A Comics Movie Done Right: AT LAST

Rating: 8/10 (14 July 2000)

Yes, it's true: X-men delivers where even Superman II and Batman stumbled. It captures the spirit of its subject and the fun of comics in general. Credit Jackman, who has presence to burn, and Singer, who makes (almost) every fight fun to watch and allows us to feel awe at the characters' powers. Some roles are a bit smaller than one would like, but that's why there are sequels. Also notable are Paquin, whose acting saves the movie's heart, as a younger and less va-voom Rogue than in the books, and McKellan, with all of Magneto's smoothness and ruthlessness. Berry, however, seems bored but looks great. This works not just as a comics movie, but as a movie, and that is why it succeeds where others have failed: instead of stringing together set pieces, it tells a STORY; a good one, well told.