What a pleasant surprise!

Rating: 6/10 (13 August 2000)

WARNING: SOME SPOILERS AHEAD
I had a strange curiosity in watching "X-Men" because of the fine reviews it was receiving. But I had many doubts about it. 1) I have never, I mean NEVER read an "X-Men" comic book. I had already watched some episodes of the cartoon, but didn't understand a word of it. Maybe the words would sound to me like Chinese. But, man, I was wrong! 2) If you watched "Judge Dredd", "Batman Forever", "Batman & Robin", "Superman 2, 3, 4..." or 90% of comic books adaptations, you know what it means- crap, brainless, Razzie Awards... I was afraid that "X-Men" joined the list. But, man, I was wrong! 3) I do not appreciate summer blockbusters very much. There are exceptions of course ("Gladiator"), but the majority is pure crap. "The Mummy" is one of the worst films I've ever seen, and I had an unpleasant experience in the movies last week watching the infamous "Gone in 60 Seconds". "X-Men" could have joined the list very well and would be a perfect meal for the Razzie Awards. But, man, I WAS WRONG!
In fact, "X-Men" is one of the best blockbusters I've seen in a very long while. It's very far from a perfect movie, but it has everything you need for your perfect summer flick: thrilling action, terrific special effects, cool characters, good soundtrack, amazing scenery. And for my taste, an above the average character development.
This could have been just another action flick, or something worse. But the difference is a good screenplay (a rarity on the genre) and a decent director, who (thanks God) didn't know anything about the X-Men. The man is Bryan Singer, who had already directed two other films: the great "The Usual Suspects" and the mediocre "Apt Pupil". He teaches us everything (or almost that) we, outsiders, should know about the X-Men. The film starts in a Nazi field on the World War II, showing Magneto when he was a child, starting to use his powers and, maybe because of that, separated from the rest of the jews. Now, in the near future, there is a weird segregation in the society: the homo sapiens (us, of course) and the homo superiors. These are mutants who have to learn how to use their power, and they really suffer with that. They are divided in two groups: the ones led by Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart)- the X-Men, who wish that the society accepts them, and the ones led by Magneto (Ian McKellen), who want to start a war against the homo sapiens. These two characters were compared by Singer with Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. The X-Men are Dr. Jean Grey, Cyclops, Storm, among others. They are receiving two newcomers- Rogue, a girl who kills people who touch her, and Wolverine, a very strong man with bad mood and those metal knives inside his hands. Magneto's men are Sabertooth, Mystique and Toad, all of them really nasty. I understood well what all the characters represent, and I thought this was a great job by the screenwriter.
I got even what I didn't expect- some depth. Wolverine is the most well-developed character, but we will know more about him on the sequel. Magneto is a very interesting character, ambiguous and not just plain bad. I really liked the way the movie treated the good and the evil, but I still wanted to know a little more about the rivality between Magneto and Xavier, about Storm, Jean Grey and Cyclops. I think everything will be more explained in the sequel. This movie lets the door wide open for the sequel: what is the secret of Wolverine's past? What will happen now that Mystique has turned into the Senator? What will be Magneto's plans now? What will happen to Rogue? Let's wait for the sequel- and I hope they make a good sequel, as good as the original.
Overall, "X-Men" was a very pleasant surprise in many ways. It is a good choice if you are tired to see things as "Gone in 60 Seconds". And it destroys the myth that every comic book adaptation is awful. Along with the first "Batman", it is there the prove the opposite.
I thought they put $75 million dollars in the right place. "Gone in 60 Seconds" costed $90 million, "The Patriot" costed $110 million, but "X-Men" is much better. It's fun, stylish, smart, amazing. Not perfect, but very good.
8 out of 10 = EASILY RECOMMENDED