X-Men (2000) Review

"Do you know what happens to a toad when it's stuck by lightning?  The same thing that happens to everything else."
-Storm




U.S. Senator Robert Kelly (Bruce Davison) attempts to pass registration that would force mutants to publicly release their identities and powers.  Two factions of mutants attempt to combat this.  First is a diplomatic group led by Charles "Professor X" Xavier (Patrick Stewart).  The second group is much more violent and is led by Holocaust survivor, Erik "Magneto" Lehnsherr (Ian McKellen).  As Magneto attempts to turn the leaders of the world into mutants, two other mutants, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and Rogue (Anna Paquin), find themselves caught in the middle of the conflict and have to choose a side.


What Works:

I love the themes and societal critiques of the X-Men series.  This series stands apart from other superhero films because of these elements.  They are fascinating and I love the different schools of thought, particularly between Charles and Magneto.  Even in the original film, these elements are here and make for a fascinating film.

I maintain that Magneto is the greatest villain in all superhero movies.  He's a fascinating character with a tragic backstory.  It's very easy to understand where he is coming from and if he was a bit less reckless and willing to sacrifice himself before others, I think he would probably be able to get more mutants on his side than Charles.  McKellen is perfect in the role and he steals every scene he is in.

Patrick Stewart and Hugh Jackman are perfectly cast as well.  This is the beginning of a long and epic journey for these characters and it starts off on the right foot.  Both actors do a great job at bringing these characters to life.

Finally, the action sequences aren't very elaborate, but we still get some cool moments.  I love Magento's attack on the train and watching him hold all of the cops hostage is awesome.  The fight at the Statue of Liberty is fun, if a bit cheesy.


What Sucks:

This movie feels short.  It flies by and suddenly we're at the Statue of Liberty.  Our heroes only run into Magneto once before the 3rd act and I think that feels a bit rushed.  One more encounter would have helped to expand this world and the conflict.

Finally, some of the supporting characters were woefully underdeveloped.  Storm (Halle Berry), Cyclops (James Marsden), and Jean Gray (Famke Janssen) are all underused and I never got a good sense of who they are as characters.  Since they all play a vital role in the 3rd act it would have been nice to get more from them.


Verdict:

X-Men is a solid start to one of my favorite superhero franchises.  The themes are great, the main characters are awesome, and while the action sequences are a bit quaint, they're still fun.  Some of the side characters could have been better developed and the film should have been longer, but this movie has still got it going on.

 8/10: Really Good 


  

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