X-Men

***X-Men*** is a 2000 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comicssuperhero team of the same name, distributed by 20th Century Fox. It is the first installment in the *X-Men* film series. The film, directed by Bryan Singer and written by David Hayter, features an ensemble cast that includes Patrick Stewart,Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, James Marsden,Bruce Davison, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Ray Park and Anna Paquin. It depicts a world in which a small proportion of people are mutants, whose possession ofsuperhuman powers makes them distrusted by normal humans. The film focuses on the mutants Wolverine and Rogue as they are brought into a conflict between two groups that have radically different approaches to bringing about the acceptance of mutantkind: Professor Xavier's X-Men, and the Brotherhood of Mutants, led by Magneto.

Development for *X-Men* began as far back as 1984 with Orion Pictures. At one point James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow were in discussions. The film rights went to 20th Century Fox in 1994 and various scripts and film treatments were commissioned from Andrew Kevin Walker, John Logan, Joss Whedon andMichael Chabon. Singer signed to direct in 1996, with further rewrites by Ed Solomon, Singer, Tom DeSanto, Christopher McQuarrie and David Hayter in which Beast and Nightcrawler were deleted over budget concerns from Fox. *X-Men* marks the Hollywood debut of actor Hugh Jackman, who was a last-second choice for Wolverine, cast three weeks into filming. Filming took place from September 22, 1999 to March 3, 2000, primarily in Toronto. *X-Men* was released to positive reviews and was a financial success, starting the *X-Men* film franchise and spawning a reemergence of superhero films.

## Plot

In 1944 German-occupied Poland, a 13-year-old Erik Lehnsherr is separated from his parents upon entering a concentration camp. While attempting to reach them he causes a set of metal gates to bend towards him, as though attracted by a magnetic force, before being knocked out by guards. Decades later, Senator Robert Kelly attempts to pass a "Mutant Registration Act" in Congress which would force mutants to publicly reveal their identities and abilities. Present are Lehnsherr, now known as Magneto, and the telepathicProfessor Charles Xavier, who privately discuss their differing views on the relationship between humans and mutants.

In Meridian, Mississippi, 17-year-old Marie D'Ancanto accidentally puts her boyfriend into a coma upon kissing him, which was caused by her unknown superhuman ability to absorb the life force and mutant abilities of anyone she touches. In fear, Marie, now going by the name Rogue, runs away to Laughlin City, Alberta. While at a bar, she meets Logan, also known as "Wolverine", who possesses superhuman healing abilities, heightened senses, and metal claws that protrude from his knuckles. While on the road together, they are attacked by Sabretooth, a fellow mutant and an associate of Magneto. Cyclopsand Storm arrive and save Wolverine and Rogue, and bring them to the X-Mansion in Westchester County, New York. They are introduced to Xavier, who leads a group of mutants called the X-Men, who are trying to seek peace with the human race, educate young mutants on their powers, and stop Magneto from escalating the war with humanity.

Senator Kelly is abducted by Magneto's allies Toad and the shapeshifter Mystique and brought to their lair, where Magneto uses Kelly as a test subject for a machine that artificially induces mutation. Kelly uses his new mutant abilities to escape imprisonment. After Rogue uses her powers on Wolverine, she is convinced by Mystique (disguised as classmate Bobby Drake) that Xavier is angry with her and she should leave the school. Xavier uses his mutant-locating machine Cerebro to find Rogue at a train station. Mystique later infiltrates Cerebro and sabotages the machine.

At the train station, Wolverine convinces Rogue to stay with Xavier, but a fight ensues when Magneto, Toad and Sabretooth arrive and kidnap Rogue. Kelly arrives at Xavier's school, but dies shortly after due to the instability of his artificial mutation, which causes his cells to break down into a puddle of water. The X-Men learn that Magneto was severely weakened while testing the machine on Kelly, and realize that he intends to use Rogue's power-transferring ability so that she can power the machine in his place, which will kill her. Xavier attempts to use Cerebro to locate Rogue, but Mystique's sabotage causes him to fall into a coma. Fellow telepath Jean Grey fixes Cerebro, and learns that Magneto plans to place his mutation-inducing machine on Liberty Island and use it to mutate the world leaders meeting for a summit on nearby Ellis Island.

