Excellent for what it's trying to accomplish

Rating: 7/10 (14 July 2000)

I think that the problem with making a feature-length feature of the X-Men is that the X-Men are an ensemble cast. Instead of only really having one or two main protagonists to develop, as is the case with most comic-book movies like Batman and Superman, this film has to develop an enormous number of characters. For the 1 1/2 hours that the movie runs, I think it does as good a job as it could in developing the characters that it chooses to depict from the comic book series. The adaptations of the characters are well placed into "the real world" of live-action film; they're not these spandex-clad commandos where every one of them knows some sort of martial art and has bulging muscles. In fact, they're more or less normal people who are different from us only because of their mutant abilities. That makes them much easier to relate to for a live-action film and also makes the premise of the X-Men much more believable in a real-world context.
Altogether, I do wish I could have gotten to know the characters a little better, but there's only so much you can tell about so many characters in just an hour and a half; I guess I wish the film was a bit longer and had a little more character development. As it is, though, the movie is one of the best comic book adaptations I've ever seen; the action is good, the characters well-done, and the dialogue is very effective, funny, and doesn't insult the intelligence. Also, the issue of Mutant persecution, particularly its relationship with the Holocaust, is executed very well, although it would've been nice if Magneto wasn't so vilified and if his side of the story was sympathized with a little more.
All in all, this was a very enjoyable movie. Congratulations to Bryan Singer and his team for making a great film!