"A New Hope" for Comic Book Movies

Rating: 10/10 (1 November 2014)

When this movie came out, comic book movies were down on their @$$es. The last big comic book movie until then was "Batman and Robin", so basically: the genre was dead and killed. It was no other movie than X-Men that re-ignited the genre and proved that a comic fantasy world does not have to be corny, goofy and cheesy at all.
Bryan Singer created a suspenseful story, in which the characters had to deal with being different - and the conflict that rises from bigotry.
"In the not too distant future", Prof. Charles Xavier has a school for so-called mutants: people who are different. Generally, these mutants possess abilities that normal people do not have - which causes fear and hate in the hearts of the American people. Hence, Senator Robert Kelly proposes a law that calls for mutants to register themselves. Xaviers frenemy, Erik "Magneto" Lensherr, is appalled by this law and plots to spread mutancy among world leaders at a UN summit. Xavier's X-Men Cyclops, Storm and Jean Grey struggle to stop Magneto. In the middle of these conflicts runaway mutants Rogue and Wolverine take refuge at the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters...
It's a brilliant movie, with tons of easter eggs and nods to the fans. While not lacking action or fantastic elements, the movie plays the brain card. It is clever, slightly dark. Remember how recently, the second installment of Captain America (The Winter Soldier) was described as a political thriller? Well, X-Men did it first.
But what really excels X-Men is how it captures the emotional impact of being different. How the daily struggle of minorities is portrayed through the metaphor of Mutancy. It is what sets X-Men apart from other super hero / comic book movies; it is their Trump Card. Therefor, it's a shame that this element is being shoved more and more to the background as the X-Movie franchise expands. I hope in the future, they will look back at this first one from time to time, if only to remember what the "X-Gene" of this series is.
All in all, X-Men brought back comic book movies. It did for the genre what Star Wars (A New Hope) did for Space Movies. So, maybe there are comic book movies you enjoy more than this... they would not be here if it wasn't for the X-Men and their first movie. I have never granted a 10/10 to a movie before, but this one deserves it.