific genius that he really shines. As a mutant he’s the very embodiment of “Don’t ask, don’t tell”.

The powerhouse of the team, and the powerhouse of the movie, is Magneto. His physical journey takes him across the world as a sort of superpowered Simon Wiesenthal. His emotional arc is the most interesting aspect of the film, rivalled only by Mystique’s parallel journey.

Michael Fassbender looks great in the role too – variously James Bond, Don Draper and of course the helmeted mutant extremist we know and love. There’s a great backstory for the helmet by the way. That’s one of a dozen great little touches that prefigure events and personalities in the wider X-Men story.

Genre favourite Michael Ironside’s around for all of five minutes. I’d imagine him to be a little too big for the part he’s in: Sequel material?

James McAvoy is good as Professor Xavier, but the script doesn’t give him too much to work with. Unlike his magnetic counterpart, Xavier’s character and outlook are virtually unchanged by the tumultuous events portrayed in the film. He does unexpectedly turn out to be something of a ladies’ man though.