Thoughts: X-Men, Marvel's first successful attempt to adapt their comics to film and the one sparked the modern comic book movie craze. It is hard to believe that it has been 13 years since the first X-Men and to think that the X-Men universe is still within the same continuity after all those years is extraordinary, especially considering that most other comic book franchises from the time have rebooted. Despite its age, X-Men will always be among the best in the comic book genre. It brought the first comic book team to the big screen and without it, many of everyone's favorite comic book movies would have never been made like The Avengers, Dark Knight, or Spider-Man. Although some say that Blade started the comic book craze, it was not quote as successful as some might remember. As for the X-Men movie itself, it holds up even today. Hugh Jackman was the perfect Wolverine, even though he is physically much different than his comic book counterpart, because Wolverine is very short and stocky, where as Jackman is a big guy. However, he owned the role and made Wolverine the main reason why the X-Men movies are awesome. X-Men was probably the first comic book movie that I watched in theaters when I was a kid, or at least the one that I remember watching. It and Spider-Man sparked my interest in comic books that is now an obsession, I probably own more X-Men comics than any other franchise, and before the Avengers, X-Men were, by far, my favorite comic book team. What makes X-Men different than superheroes is that they are outcasts; most people do not want to accept those mutants exist. X-Men were brought together because they were the strongest heroes around; they are together because each was born with an ability that made them an outcast.
Directed by: Bryan Singer
Genre: Action Adventure, Comic Book,
Release date: July 14, 2000
Running Time: 104 minutes
MMPA rating: PG-13
The Good: Revolutionized comic book movies, Perfect casting of Wolverine, Professor X, and Magneto, Great beginning to a great franchise, Excellent soundtrack, Impressive special effects, Magneto is an awesome villain, First serious take on a comic book,
The Bad:
Plot: The film starts in a concentration camp in Germany-occupied Poland in 1944 as a young boy is being separated from his parents upon entry to the concentration camp. When he tries to get back after the gates close, he is restrained by numerous guards whom he easily overpowers as they are sliding towards the gate, which is also curling towards them, as though attracted by a magnetic force. The boy is soon knocked out cold by one of the guards. Jumping to modern day, a girl named Marie runs away from her home in Meridian, Mississippi after almost killing her boyfriend after kissing him. In Congress, Senator Robert Kelly attempts to pass a "Mutant Registration Act", which would force mutants to publicly reveal their identities and abilities. Magneto begins his plans to level the playing field between mutants and humans. Meanwhile, Marie (aka Rogue) meets Logan (aka Wolverine) in Canada. Rogue's mutation makes her temporarily assume the powers of any mutant she touches while Wolverine possesses superhuman healing abilities, heightened senses, and claws that extend from his knuckles. Suddenly, both of them are attacked by Sabretooth, a mutant and associate of Magneto. Watch the movie to what happens next.
Plot: 8.6/10- X-Men does a solid job of introducing each character into the story, however Wolverine, Professor X, Rouge, and Jean Gray receive the most character development throughout the story. While Cyclops is given the shaft, most of the plot works well and delivers a fun experience. Even though some may argue that Tim Burton’s Batman was the first serious adaptation of a comic book, it is far too cartoony for me to take it seriously, I consider X-Men the first truly serious take because it was set in a mostly realistic world, just with mutants.
Action: 9.2/10- Even though it does have the same level of insanely awesome action as modern comic book movies like The Avengers, X-Men’s action are well filmed and impressive considering the low budget of the film. There was one horribly written line in the film, “What happens to a toad that stuck by lightening?” You know the rest.
Acting: 8.9/10- Hugh Jackman killed it as Wolverine. He perfectly captures the inter struggle of the character, and he only gets better in the sequel. Patrick Stewart both looks and plays the part exactly as Professor X is in the comics, no one could have done it better. Ian McKellen brings one of the best villains every created to life as Magneto; he owned the role. Even though Halle Berry is often a fine actress, she has never fit the role well. James Marsden as Cyclops was not bad, but for being an important character in the X-Men universe, he was severally shafted in the film. The other cast member gave solid well rounded performances.
Special effects: 8.5/10- Considering the budget and time when it was made, the effects still hold up very well, although none of the effects are especially impressive by today’s standards.
Soundtrack: 8.4/10- While nowhere near as iconic as The Avengers or Elfman’s Spider-Man theme, X-Men score fits the mysterious nature of mutants well.
Comedy: N/A: A few humorous remarks, mostly from Wolverine.
Would I Watch This Again: To me, X-Men is a classic, and a movie that I re-watch once every other year or so.
Overall: 8.5/10: X-Men is an excellent film that started the modern era of comic book films and created a foundation that the new X-Men continue to build upon.
Closing comments: If you are a comic book movie fan, watch X-Men and its sequel X2, because both are awesome movies.
Recommended for: Comic Book movie fans, Superhero movie fans, Action movie fans, Patrick Stewart fans, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen fans.
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