Great fun - all flaws small

Rating: 9/10 (11 August 2000)

I have never in my life read an X-men comic book. I had never heard of them before the film came and David Letterman started to make jokes about them. My knowledge of comic books stretches as far as Wonderwoman and Green Lantern, but my own superheroes were more in the line of Pippi Longstocking and Bamse (the strongest teddybear in the world).
I had three reasons to see the film: 1. Bryan Singer directed 2. Patrick Stewart was in it 3. There was absolutely NOTHING worthwile showing in theatres. Guess what? I liked it. I liked it a lot. As long as you accept the premises - superheroes, saving the day, yada yada yada - it's a great film. Not "The Seventh Seal", obviously, but possibly the best adventure I've seen since "The Princess Bride". (And Star Wars, but the good films are older than TPB.)
Granted, expectations aren't so high for this kind of film. We're lucky if they have a storyline. This one did. Also some fantastic characters, directing and. okay, special effects, but I'm a girlie, I'm not supposed to care. I loved how the mutations were both a gift and a curse - three of the heroes (Wolverine, Rogue, Cyclops) get into situations were they risk killing someone they care for because they can't control their powers. The social aspect could have been used better, it was a little obvious at times (I for one have seen to many Nazis in popular movies), but again, just having one was great.
Main characters Wolverine and Rogue were well done and acted, you really came to care for them. Although, I must admit, I have had it with broody rebels with no past, I didn't mind so much when it came to Wolverine, because he was simply great. Also, he was funny. ("Sabretooth? Storm. What do they call you, Wheels?") Rogue was endearing facing the fear she had for herself. Good/Bad leaders Xavier and Magneto were exactly as well done as one could expect when acted by a couple of long time pros like Stewart and McKellen. Also, I was taken in by Cyclops. (Those of you who question my motives can please think over your own motives for liking Mystique.) Sure, he was a total 90210 preppie, but he was *recognized* and dissed as a such in the film, causing some grins from yours truly, and there was more to the character than that. For one thing, if this had been 90210,
Cyclops would have been the popular hunky guy and Wolverine would have been the badass that mothers tell their daughters to stay away from. In this film, Wolverine can sit in a train full of people comforting Rogue, and nobody raises an eyebrow. Cyclops smiles at a kid and its mother hurries to take it away. Preppie is the *only* one of the heroes who can never pass for "normal". Sadly, they never develop his character much, and this cocky-but-insecure control freak disappears into the background. Same goes for the last two heroes Jean Grey and Storm - the latter is so underdeveloped I can't even tell whether she was well acted or not.
One thing that really bugged me, though: While the good guys are all cool and have fantastic abilities, Magneto is stuck with a pair of unbelievably lame animal people called Sabretooth and Toad. Sabretooth makes me long for good ol' "Beauty and the Beast"-Vincent who was a philosopher between the ass-kicking. I doubt that Sabretooth is even housebroke. On the other hand, there's Mystique, the shapeshifter, and her powers are so interesting I'm willing to overlook that her real shape looks like a wet Playboy dream.
The other main flaw is that the film is not enough to satisfy, it leaves you hungry for more. Not only is the storyline set up for a sequel, but it hints lot of things characterwise (Wolverine's past for one thing) that it never shows. I don't mind seeing a sequel, but I don't want to be *forced* into seeing it. X-men is a little bit too much like the first book in a fantasy series where you have to read the rest. Only, all books in a series tend to be made by the same author. What if they replace the director and the next film turns out bad? That could happen. It's not like 15 more minutes would have spoiled the film. So, big :-( for that and the henchmen, big :-D for the rest of the film.