Best Comic Book Movie Since "Superman"

Rating: 8/10 (14 July 2000)

"X-Men" does right exactly what Richard Donner's "Superman" did right. Neither film goes for camp quality, neither simply tries to put a "comic book style" movie - bright colors, large-scale sets - on the screen. While the movie does contain a lot of impressive visuals, it's doesn't focus on the visuals at the expense of everything else.
Like "Superman", "X-Men" takes time with its story and develops genuine rather than forced conflict. It isn't simply a matter of "Here's the villain, here's his master plan, now the hero fights him." While there is a villain, and there is a master plan, the actual conflict runs deeper than that.
Ultimately, the strength of both "Superman" and "X-Men" lies in the fact that the real focus lies on the characters. Just as Donner focused more on the relationships between Superman/Clark Kent and Lois Lane rather than Superman vs. Lex Luthor, director Bryan Singer focuses on the interaction between the X-Men characters. It works perfectly.