Laughable by today's standards, but okay for what it is.

Rating: 7/10 (12 June 2016)

The release of this first X movie marks the beginning of good superhero movies. A decade and a half later, superhero movies are some of the biggest of each year. Two of the biggest movies of the year so far have been from the X-Men franchise in Deadpool and Apocalypse. The reason that I think accounts for the recent rise in success is the advancement of visual effects, because the larger than life stunts that superheroes pull don't look laughably cheesy now that we have better visuals. The visuals of this first installment are pretty pathetic in light of what we see nowadays. You can all but see the ropes and such pulling the characters when they jump or get throw back or something.
What' s really great about the X-Men series compared to other superhero stories is that they aren't considered heroes. There's always a huge social question in play about how mutant's should be integrated into society with humans. Some people complain that this is too much of an allegory for how racial minorities and in particular homosexuals are treated, but art is meant to comment on the problems of the time. Besides, the mutant powers are more than just a social statement, which is why all the mutations resemble superpowers. Like any ability, the mutant's powers can be used well, abused, taken advantage of, suppressed, and set off unexpectedly and uncontrollably. This is what Professor X is getting at by having a school for mutants.
The characters are written decently in this first movie, but not as well as they are in the prequel movies of the 2010's. Most of them aren't one dimensional, but their personalities are caricatured as with Logan's irritability and Professor X's generic mentor performance. The main characters' motives are simple, but strong, which makes for an easy-to-follow story, but not the most interesting one. The writing of the minor characters is easily one of the weakest aspects of the movie. All of Magneto's followers (Toad, Mystique, Sabertooth) feel really cheesy from Toad's awful dialogue to the poor action sequences with Sabertooth, to Mystique's eyes flashing green to alert us that she's impersonating someone. The minor protagonists are a little better, but Bobby and Storm definitely could have used some more personality.
All of the actors give adequate performances, but nothing beyond that. The directing is fine, except in the action sequences. I don't know if the action was good for the time especially since I've grown up with great spfx all my life, but I doubt it was great even in 2000. The score is very string and woodwind dominant with a flutey feeling to it, much like John Williams' music is when he isn't using one of his main themes.
I wouldn't recommend this as a top pick for someone looking to get an action movie. I doubt it will be many people's favorite today, especially in light of all the new X movies that have come out. It's good to see if you want to catch up before seeing the new ones, and you'll likely enjoy it beyond merely gaining a better understanding of the sequels/prequels. So go in with low expectations and you might be surprised at how much you like it. Overall Rating: 7/10.