Best action movie I've seen this summer

Rating: 9/10 (23 July 2000)

It's sad that a good plot in a summer action movie is a surprising event, but there it is. The ironclad and suspenseful plot and excellent writing in this movie won me over immediately. Bryan Singer deserves accolades for this great movie. Also making a strong showing was Hollywood newcomer, Hugh Jackman. I read or heard somewhere that he was chosen partly on the basis of his chemistry with Anna Panquin and I have to agree. The scenes between the two are extremely believable and very moving. Also, he did a perfect Wolverine. All parts of his acting were perfect, the sound of his breathing when he was under stress, his way of moving, the tone of his voice. Excellent. The movie also had just the right touch of humor (not too much, not too little). The action scenes were excellent, though I wish Ray Parks had more latitude for his particular physical talents. I understand why they didn't -- they were keeping with the character's abilities, but one scene reminded me so much of his Darth Maul, I actually felt like watching Phantom Menace again. Yikes! I admit I haven't seen Perfect Storm yet, but I have seen Gladiator, Patriot, and MI:2. X-men is by far the best action movie I've seen this summer.