X-Men

Though "X-Men" starts slowly, the slow buildup and great payoff proved that this film is worthy of the successful franchise it spawned.

With so many movies out right now that are designed solely for entertainment puposes--from "Gone in 60 seconds" to "MI-2" to "Scary Movie"--it is promising to sit through a 90-minute film based on a comic-book that actually gives you an opportunity to think and be challenged.

Bryan Singer's "X-men: The Movie" is nothing more than an introduction to the lives of the characters from the comic book. The very fact that his movie doesn't try to add new elements, or change elements that already existed within the comic, is what makes it so successful.

X-men the comic series has been around for more than 30 years. And for good reason. It has dealt with all of the important elements that good storytelling includes--rejection, loneliness, hope, fear, distrust, love, selfishness, power, and the price you pay for doing what you believe is right. By consistently exploring various difficult elements of humanity, the X-men comic has been able to be not only entertaining but stimulating as well.

Thankfully, Singer's movie translation is no exception. "X-men" is very well executed, with excellent character work for the leads (Logan, Rogue, Magneto and Xavier), a good exploration of the motives of each character, and dialogue that is sharp and intelligent. However, lest you think X-men is only intellectual, let me assure you that the special-effects department has done an incredible job of mingling the human elements of the story with action. From Wolverine's claws to Rogue's devasating touch, from Storm's namesake displays of nature to Magneto's awesome power, "X-men" constantly finds new and arresting ways of showing-off each mutants power. And the closer you get to the end, the more exciting it is.

True, the movie was not perfect. Certain story elements were modified slightly for big-screen adaptation (nothing, however, that is disloyal to the ethic of the series). The soundtrack was only sufficient, rather than being something truly memorable. And not all of the characters were given equal time on screen (some important characters were completely missing).

But for a 90 minute movie that needs an action plot, it's obviously impossible to give all the X-men (and their evil counterparts) equal attention or character development. In fact, the sheer scale of the series alone all but requires a sequel to flesh out what was missing in this first, "Intro to X-men" movie.

Yet, as a beginning exploration of the "X-men" universe, this movie shines. It is attractive, fun and meaningful. Whether you're an X-men fan, you're looking for something that will make you think, you want an action movie, you enjoy sci-fi, or you just want to leave the theater feeling like you didn't just waste a couple of hours and seven bucks, go see Bryan Singer's "X-men." You won't be disappointed.

A neat start to what I hear is a pretty popular Marvel series. It was a pretty straight forward action packed flick that featured some neat effects for it's fairly early time it hit theaters. Stuart, McKellen, Jackman and the rest of the bold crew were all portrayed as rare mutants that walk amongst society. A pretty straight-forward storyline throughout the film as the team of mutants known as X-Men try to protect and rescue one of their newer and younger ones from "the dark side" of mutants, with one of the helpers being a new member of the X-men as well. This saga introduction shall continue.

"X-Men" is a rare treat-- a blockbuster that lives up to its hype and a comic book adaptation that hits the mark.

Along with Tim Burton's "Batman", this stands head and shoulders above all other superhero movies. It's a genre that's usually synonymous with silly, campy, cartoonish crap, but Bryan Singer delivers a long-awaited exception to the rule. "X-Men" is smart, stylish, and very cool... one of the better sci fi/fantasy films of the last decade.

Of course, it helps to have good source material.

The X-Men comics, which originated in the 1960s, are more politically progressive and morally complex than older superhero stories such as "Superman" where the heroes are always right, and truth, justice, and the American Way always prevail. The series is a well-crafted parable about individuality and discrimination. The characters are mutants--struggling to find a place in a society that rejects them. Its primary villain, Magneto, isn't an evil lunatic-- he's a sympathetic character, a misguided revolutionary playing Huey Newton to Professor Xavier's Martin Luther King. The iconic character, Wolverine, is a beer-swilling anti-hero who cares little for ideals and fights only to protect himself and his loved ones. The female characters are as powerful and important as the men, rather than being mere love interests.

Rather than making just another flashy explosion-per-minute-special-effects-extravaganza, Singer practices the lost arts of character and plot development. As a result, the movie has a far greater depth than the average big budget summer flick. The acting is also quite good on the whole. Hugh Jackman, who plays Wolverine, is fantastic--a bona fide Clint Eastwood caliber badass. Some of the dialogue is fairly cheesy, but in the hands of Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart it sounds quite convincing. (Stewart has made a career out of making lame dialogue sound cool.)

Hard-core fans of the comics have complained about the omission of several popular X-Men. This is silly. A movie that gave the background on every character in the comic books would be 6 hours long. There will be plenty of time to develop new characters in the forthcoming sequels. Fans have also complained about the casting of Anna Paquin as Rogue. I disagree. Rogue is unable to touch another human being without harming them--she would not realistically act like a confident, sassy warrior. Paquin did a tremendous job of conveying the fear and isolation that such a young woman would feel. She will undoubtedly grow into the part in future movies.

In the end, "X-Men" is a comic book movie. Superpowers are explained with silly pseudoscientific babble, the plot revolves around a fairly ridiculous take-over-the-world scheme, and names like "Magneto" are spoken with a straight face. Don't read all the glowing reviews and expect Citizen Kane. But don't underestimate "X-Men" either. It is an intelligent movie that people will enjoy whether or not they are familiar with the comic.

After watching a lot of animated X-Men stuff, I thought that it was time to watch some live-action movies. I'd heard rumours that the X-Men franchise was rather hit and miss. Well, this was a very solid start.

Not everyone delivers a top performance, but I was so happy that my favorite characters delivered. Hugh Jackman does a relly good and charismatic job as the tough Wolverine coming from a place he doesn't even know himself. He ends up meeting Marie aka Rogue who brings him to Xavier's School for the Gifted. Their relationship is a highlight here.

Magneto gets a lot of star power from the magnificent Ian McKellen and a well done take on his harsh past which leads him onto his dark path in life conflicting with his old friend Xavier who are also given a nice portrayal by Patrick Stuart.

The otherwise talented Halle Berry wasn't as convincing as Storm, I must admit. The booming persona I knew was shifted to a quite monotonous one, and her powers weren't to show before nearing the climax. James Marsden was a good choice as Cyclops, but was kind of the same case as Storm without real punch to the performance.

But despite a few small bumps on the road, I enjoyed X-Men more than I had expected, because the story was actually really engaging when the focus was on the right elements like Wolverine and Rogue and how Magneto fulfills his plan. It's not the usual superhero movie where action and special effects are the main focus, but more like a psychological drama with some hero elements. That makes it stand out among the crowd.

But even though the special effects weren't the main focus they were awesome, hands down! It may be a movie from the year 2000, but back then the effects weren't used as much as they are today, so when they were good they really rocked the screen.

I would recommend X-Men to people who like a well balanced movie with a well told story spiced up with the right amount of action and special effects.