A Faithful, Refreshing Adaptation

Rating: 8/10 (21 July 2000)

I have been an X-Fan (although I've been out of the comic game for some time now) for years, and I join the legions of my ilk that claim to have been waiting for this 10 years or longer. This is no exaggeration. Hailing back to the days of yore, when Wizard was but a young magazine, posting a fantasy Casting Call for the then-impossible X-Movie (a cast which I believe included Alan Rickman as Magneto), fans have been chomping at the bit for any sliver of information that was in existence. For years, the loyal waited in the wings, watching in silent horror as the project was scrapped not once, but twice.
Thankfully, the film has indeed arrived, poised to satiate the literally millions of fans out there. What was the end result? We'll get to that in a minute.
The superhero genre has experienced a bit of a quagmire as of late, with wretched entries like "Steel" and "Batman and Robin" (Note: Joel Schumacher should be publicly whipped). Ever since the release of "Batman Forever", the genre has been on a general down swing. I'm not saying that they were all that good to begin with, but let's face the facts. Since the release of said Batman film, the awful PG-13 rated "Spawn", and terribly acted "Blade" have been the high points in the superhero world. "Batman and Robin" was simply the final straw. The superhero genre was dying. It needed a hero of it's own to save it.
Enter "X-Men". No adulation, no zealotry to mask this opinion: "X-Men" is amazing. Finally, someone figured out that it is not special effects and one-liners that make for good film. The secret lies in ACTING. "X-Men", while remaining letter perfect to the mannerisms and behavior patterns of the characters, removes the painfully unbelievable aspects of the comic, while retaining the same overall feeling.
Patrick Stewart, the man born to play Charles Xavier, delivers a predictably wonderful performance as the old Prof, displaying all the aspects necessary to his character. Ian McKellen, who I admit would not have been my first choice (although it is now), plays the PERFECT Magneto. Cyclops (James Mardsen) and Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) fit in to the puzzle naturally, and play their roles to a tee. Ray Park (martial arts master best known as Darth Maul) is actually given a chance to act as Toad, and through his limited lines, he does very well, adding a bit of wicked comedy to the script. The most improved character is definitely Rogue, who always annoyed me in any other incarnation. Anna Paquin shows off some of that Oscar winning charm as a young Rogue, and displays the hopelessness of her situation in an almost heart-wrenching way (not quite your typical superhero scenario, eh?).
But (here it comes), no one stands out more than Hugh Jackman. One statement, if I may: Hugh Jackman IS Wolverine. Can you believe they found this guy doing Off Broadway in Canada? He was cast as the MOST DIFFICULT ROLE in the MOST POPULAR COMIC BOOK ADAPTATION EVER. Fanboys were screaming for blood when they saw the first publicity shots. Where are they now? Shelling out eight bucks to see him in action again.
In closing, "X-Men", while admittedly imperfect, is the model by which all superhero films should be made. Studios with films of this genre slated "In Production" should be lining up to kiss Bryan Singer's feet. Go see this film. You owe it to yourself.