X-Men: First Class / X-Men : Le Commencement

X-Men: The Beginning

When this film came out, I got all excited because of James McAvoy, who looked like he was doing his first decent role in a while (No more of that "Wanted" nonsense, please James); Michael Fassbender, whom I really really liked recently in Jane Eyre and A Dangerous Method; and Rose Byrne, who is just great.

I really liked this film. Not only because of the actors, but I found it to be the right blend of action, chit-chat and good funny lines. 

X-Men: First Class, is basically about Charles Xavier, Erik Lehnsherr and Raven before they become Professor X, Magneto and Mystique, and about how the X-Men started. 

I guess the First Class is just a reference to how Xavier teaches his first group of mutants and also a play on word on how they are top notch. Yeah, first class :P

So obviously the joke is lost when translated to “le commencement”, or “the beginning”. 

I don’t deny that it is an accurate description of the events, but why bother changing when it’s a straight translation to “première classe” in French, and when it also means top notch? (Well, if you discount “Première classe” hotels which are cheap and cheerful and cheap) I have no idea!

Mind, France is not the only country that went with the beginnings - Portugal (X-Men: O Início) and Italy (X-Men: L' inizio) chose this theme too. Other countries went for a first generation theme, Argentina and Colombia(X-Men: Primera Generación) or Serbia and Croatia (X-Men: Prva generacija).

Special mention to Brazil (X-Men: Primeira Classe), the Czech Republic ( X-Men: První trída), Quebec (X-Men: Première classe), Lithuania (Iksmenai: pirma klase) and Poland (X-Men: Pierwsza klasa) for getting it spot on!