A pleasant surprise !

Rating: 10/10 (3 April 2002)

I really had no expectations that this film would be even be modestly good, so it was a pleasant surprise to see a very well made film unfold. Perhaps some fans of the comic strip may find too many variables, however as cinema entertainment it hits the spot. With inevitable comparison, to some of the Batman offerings, I tend to like X-Men better. The Batman offerings seem more ponderous and overblown compared to X-Men, and somehow despite it's comic-strip origin X-Men seems to appeal on a more adult level. Much of this is due to the deftness and light touch of the Director. Great C-G work ( this is one genre where C-G really works well ) alongside very good "real" sets makes for an excellent looking film. Patrick Stewart at last gets a chance for once to unleash his screen presence ( shamefully squandered by the Star Trek folks ) and does a great job. Teamed against the awesome Ian McKellen these two add the sinister darker aspect of the film. Hugh Jackman (looking eerily like a young Clint Eastwood in many shots) and the rest of the cast very ably fill the young cast roles. Oddly I had heard very little about X-men and it would seem it has been greatly underrated. From the look of things, it appears that this was intended to be the first in a series of X-Men films. I hope this team gets a chance to bring us some more good fare. Enjoy !