Better than most comic book adaptations, but still falls somewhat short.(minor spoilers)

Rating: 7/10 (15 July 2000)

I'm the first to admit I'm something of a purist in my comic adaptations. I don't look for absolute faithfulness. I accept that the movie is in an alternate reality, but I do want each character to act reasonably within the bounds of their comics persona. That said, I'd say the X-Men was about 70% there.
Overall, it was a fairly good script with decent dialogue (although it certainly slips occasionally. Listen for Storm's closing remark to Toad for a particularly odd line). Without the inaccurate characterizations bothering me, this movie would rank much higher, though there are still some plot holes you could drive a Mack Truck through.
Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, and Ian McKellan are all outstanding in their respective roles. Most of the rest of the cast is acceptable to good, with the notable exceptions of James Marsden (Cyclops), Ray Park (Toad), and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos (Mystique). It's not really the actors' fault in the case of the latter three; they're just miscast and mishandled. Marsden is too young to play Cyclops and he plays him as an unlikeable little snot. One wants to see Wolverine skewer the jerk. Cyclops is a straight arrow; he's not a snot. Mystique isn't mute, reptillian, or a nudist, nor is Toad a wise-cracking, hip, young tough with tongue-flicking, goo-spitting action. All these characters have lost what made them special in the comics.
The movie plays like someone did their homework on the source material and then someone else willfully ignored it. There are some great cameos (watch for Iceman, Jubilee, Shadowcat, Pyro, the New Mutants and probably others), but there are also problems. The filmmakers went to the trouble to include Henry Peter Gyrich, but then spell his name wrong in the credits. A major plot point also hinges around Rogue being able to steal Magneto's powers, when it's an explicit fact that Magneto is the only known person resistant to her powers.
Overall, not a bad effort at all. I've seen much, much worse. But there's still room for improvement.