Unlike any other comic-book movie

Rating: 8/10 (14 July 2000)

This movie has a great and unique quality - it is a comic-book movie that develops its own story while, at the same time, keeping loyal to its characters and backgrounds. There's the usual good points to mention: the heroes and villains look great, the FX are good. The action is satisfactory but if you were looking for an intense, edge-of-your-seat action movie,(i.e. something like the Matrix); you may be disappointment. This is not where the heart of this movie lies. What drives this movie is not the unique fight-scenes that only super-human individuals could reach, but the characters. This movie is about the personal struggles of the characters; against their enemies and among each other. The director, Bryan Singer, uses his experience as an apt director to carry this through. Singer does a lot for this movie: great camera angles, editing, and a sleak and serious overall look. But his best contribution is how he directs the actors. Character development is done with very few words of dialogue and Singer seems to know that the right expression and gestures will say more about a person than any great, Shakespeare-esque speech could ever hope to do. This movie has not only made is plausible but tasteful to have a sequel; perhaps even a series of movies. By the end of this film, important questions were unanswered and personal issues were left unresolved - just like life. I loved this movie and I hope that a sequel follows tightly to the style of the original.