Singer Special

Rating: Null/10 (24 August 2000)

Before I start let me get one thing straight. Comics? I hate them, they're too crass and 'Sunset Beach'-ish.Thankfully what I witnessed on the 24th of August was not a comic translation of camp superheroes dressed in Superman's leftovers. The X-men themselves defy logic, as does this film.
The plotline is far, far more potent and substantial than most so-called dramas today - a clear battle of hatred and fear shown in society today represented not as a good ol'fight between bad and evil but a complex delve into human motive.
The plot however remains light and accessible for its 12+ ( UK ) rating. The running time was short and sweet leaving the audience in anticipation of a sequel - take a note John Woo, Tom Cruise etc,..
Pivotal performances from Stewart and McKellen form the basis of the film's underbelly whilst a remarkably Russell Crowe-like Hugh Jackman is the perfect rogue hero. And on that note the real life Rogue, Storm and Cyclops are well played by the stupendously gorgeous Halle Berry and rising stars Paquin and Marsden. The villains say little and are basically Magneto's stooges but their excitable ones at that. Park, Mane and Stamos all adding to the flavour.
This film was a welcome additon to a summer of not quite blockbuster proportions given the early part of the year. However I have one warning. Bryan Singer has moulded the film into the perfect launchpad for cult-status away from the picturebook geek squadron. When the sequels come which they surely will, please,please,please keep the format and cast, crew. It is very rare that a series of films swaps key roles succesfully ( Star Wars ), most keep the linchpins ( Indiana Jones )and those that fail... well, we all remember Batman and Robin don't we comicbook fans.