I came into this summer majorly geeked for Captain America, excited for Thor, and not very enthused for Green Latern. But sandwiched in between these heavyweights lies perhaps the best of all of them.

I was invited to a screening of X-Men: First Class this week and walked away more impressed than I have been in a while. I’ll admit, it was a bar set pretty low by the Wolverine mess of 2009. It felt like a franchise that was used up, or at best mismanaged. But Bryan Singer swooped back in to save it with some help from Kick Ass Director Matt Vaughn. The result is a fun, serious journey deep into the X-Men story that feels more accessible than most.

Here’s the quick rundown. Digging back before even Jack Kirby got his hands on them, X-Men: First Class explores the relationship of Professor Xavier and Magneto as far back as boys struggling with their abilities and the chaos it can cause. Along the way we see why the X-Men were formed in the first place, what caused the evil within Magneto, and even how Professor X gets the coolest wheelchair on earth.

I’m always impressed by the Marvel films that place a Comic Book in the “real world” and manage to have it make sense. Iron Man probably did this better than any other film, but there is serious competition from X-Men: First Class. You would think that X-Men would be out-of-place in the Cuban Missile Crisis, but it works and feels authentic.

There’s a few extra bonuses along the way. Some great cameos, a slick retro 1960’s setting, and Kevin Bacon. A Kevin Bacon that wants to take over the world. That’s way better than illegal dancing.

Restore your faith in the X-Men and go enjoy the best comic book movie so far this summer.