surprisingly profound comic book derivation

Rating: Null/10 (3 December 2000)

In the world of movies, profundity often creeps up in the most unexpected and unlikely of places. Let's face it; one does not instinctively turn to the super-hero genre if one is searching for films with great thematic meaning and philosophical depth. Yet, `X-Men' provides just those qualities in the context of a thought provoking, intelligently written and superbly executed tale of `mutants' searching for acceptance, tolerance and affirmation in a world filled with frightened and often even hostile inhabitants.
Much more than just a mere action film, `X- Men' broadens into a study of the effects of prejudice, done in almost allegorical terms. Often when a theme has become played out through over exposure, it takes a fresh approach to make it come alive again. Yet another movie chronicling the injustices done to blacks, Native Americans, Jews, gays, the handicapped and a host of other routinely aggrieved groups probably would not have the same impact as this film does. By creating an entirely fictional group to serve as the target of intolerance, the filmmakers allow us see the issue from a novel perspective, stripped down to its barest essentials as it were. Since none of us brings to the film an innate prejudice against a group that doesn't exist in real life, we are all free to see the irrationality, fear and idiocy that serve as the basis for bigotry in any of its forms. How many movies of any genre can one say THAT about?
The film begins, appropriately, with a scene recreating a factual example of bigotry in one of its most recent and darkest forms  as a family of Jews in 1944 Poland is marched to its doom in a Nazi concentration camp. We discover later on that the young lad has survived the experience and that he is actually one of the first of a new breed of `mutants' being caused by a sudden leap in the human evolutionary cycle. It seems that these mutants begin manifesting their various differences around the time of puberty, and that as the 21st Century progresses and more and more of these special people begin to reveal themselves, the world finds itself grappling with the issue of whether or not they should be denied equal rights and equal citizenship and even whether or not they should be allowed to remain integrated with the rest of society. In many ways, I imagine that this film speaks with particular significance to the gay community, since in contemporary terms, that seems to be the group most often targeted with the kind of ignorant, vitriolic claptrap we hear coming from the outraged `normal' citizens and opportunistic politicians in the film. The X-Men are a group of mutants (women included, by the way) with super-human powers whose twofold mission it is to prevent the world's lawmakers from passing legislation against them and to simultaneously fight off some renegade mutants who have decided to take matters into their own, less diplomatic hands. Kudos to writer David Hayder and director Bryan Singer for daring to explore such a profound theme in such an entertaining format.
For make no mistake about it: `X-Men,' for all its profundity and thematic richness, is, first and foremost, a stylish and enthralling comic book action thriller. Even though the mutant heroes are essentially two-dimensional characters, at least they don't undercut the seriousness of their purpose by indulging in the customary wisecracking, adolescent antics that have diminished so many earlier super hero characters in previous films of this nature. Most impressive is that the `villain' possesses not only a credible motive for his actions, but even the seeds of some long dormant goodness that allow for the possibility of his redemption somewhere down the road. (And it is indeed obvious that this film provides a dandy setup for a potentially lucrative series of films to follow). The first-rate action stunt sequences and state-of-the-art special effects contribute greatly to the entertainment level of the film. Of the actors, the standout is Patrick Stewart who, as the mutant dedicated to building a bridge of tolerance and understanding between the mutants and the outside world, brings just the right note of comforting civility and rationality to the role.
Yet, for all its technical virtues as an action film, it is the depth and breadth of its vision that separates `X-Men' from so many other films of its genre and makes it truly worthwhile viewing. As grateful moviegoers, our appetite is whetted  and we eagerly await our next serving.