Non-stop Action-packed Blockbuster

Rating: 9/10 (15 July 2000)

When I sat down in the theatre and waited for the movie to begin, I thought, "Oh man, this is gonna be so cheesy." I honestly believed it would be a movie with no plotline, no character development, just a bunch of guys beating on each other with super powers thrown into the mix.
Not so.
X-Men is a well-written, beautifully acted film. The characters have substance (some more than others) and the plotline is sound. Of course, the incredible special effects helped make the movie what it was supposed to be. Hugh Jackman is hilarious as the cynical Logan, and the rivalry between him and Cyclops (James Marsden) adds more humor. Toad (Ray Park) fills in the blanks. Ian McKellan is very believable as the corrupted Magneto, and some fan-favorite X-Men have cameos as students at the Xavier Institute (Iceman, Pyro, Jubilee, Cannonball, Shadowcat, and Colossus).
This movie was a dose of reality. It reinforced the idea that they CAN base a movie on a comic book or video game character that won't bomb in the box office.