X-Men : Le Commencement

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).

...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.

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

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