Finally, a worthy film adaptation of a superhero story

Rating: 8/10 (16 July 2000)

X-MEN should engender hope in the hearts of long-suffering comic book aficionados. Perhaps this film will raise the bar for this long-abused genre. Maybe the key is to have the screenplay written by a fan of the original comics, as was done here. Whatever the reason, X-MEN is a winner. This is a character-driven story that never sags, but just marches through from opening scene to the credits, skillfully incorporating just the right amount of action, dialogue, and scenery. There are plenty of great special effects shots, but they never overwhelm the characters. The quality of the fight scenes is also excellent, and they also don't overwhelm the story (in contrast to just about any action-adventure movie in recent memory).
Special accolades go to Hugh Jackman as Wolverine; perhaps this is a breakthrough role for him. This is not to detract from the other actors, all of whom handled their roles perfectly. Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, having to work through tons of makeup as Mystique, still projects humor and personality into her character. I wish we had seen more of Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, but unanswered questions in the story, combined with what appears to be enthusiastic viewer response, assures us of a sequel featuring both of these journeyman actors.