I praise the actors, but not the movie

Rating: Null/10 (21 January 2001)

I am a true X-MEN fan. This movie was a ridiculous impersonation of decades of legendary entertainment. It made little attempt to stick to the comics or cartoons, not even with the costumes. In fact, Cyclops made a joke about the yellow spandex that many of us wanted to see. Instead of appearing modern and futuristic, the X-MEN came off as cheap and pathetic. The real disappointment was that of Rogue, who was portrayed as a mewling weakling barely out of a training bra. Rogue, whose powers include flight, superhuman strength, and the draining of powers, couldn't even free herself from the seat of a car. This is not the fault of Anna Paquin, whom I feel acted just as her part was written. Hugh Jackman (Wolverine) was also outstanding in his role. He managed to show the wang leather of Wolverine, along with the caring side usually reserved only for those he trusted (Morph and Jean). James Marsden (Cyclops) played the jackass to a T. However, Jean and Storm couldn't have been more useless had they stood around and played pattycake. In her fight with Toad, Storm quickly walks away and pauses to hold up a hand as if she were expecting a high-five instead of a boot to the head. Jean uses her powers to float a needle across the table and to shut a closet door. Oooh. All of the women, save Mystique--who could scarcely be called a woman with her lizard-like appearance--were pathetically, well, pathetic. Also, the movie was lacking the spice that was provided by characters such as Gambit, Nightcrawler, and Beast. There was more chemistry between Jean and Wolverine than that of her and her husband. This movie was carried by the appearance of Patrick Stewart, whom I felt was the obvious choice for the all-seeing Professor. Fifteen minutes into the movie, the only reason I had for watching was to count how many mistakes were being made. And I lost count.