Not X-traordinary, but better than average

Rating: 6/10 (24 October 2003)

'X-Men' has much to commend it compared with the average comic book flick. There's a star director in the form of Bryan Singer, and excellent performances from veteran British actors Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan. Although McKellan plays a villain, he also draws sympathy to his character, which is also unusual in a film of this type. Above all, there's an uncommonly interesting scenario. The original comic book was apparently inspired by the civil rights struggle in the U.S.A., and in the film version, there's also a hint of the McCarthy era. Ordinary human beings, far from being portrayed in an attractive manner, are shown as weak, small minded bigots who might vote for George Bush or read the Daily Mail. Meanwhile, a civil was erupts among the mutants they persecute, one faction (Stewart's) committed to peace, the other (McKellan's) convinced that co-existence with humans is no longer possible, and ready to fight all those who stand in their way.
Against this, there are a few negatives. The acting of the attractive characters who play the young X-men is wooden (or, more appropriately, metallic) compared with that of their elders. The expensive special effects are also slightly cumbersome, they feel like inserted sequences. 'The Matrix' may have been empty-headed, but it set new standards for integrating computer-generated animation into the entire world of the film, and 'X-Men' rates poorly by comparison. Also, the possibility that McKellan might be right is never acknowledged by the film. We're allowed to accept that he is genuine, but not that his chilling analysis may yet be correct. And finally the plot is a 'by-numbers' affair. Neophytes are inducted by a master, only for the master to become incapacitated leaving the newcomers to fend for themselves, before a happy (and sequel-setting) ending - exactly the same as 'The Matrix', in fact.
Better by far than the average blockbuster, 'X-Men' doesn't quite live up to it's potential. But there's more food for thought here than in most films of its ilk.