New isn't always bad

Rating: 8/10 (11 June 2006)

I've seen a succession of rather disappointing old films recently, including a couple that were very well reviewed everywhere, so I decided to take a risk and go to see the latest 21st-century holiday blockbuster, just for a change -- despite the fact that the local reviews have been decidedly mediocre.
To my astonishment and delight, I actually enjoyed it very much. I rate this an 8, but it's actually verging on a 9 (I'll deduct a mark for some apparent plot holes and continuity slips); the 'tears' sections don't really work for me, but the humour, shock and excitement were all spot-on, and I really felt an emotional connection with the film: something I've sorely missed of late. The plot was intelligent and even-handed, resisting the temptation to draw heavy analogies with contemporary issues, and the character of Magneto was outstanding; it is impossible not to sympathise with this brilliant man as his worst fears come true, and as we see the old friendship between him and Xavier, and yet every time we are tempted to view him as a misunderstood prophet, we are reminded of just how ruthless he really is.
The humour I found more effective than in the first two films; I liked little wordless touches such as the way in which the woman in the car finds herself surrounded by unbelievably powerful mutants and... locks the window -- a very natural and yet ridiculously out-of-scale reaction. Jean Grey's distress and instability after she kills both her lover and her mentor were very well done; she has put herself in Magneto's camp almost by default, and yet she is not truly on either side any more. I'm not particularly happy about series that kill off popular characters and then diminish the impact by casually resurrecting them, but in this case the film redeems itself, as it were, by tapping into the longstanding law of consequences ("The Monkey's Paw", "Pet Sematary") that warns that it is never that easy -- that bringing back the dead can be worse that simply mourning them. (I do cringe every time characters refer tritely to 'moving on', though...)
My acquaintance with the X-Men is limited entirely to the big screen; I've never read the comic strips and so have no beef with supposed liberties taken with the original characters. Considered as a stand-alone product I found this film better-paced and more effective than its predecessors, although it would make no sense without them. Definitely the best new release I've seen this year... although admittedly it's the ONLY new release I've bothered to see this year, so this isn't saying much!
The most recent 'old' film I enjoyed more than this one was "On the Beach" (1959); so that's quite an endorsement. I'm glad I went.