The next step in the evolution of the action film

Rating: Null/10 (1 August 2000)

"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stomping on a human face--forever."--George Orwell
I think the above quote suggests that the esteemed Mr. Orwell may very well have been able to appreciate "X-Men". Human bigotry, after all, is as old as human existence. Though the trappings seem to border on the preposterous, can one really say that the film's premise is as outrageous as at first glance?
I'll be frank. I wasn't expecting anything from this film. Though I am a long-time comic collector, I've learned to hate all things X-Men as time rolls on. There were so many times and so many moments were the film seemed to be on the edge of going down the toilet. Heh...guess I should have had more faith. What I've seen this night is the next step in the action-film revolution begun by "The Matrix".
Though the X-Men were created in America, the storyline, science fiction elements, characterizations, and outrageous action actually have their roots in both Japanese anime and the German Expressionist film movement of the 1910's and 1920's. These two seperate schools began to merge in the live action arena with the underacknowledged gem "Dark City". The neophyte movement finally began to hit overdrive with "The Matrix" and, with "X-Men", has finally begun to hit it's stride. I'm not sure what one could call this movement in film (Roger Ebert's term of "visionary filmmaking" is way too vague to be considered definitive), but hopefully, it will define the action genre for the 21st century.
Granted, none of this would mean a thing if the acting or writing weren't top-notch. David Hayter's script is notable for it's lack of verbosity. Taking a cue from the German Expressionist movement, most of the drama is conveyed in images (the shattered gates in Poland, the ominous floating guns during the train station stand-off, Logan holding Maria tight in the hopes of keeping her alive). The dialogue can only be described as adequate. One is not likely to find that many memorable one-liners, but it never becomes so terrible that one winces as he occasionally had to during some of the clunkier lines of "Star Wars Episode One". That said, there are at least a couple of good jokes in the script and Logan sticking out his center claw after setting off (and "turning off") the metal detector is probably the best visual joke. While the plot sets things up for a potential sequel by leaving more than a few loose ends, it doesn't feel forced. Real life is a very messy proposition, after all, and not every square peg is going to fit in the round holes.
There's nothing wrong in the acting department by a large margin. Patrick Stewart's Charles Xavier is every bit as commanding as his Capt. Picard ever was. It's a credit to the man's presense that his impression on screen remains formidable even if he is bound in a wheelchair. Sir Ian McKellen offers a believably chilling Magneto, a man burning with old hatreds and the need to do something about them. But the central figure of this saga is undoubtably Hugh Jackman's Wolverine/Logan. He plays the role like a hunted animal, barely civilised and totally reliant on his instincts. Close to him in this center is Anna Paguin's Rogue, a frightened young girl with a power she can't control or understand. Her purpose is to reaffirm the humanity in Logan that he hasn't realized he's been missing. The others make less of an impression, mainly because they're restricted to the use of their powers and their interactions with Logan. Still, James Marsden's Cyclops makes a nice verbal sparring partner for Logan and Famke Janssen's Dr. Jean Grey sets the stage for a potential romantic triangle down the line.
I never thought that I would say this, but I now do hope for a sequel to this film...only, of course, if they can follow up with the same high level of quality displayed here. I X-pect no less.