As far as action and special effects, X-Men was spectacular, but there were a few holes that were really difficult to overlook.

Rating: 7/10 (26 July 2000)

X-Men definitely delivered in the action and special effects departments. The acting, make-up, and cinematography were all excellent as well. In that sense, it was a great movie.
However, the thing that I really had a problem with was the fact that there were a few holes left in the plot that could very easily have been prevented. For example, from what financial base did Dr. Xavier start this spectacular school for mutants? Clearly it would require a huge amount of money just to build the "big round room" alone. And even more than that, is it just me or does it seem very unlikely that every mutant with these amazing powers somehow winds up in this school and not in some secret government institution somewhere? Is it a coincidence that the only people who ever witness these peoples' powers are the people who just want to turn them over to this school and not to the scientific community to see how they work? Not likely. And what about those powers themselves? The narration at the beginning of the film talks about how these 'mutants' have skipped a step in evolution, so that their genetic structure is in various ways superior to that of the rest of the human race. That's great, but does the ability to shoot lasers out of your eyes or, even more, the ability to walk through walls have anything to do with your DNA? I don't think so. It doesn't seem that there was a lot of thought put into these aspects of the film, and it really bothers me when the filmmakers do things like that.

Overall, X-Men was a very good film, and it is definitely worth seeing, but only as a special effects and action extravaganza. It seems to be aimed mostly at younger male audiences, because of the absence of a solid amorous subplot, and also because of Mystique's outfit (!). Besides all that, at least a basic knowledge of the X-Men comics (which I personally don't have, I'm into movies, not comic books) would probably be beneficial in understanding the story a little bit better. If you haven't seen X-Men, go out and check it out. But if you aren't impressed by films that are pulled along almost entirely by their computer generated images and explosions, you might want to skip this one.