One Hell of a ride

Rating: 9/10 (10 August 2000)

Okay, the movie that I thought would be the biggest flop of the summer is actually pretty damn cool. I admit it, I was wrong. Mr. Singer, cast and crew, I apologize, I shall never doubt you again (except for that idiot Halle Berry, thank God she barely has any dialogue here). Actually, this movie is much better than it has any right to be. The potential for embarrassment was huge. We have a director who has never directed a commercial hit-special effects film before, a cast of mostly unknowns and a bunch of super heroes in leather suits with goofy powers. And lets not forget a final battle taking place on top of the Statue of Liberty. But I'll be a son of a gun if Singer didn't do it, and do it well.
After an opening sequence that is as moving and dramatic as anything I've seen all year, I knew I was in for something special. I've been reading the book for about 15 years now, so I'm one of those types that the media was focusing on as the movie opened up around the world. Yes, it's all true, we are all pale friendless virgins who obsess over every little detail of the book (sadly, this IS true for many of the books readers. Comics just seem to bring out the anal-retentive types). So it's safe to say that I had some interest in how the movie would come out. Wolverine is my all time favourite character, and after seeing this, all I can say is that Hugh Jackman IS Wolverine! It was uncanny. I just sat there thinking, "This guy is Wolverine! Could this be any cooler?". Others may not have this reaction, mind you. If Jackman plays his cards right after this, he could become a major star in Hollywood. Keep an eye on this guy.
Something that really surprised me was how well the relationship between Xavier and Magnus was handled. The few scenes that they share are some of my favourites. McKellen and Stewart are the two thespians of the cast, so this should be no surprise, but they captured the unusual friendship they share very well. Magneto is and always will be the Malcolm X to Professor Xavier's Martin Luther King in the fight for peace between mutants and humans. They other villains have mostly non-speaking roles, but they do their jobs well. I hope Ray Park fans noticed the little homage he did to Darth Maul in one scene. Cute. The good guys get a little more screen time, the standouts being Jackman, Stewart and young Anna Paquin who is adorable as the cursed Rogue. She's a scene stealer in this one, and the relationship she has with Wolverine is very sweet (a part played by Kitty Pryde and then Jubilee in the comic). Famke Janssen provides sparks (and is easy on the eyes. Yum!), and James Marsden is pretty cool as Cyclops, a character who is usually hard to do anything with. I also thought the scene involving Xavier's journey via Cerebro to the psi-plane was very visually interesting. They took something that had always been rather obscure in the comics and made it look very simple yet fascinating on screen.
No real complaints here. The third act leaves a little something to be desired (I thought the end battle was maybe a little unspectacular), but otherwise this was great. The movie has the same problem that the book often faces, which is, "how do we get rid of Xavier before the final battle?", because when you think about it, when you have the most powerful psi on the planet on your side the rest of your team seems a little redundant. From the sounds of things this one will make one hell of a DVD, with a rumoured 45 minutes worth of cuts made before it was released to speed it up (some say at the character's expense). We are witnessing the birth of a franchise here. They could probably release an X-Men film once every two or three years like the Bond films. The story possibilities are endless, if they wanted they could just lift them from the comic. They have the Dark Phoenix Saga, The X-Cutioner's Song, Inferno, The Mutant Massacre, The Phalanx Covenant and so many more. If they want new villains, why not use Mojo, Mr. Sinister, Apocalypse, Onslaught, The Hellfire Club, The Shadow King, etc. Unlimited potential, really. I very much enjoyed this one, and it deserves a 9/10 stars for impressing me so much. G'night!