Mutants struggle for their place in World

Rating: 8/10 (31 July 2005)

This adaptation of Marvel's mutant super-heroes took many by surprise, building & improving on the success of the first Blade(98) film and paving the way for the most successful Marvel adaptation, Spider-Man(2002). Like the better adaptations of comics properties, this found the core element which defined X-Men's success, especially since 1975, when the books were revamped: a minority within the human race, persecuted by the majority, struggling to overcome prejudice and ignorance.
X-Men, as a comic book, began way back in 1963, but the film depicts a mixture of characters from the sixties and later ones introduced in the seventies. Chief among equals is Wolverine, a loner and anti-hero who may go either way in choosing between 2 sides of the mutant camps, one led by Professor X (Stewart,the benign faction), the other by Magneto (McKellen, the radical side); or, Wolverine may choose neither - he is a loner, after all, and the true X-Factor in this intrigue. The film scored a triumph with casting Hugh Jackman as this bad-tempered mutant in the 11th hour: he was an unknown, complementing the strengths of Wolverine's own character, and fit the role splendidly. He brings a much-needed energy and intensity to the entire picture.
Many viewers regard the sequel, X2, as even superior to this intro, which may be true, but there's a raw energy here that cannot be duplicated in a sequel. Here is where a strange new world was first brought forth to an audience, a "near-future" where fantastic beings were a somewhat natural outgrowth of mankind's evolution (if you discount possible influences of the atomic age, which isn't mentioned here). The creation of a whole new world landscape is a daunting prospect, but director Singer and the writers pull it off, using the established comics lore instead of disregarding it.
Of the other characters, McKellen shines as the main villain, making Stewart appear stiff by comparison. Magneto's is a tragic history as shown, more complex than most comics' villains, but he's also a super-powered terrorist and does not engender much sympathy. His henchmen are all fine, with the blue-colored female shape-shifter standing out a bit. Of the heroes, Rogue (Paquin) has the most interesting role besides Jackman. The one area the filmmakers failed in is the Jean Grey/Cyclops romance. This relationship, evolving over the many years in the books, had the capacity for great things on film - Scott & Jean were meant for each other, soul mates if you will. None of this comes across in the film; Jean is made the older woman for some reason, and Marsden, miscast as the brooding Cyclops, lacks any depth. Halle Berry, probably criticized most as Storm, isn't really given a chance to be good or bad in the role; most of the time, you just stare at her apparent beauty.
It was a pretty exciting film. It could have been much worse. All comic book fans at least breathed a sigh of relief afterward.