Better than I expected

Rating: 7/10 (13 July 2000)

I have collected X-Men comics for many years and was not expecting too much from the movie but I was pleasantly surprised. It was pretty good. Based in reality and more science fiction than fantasy I believed such a future could exist just around the corner. Unlike many comic book adapted movies X-Men is not cartoony. The spirit of the characters has been preserved although comic book continuity has not. Although Anna Paquin (Rogue) could not sustain a Southern accent I sympathised with her ordeal as a confused young woman. Hugh Jackman won me over as Wolverine (although he was not gruff enough or hairy enough) but I was disappointed with Sabretooth. What a wimp!! Not vicious enough and to see him as Magneto's lapdog was embarrassing. Mystique was pretty good but I do have one criticism here. Mystique is a shape shifter. She takes on the appearance of something or someone else including their clothes etc. When she becomes Wolverine and mimics his claws, the claws are still part of her flesh therefore when she battles the real Wolverine they would not break off as portrayed but would be sliced off an she would bleed. It was interesting to see Toad as a major baddie. I actually thought that he seemed the most powerful of the villains, quite the opposite of his rather lame comic book persona. On the whole I recommend this movie both to the general public and to the fanboy, although I did think the action sequences were a bit weak by comic book standards. Watch for the cameo and background appearances of a multitude of marvel characters and enjoy the jibes and in-jokes if your a fanboy. Happy viewing.