Wow! Knowing little about X-Men didn't matter --Excellent!

Rating: 10/10 (14 July 2000)

More movies should be made with this much care. It certainly did everything that movies are supposed to do: It was entertaining, it held my attention throughout, I was able to suspend my belief, and I was drawn in by the story and kept "inside" the movie's reality with engaging and well-drawn characters.
This is truly a rarity -- a Summer Blockbuster with a real story (most are analogous to porn -- in that there is no plot but manages to do what it is supposed to do at the basest and fleeting of ways). The effects were made for the story, not the other way around. I am not an "X-Men" fan but I know who they are. I am sure there are fans who don't like the movie; just like people who have read the book first -- it can never be the same.
I was especially taken with the underlying story of prejudice and how the down-trodden feel and react to their oppressors. This is a scary view into the history of man. It explores one of our potentially harmful traits -- wanting to judge and blame certain peoples for our troubles. Fear and a feeling of a lack of control is something you can see as a motivating force for some of the main characters With this, you get a really good idea of Magneto not simply as "main-villain-we-are-supposed-to-hate" to more of a man with his own ideas of how best to deal with the prejudice against him and his kind.
The acting was very good, especially with Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan. The man who plays Wolverine was especially into his role and very effective. It was great to see Anna Paquin again. I doubt she will get a nod for this role from the Academy, but she played it as it was supposed to be played -- as a sad young innocent just trying to find her place in the world. The relationship between Rogue and Wolverine was well written and grew as the picture played.
Above all, it is the best Summer Blockbuster I have seen in a long time! The action sequences were engaging and cool! There are a lot of details to see, I think this is a movie worth paying for to see more than once! The great thing about it is that there isn't just one or two things that work in this film. The whole thing works! I am sure I can find its weakness after more viewings, but I still think its strengths far outweigh any mistakes. I am 31, and I really enjoyed it! My brother went with me, and he said that he believed that at least it would be nominated for an Oscar (TM) for Makeup -- I agree.
Bryon Singer surrounded himself with credited and uncredited talent, and it shows. Fortunately the movie did not drown in this pool of talent. Of course, there seemed that some things were left out (the only "anti-human" mutant's background we know about is Magneto's); but that just means I was interested enough in what I WAS told to want to know more. Besides, no-one wants to see a ten hour movie; and there are always sequels. This movie does promise a sequel, but not with a cheesy cliffhanger. It offers enough to stand on its own, while making you care enough about the characters and their situation to WANT to see more.
And that is the greatest compliment I can give this movie: It left me satisfied, but at the same time it ended making me want more.