Comic-based action sci-fi spectacle which rises above the competition with ease

Rating: Null/10 (25 July 2000)

X-Men is based on the world's most popular comic book series of the same name, created in the early 1960's by Marvel Comics' ultimate team: writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. It's premise appeals to the angst of the teenage years, showing a world where outcast mutants are shunned by a normal society who fear and hate their special gifts. While most adaptations of comics are half-hearted and pathetic, Bryan Singer, director of The Usual Suspects, has succeeded in what seemed impossible and produced the ultimate comic book film. While not every piece fits the original comic book puzzle, the whole matches the same spirit of the stories and characters that made X-Men so famous.
As the main plot of X-Men sets in, we find ourselves in the near future. A strange phenomenon has gripped the planet, as a new breed of Man has been discovered. They are mutants, born with a special key in their genes that unlock special powers and abilities. One such mutant is Professor Charles Xavier, a wise, aging man with psychic powers who believes that mutants and humans can live together in harmony. Opposing this ideology is Magneto, a survivor of the Nazi concentration camps who has sworn to himself that he will never allow such atrocities to occur again. Born with the power to control and manipulate the magnetic properties of metal, Magneto has formed a Brotherhood of like-minded mutants in order to carry out his schemes and ensure that mutantkind prospers.
Entering this equation are Rogue and Wolverine. Rogue is a young girl just uncovering her budding powers. Simply by touching a person's skin, she absorbs their life-force, sending them into a state of coma. The first time she ever kisses a boy, he freezes in a death trance, scarring her psyche and making her afraid of herself and how she interacts with others. She soon meets Wolverine, also known as Logan, a hard-boiled, rough-necked wild man who chomps cigars and pit-fights in Canadian dives for cash. He has the power to heal damage done to his body, and even more importantly, he can unsheathe a trio of unbreakable claws out of his knuckles, deadly living weapons which make him a lethal warrior.
After the fantastic, atmospheric set-up of these characters and their personalities, the real plot of the film sets in and never lets up. As Wolverine and Rogue figure into Magneto's whims, they find themselves under the protection of Charles Xavier. He has created a School for Gifted Youngsters, a safe haven for young mutants and their abilities, and a place where they can be taught that even though they are different, they do not have to fear themselves or hate what they are. Along with the School, Xavier has formed the X-Men, a group of mutants who have been trained to defend humanity from evil mutants who would use their powers for sinister purposes.
Everything about the characters and the way they are presented works. Patrick Stewart, a classically-trained Shakespearean actor, is great as Xavier, and Ian McKellan, a Englishman with a similar theater background, is perfect as the diabolic Magneto. But the premiere performance here is Australian unknown Hugh Jackman as Wolverine himself, who captures the character of Logan in every way. He's gritty and dark, but he retains the same soft spot for the women in his life that the comic hero himself has. This is a career-making performance from Jackman, and it's amazing that he, like the rest of the cast, perfects these four-color heroes so well.
The supporting cast is made up of the rest of the X-Men team and Magneto's Brotherhood. The Brotherhood itself is more of the talk less, do more variety, being given little lines, but starring in all of the big action scenes. Tyler Mane, a former wrestler, growls and howls his way through Sabretooth, a feral warrior with super strength, and Ray Park, a veteran stunt-man late off Sleepy Hollow and Phantom Menace, is a show-stopper as Toad, an athletic beast with a long tongue and amazing agility. The most interesting of the three Brotherhood members is Rebecca Romijn-Stamos as Mystique, a blue-skinned beauty with bright yellow eyes, martial arts skills, and the power to shapeshift into other forms.
The X-Men themselves include Cyclops, who can fires beams of plasma from his eyes, played by James Marsden. He's cocky and brash, but stuck-up and bossy; typical for the team leader. His fiancee is Jean Grey, a telepathic doctor played by the gorgeous Jean Grey. A love triangle of sorts becomes apparent between Cyclops, Jean and Wolverine, another comic book mainstay which is nailed by this movie adaptation. The odd character out here is Halle Berry as Storm, a woman who can create and control the weather. Berry is serviceable, but she's a weak version of the regal beauty known to comic fans.
Bryan Singer controls X-Men skillfully and with passion. Its cold and gray, somber and understated. A sense of loneliness and silence hangs over every scene, drawing us deeper into the world of these characters. Even when they use their amazing powers, the special effects never conquer the film. The action pieces themselves which show us these powers are strong and fast, but their only weakness is that they're simply too short. When Storm calls a bolt of lightning or Wolverine and Mystique go tooth and nail, we're left wanting much more than what we are given.
The plot formed by Magneto might be a little hard to swallow, and the dialogue might skip the occasional beat, but for the most part, everything is as it should be. The direction and editing are excellent, the performances are great, and the effects are fantastic. This is the one comic fans have been waiting for.
X-Men receives a 9.5 out of 10.