X-Men Movie Review

X-Men (2000)

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Written by: Tom DeSanto & Bryan Singer (story), David Hayter (screenplay)
Directed by: Bryan Singer
Starring: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Halley Berry, Anna Paquin, Ray Park, Rebecca Romijn
Rated: PG-13
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Plot
In a world where mutants (evolved super-powered humans) exist and are discriminated against, two groups form for an inevitable clash: the supremacist Brotherhood, and the pacifist X-Men.

Verdict
It certainly seems simplistic and small compared to Marvel movies now, but upon release this was one of the first comic book movies with a realistic approach. Excellent casting certainly helps while focusing on fan favorite Wolverine, but what I appreciate most about the movie is the civil rights subtext. This movie prompts a lot of discussion with registrations for mutants and fear mongering.
Watch It.

Review
This movie helped pave the way for Marvel movies, featuring comic book heroes that weren't just Batman and Superman. It helped that X-Men comics and the television series had primed my generation for the movie.

Hugh Jackman plays Wolverine

Wolverine/Logan (Hugh Jackman) is the closest to a main character with the most background provided. Jackman became synonymous with the character, and Wolverine has always been a favorite due to his abilities and those awesome claws. The casting all around is excellent.

The other main character is Rogue (Anna Paquin). We get to see her discover her powers and deal with the realization that her life will never be the same. She runs into Wolverine just to simplify the plot.

Patrick Stewart plays Professor Xavier

This certainly seems simplistic for a super hero movie now, but I like how this is more grounded. This doesn't rely on huge battles. The strength is the story. This is a civil rights story amplified. The X-man want to help "mutants" live free from government registration and scrutiny. The normal people are afraid of mutants, but the only reason the villain, Magneto (Ian McKellan), wants to attack is to prevent mutants being put into camps and excluded from society. That's the core of this story. Magneto wants to fight the government to keep mutants free while Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) wants to teach them and help them understand. This isn't the good guys stopping the bad guys from world domination. This is a fundamental conflict on how to react to a government that wants to take away your freedoms.

We get to see one politician who is staunchly anti-mutant. He uses rhetoric and fear to make his point. Unironically, he's transformed into a mutant and gets to see the side of the issues he refused to consider.

It's a double layer of story that makes this worth watching. The social commentary is powerful. It also doesn't hurt that Jackman seems born for the role. The movie had a great vision on how to show off his claws, and that works really well. This had to be an influence of future comic films when adapting a comic to be realistic.

This doesn't have the big budget wow factor of Marvel movies, but it does have more to say.