Seemingly every superhero movie uses its supernatural powers to set up a sequel. Even when the box office remains healthy for later installments in a series, you can't be blamed for worrying about the cinematic law of diminishing creative returns.

The fifth installment in the "X-Men" series manages to be reasonably fresh, thanks to its status as what might be termed a "prequel sequel."

Its story begins in a Nazi concentration camp in the early 1940s, immediately ensuring that evil of grotesquely cartoonish proportions is on the agenda. Little Erik Lensherr is being questioned by the villainous Dr. Schmidt (Kevin Bacon), with the lives of Erik's parents hanging in the balance. Erik's ability to mentally move objects is the subject of this interrogation session, and its outcome deftly sets the movie in motion.

The plot then kicks ahead to 1962, when most of "X-Men: First Class" takes place. The grown-up Erik (Michael Fassbender) will have a chance to tangle again with Dr. Schmidt, who now goes by the name Sebastian Shaw. The good vs. evil storyline plays out in a Cold War era in which the political tension between the United States and the Soviet Union is escalating toward what would become the Cuban missile crisis.

There has always been a lot of speculation surrounding an historic episode rife with spying, backroom deals and political posturing. Who knew that mutants played a crucial role in the resolution of that crisis?

It turns out that Erik and his oddly gifted friends possess capabilities as effective in their own way as nuclear weapons. So there's some fun to be had watching as these young-adult mutants perfect their skills and then go after the bad guys.

Although the political scenario in the script is not much more sophisticated than presenting several old black-and-white telecasts by President John F. Kennedy, director and co-writer Matthew Vaughn does have pop cultural smarts in evoking that period. The globe-hopping story is basically a riff on a James Bond-type movie, with a production design that overtly references everything from "Dr. Strangelove" to "Mad Men."

Despite its considerable retro appeal, "X-Men: First Class" might seem underwhelming to those movie-goers who are not ardent fans of the series. After all, the basic purpose of the story is to show us the development of the mutants and their unique powers.

It helps to have a keen interest in that mutant pantheon, because otherwise you might feel as if the movie indulges in too many scenes set at what amounts to the mutant school equivalent of Hogwarts.

The usual adolescent growing pains are complicated when the teens in question are exploring powers that defy physics. A non-fan might grumble that these powers have an arbitrary quality that seems determined primarily by whatever the special effects wizards think up next. But fans will counter that each character has certain traits that are more or less honored within the plot.

Among those quite literally flexing their wings and gearing up to fight are the aptly named Angel (Zoe Kravitz) and Beast (Nicholas Hoult).

Although the movie itself does not exactly take flight, it possesses a light-hearted spirit that makes it fly by at a reasonable speed. Only devoted fans are likely to care about delving into earlier chapters in these mutant biographies, but anybody can appreciate that playful tone. Besides, the movie provides a whole new way of looking at Cold War history. Grade: B-

"X-Men: First Class" (PG-13) is now playing at area theaters.