Lively movie; weak story

Rating: 8/10 (14 June 2011)

How can one judge a movie that on its face is campy? Can a campy movie be judged on the same basis as let's say a non-campy movie? This movie is highly entertaining, yet tells a story that is so absurd that it's almost laughable, and the movie is not a comedy. The mutants are wonderful and their powers are impressive, but so what? The audience can relate to a character like, let's say, Superman, who has super powers but otherwise is no different from his human counterparts. X-men however are quite different which makes them a less lovable, far more weird, and potentially more menacing. One does not have to be concerned that Batman is going to to a number on Gotham City or that Spiderman is going to weave a huge web around his friends. Yet one is not sure about these X-men. Some are good and some are bad. It makes for a lively movie with lots of special effects and all kinds of story twists which grabs and keeps the audience's attention, yet leaves one wondering: why do these X-men exist in the first place? What is their mission?