My Favorite "Superhero Movie"

Rating: 8/10 (14 June 2007)

Everyone these days talks about how great Spider-Man, Batman Begins, or Superman Returns is, but they forget about the one film that made superhero movies popular again. Back when X-Men came out, I was blown away. I'd never seen a comic book movie have so much substance. The action was fantastic and this brand new talent named Hugh Jackman was destined to be a star.
The story revolves around a school for gifted youngsters. The general population refers to them as mutants, but they're really just like everyone else. Some of these "mutants" use the special power they've been given for good. They learn to harness their abilities and let them come out only when it is necessary. These extraordinary people are led by Charles Xavier, played by Patrick Stewart.
Of course, there's another side to all of this. There are those who are using their unique traits for evil. Because of all of the hatred toward the mutants, the villains want to make everyone in the world a mutant. Their leader is Erik Lensherr, played by Ian McKellan, who is the perfect foil to Stewart's good natured character.
Our main characters are that of a wide eyed girl, Anna Paquin, and a battle hardened soldier, Hugh Jackman. Both come to the school for gifted youngsters looking for answers or possibly a new life. Like the audience, they're new to this world of mutants and aren't sure of what to make of their "super" powers.
Through the course of the film, we run into many other mutants, both good and evil. Each one has a purpose and there's a reason for their inclusion in the movie. It's easy to have a favorite character and I'm sure you'll have one by the end of the movie. The fun and adventure is pretty infectious.
One thing I've noticed about X-Men is that it seems to have been overshadowed and tossed aside because of all the other great movies of this genre that have come out since. Many people think that the sequel to this was even better, but true fans know otherwise. Each character, while we may not see much of them, has their own little scene. You'll remember them for something they do, even if they have just a few minutes of screen time.
X-Men is the perfect superhero movie. It has everything you want in that category and more. The fact that it ends up being an allegory for something in today's society only adds to the greatness of this story. You don't have to love these kinds of movies to love X-Men and that's one of the reasons why I loved it so much. I just wish they could make them like this all of the time.