The X-Men scale the Statue of Liberty. Storm electrocutes Toad, and Wolverine stabs Mystique. Magneto transfers his powers to Rogue, and forces her to use them to start the machine. Wolverine kills Sabretooth with the help of Scott and Jean. Storm uses her weather-controlling powers and Jean uses her telekinesis to lift Wolverine to the top of Magneto's machine. Wolverine saves Rogue when Cyclops knocks out Magneto, and destroys the machine. Wolverine touches the dying Rogue's face, and his regenerative abilities are transferred to her, causing her to recover. Professor Xavier recovers from his coma. The group learns that Mystique is still alive, and impersonating Senator Kelly. Xavier tells Wolverine that near where he was found in Canada is an abandoned military base that might contain information about his past. Xavier visits Magneto in a prison cell constructed entirely of plastic, and the two play chess. Magneto warns him that he will continue his fight, to which Xavier promises that he and the X-Men will always be there to stop him.

## Cast

* Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier / Professor X

The mutant founder of the X-Men and the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, who hopes for peaceful coexistence between mutantkind and mankind and is regarded as an authority on genetic mutation. Although restricted to a wheelchair, his mutant powers include vast telepathy, which is amplified by the Cerebro supercomputer that he invented with Magneto's help.
* Hugh Jackman as Logan / Wolverine

A mutant Canadian loner who makes a living in cage fights and has lived for fifteen years without memory of who he is, apart from his dog tags marked "Wolverine" and an adamantium-encased skeleton (as well as adamantium claws). His mutant powers include enhanced, animal-like senses (enabling him to sense other people) and the ability to heal rapidly from numerous injuries, including the surgery that bonded the metal to his skeleton, which makes his age impossible to determine.
* Ian McKellen as Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto

A mutant Holocaust survivor who was once friends with Xavier (with whom he helped build Cerebro), until his belief that humans and mutants could never co-exist led to their separation. His mutant powers include powerful magnetic fields, metal manipulation, and a sophisticated knowledge in matters of genetic manipulation, which he uses to plan a mutation of the world leaders to allow mutant prosperity.
* Brett Morris as young Erik Lehnsherr

* Halle Berry as Ororo Munroe / Storm

A Kenyan teacher at the X-Mansion who has become bitter with other people's hatred for mutants, and while comforting a dying Senator Kelly says that she sometimes hates humans, but mostly because she is afraid of them. Her mutant powers include weather manipulation.
* Famke Janssen as Dr. Jean Grey:

The doctor of the X-Mansion who has a romantic relationship with Cyclops. Her mutant powers include telekinesis and telepathy that are similar to but much less advanced than that of Xavier's, as displayed when she is stunned by the usage of Cerebro.
* James Marsden as Scott Summers / Cyclops

Xavier's second-in-command and the X-Men's field leader, as well as an instructor at the Institute. He is in a relationship with Jean Grey. His mutant powers include a strong red beam of force shooting from his eyes, which is only held in check by sunglasses or a specialized ruby-quartz visor, which also enables him to control the strength of the beam to fire when in combat.
* Bruce Davison as Senator Robert Kelly

An anti-mutant politician who wishes to ban mutant children from schools using a Mutant Registration Act. He is kidnapped by Magneto in a test of his mutation machine, which causes his body to turn into a liquid-like substance.
* Rebecca Romijn-Stamos as Raven Darkhölme / Mystique

Magneto's loyal second-in-command, who seems completely facile with respect to modern technology. Her mutant powers include altering her shape and mimicking any human being, which is almost secondary to her role as "the perfect soldier".
* Ray Park as Toad

A very agile mutant British punk and henchman of Magneto. His mutant powers include a menacing streak, a long, prehensile tongue, a slimy substance that he spits onto others, and quick, toad-like abilities to move.
* Tyler Mane as Sabretooth

A brutal and sadistic mutant Canadian mercenary and henchman of Magneto. His mutant powers include a ferocious, feline-like nature, enhanced animal-like senses, fangs and healing abilities similar to Wolverine's, and claws extending past each finger.
* Anna Paquin as Marie / Rogue

A seventeen-year-old girl forced to leave her home in Mississippi when she puts her boyfriend into a coma by kissing him. Her mutant powers include absorbing anyone's memories, life force, and, in the case of mutants, powers through physical touch.
* Shawn Ashmore as Bobby Drake / Iceman

A student at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters who takes a liking to Rogue. His mutant powers include ice manipulation and changing temperatures to subzero temperatures.
David Hayter, Stan Lee, and Tom DeSanto make cameo appearances. George Buza, the voice of Beast in *X-Men: The Animated Series*, appeared as the truck driver who drops Rogue off at the bar at which Wolverine fights.[3] Other cameo appearances include Sumela Kay as Kitty Pryde, Katrina Florece as Jubilee and Donald MacKinnon as a young Colossussketching a picture in one scene.[4][5] Gambit was considered for one of the students at the X-Mansion. Singer remembered, "We thought about Gambit as the young boy on the basketball field, but the feeling was that if he has the basketball and then releases it and it exploded, [then] people would be like 'What's wrong with those basketballs?'"