X Hits the Spot

Rating: 8/10 (13 May 2006)

Like Spider-Man, I've never read any of the X-Men comics, but I am a big fan of the X-Men cartoon. And a very good cartoon it is too. All of the characters are well fleshed out with their own distinctive personalities and pasts. This is where my knowledge of the series comes from. And when I learnt a film version of the X-Men was in the works, it elicited mixed feelings from me because a TV series allows for development of all of the characters. I didn't see how it could be done within the confines of a 100 minute film.
Still, it has to be said that Bryan Singer's X-Men works far better than expected, even if some of my fears were justified. For anyone not familiar with the characters, the X-Men are mutants. They represent the next stage of human evolution. The film doesn't include all of the X-Men, but it does have some of the most important ones. There is Cyclops (James Marsden) who can shoot energy beams from his eyes, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) who has a metallic skeleton, metal claws that sprout from his knuckles, and remarkable healing powers, Storm (Halle Berry) who can control the weather and Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) who's a telekinetic.
The leader of the X-Men is Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), a very powerful telepath who wants to bring peace between humans and mutants. But there are some mutants who don't share Xavier's dream. And the ringleader is Magneto (Ian McKellan), a mutant with the power of magnetism, who has amassed his own team of mutants. Mystique, a shapeshifter, Sabretooth, a feral mutant, and in the case of Toad...well his name speaks for itself. He's got a nasty tongue too. Magneto is a survivor of the Holocaust, and he has no intention of letting mutants become the victims of persecution just like the Jews were. He has developed a machine that triggers mutations in human beings, and his first test-subject is Senator Robert Kelly.
Senator Kelly believes mutants are a threat to mankind, and has played upon peoples fear and mistrust of mutants to turn it to his favour. When Kelly is kidnapped by Magneto, the machine turns him into a mutant, but Kelly's body rejects it, killing him in the process. All this is unknown to Magneto, who is planning on doing the same to the UN summit before they impose a legislation on mutant registration.
Powering the machine would mean killing Magneto, so he kidnaps a young mutant called Rogue (Anna Paquin) who can drain the energy out of people with a simple touch, and a mutant's power too. Magneto will transfer his power to Rogue who will power the machine hidden inside the Statue of Liberty, and bring about Magneto's future of a mutant dominated society. It's up to the X-Men to stop him.
As I write this review, X-Men feels a bit cluttered. Singer's direction is excellent and the camera-work is sharp and astute, but X-Men is quite a juggling act. Not only is there Magneto's scheme to contend with, but there are far too many characters and not enough development.
Some are afforded massive screen time, like Wolverine and Rogue. Which isn't a bad thing because Jackman and Paquin's acting is superb. But Storm and Cyclops are shortchanged. Patrick Stewart was born to play Professor Xavier, embodying the character's trademark serenity. Ian McKellan is perfectly cast as well. He makes Magneto into someone who isn't really evil, just passionate about keeping the future safe for mutants. He doesn't want history to repeat itself. And he is genuinely regretful about Rogue's sacrifice for his plan.
Although some of the casting is inspired, others are badly miscast. James Marsden is annoyingly bland as Cyclops, and Halle Berry is all wrong too. She has none of Storm's majestic grace as the mistress of the elements. Famke Janssen makes an impression as Jean Grey, even if she is a little subdued. But I sense great potential in her, something happily expanded upon in the sequel.
But it's Hugh Jackman and Anna Paquin that captures the attention. Jackman's film debut is a revelation. He captures the feral attitude of Wolverine to a tee, and knows when to dial it down too. Anna Paquin brings the right blend of teen angst and confusion at her growing mutant power. In one of X-Men's quieter moments, she confesses to Wolverine how she put a boy into a three week coma through a simple kiss. Her performance is dazzling because of the way her young mind comes to grips with the fact that she will never experience intimacy in her life. I predict Anna Paquin has a very promising future ahead.
X-Men is most effective in exploring mutants burgeoning powers. How they realise they're different, but they're afraid to come forward. It bears connotations with gay and ethnic minorities and shows why X-Men is filled with possibilities.
There are some great action scenes too. Wolverine's fight with Sabretooth and Mystique. Magneto flipping police cars about, and Toad's impressive gymnastics. The climax at Liberty Island is perhaps slightly disappointing (compared to the sequel anyway) and the film is more enjoyable if you have a working knowledge of the characters beforehand, but Bryan Singer's film is a good start, and leaves things open for the next welcome instalment.
X2 is a more tightly plotted film and feels more epic in scale. It was the same with Spider-Man 2. Whatever shortcomings the original had, they've been eliminated from the sequel. But X-Men still succeeds as an engaging superhero film, and leaves the door open for many sequels to follow.