X-Men (2000)
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X-Men Movie Review
X-Men is a 2000 superhero film directed by Bryan Singer and starring Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen and Hugh Jackman. It is a solid, yet very troublesome film in context.
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“You know, people like you are the reason
I was afraid to go to school as a child.“
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As the first entry in the X-Men franchise, the film is disappointing. It sets up the sequels well, but as a standalone feature, it doesn’t quite work. The main problem is the plot which is too simplistic when compared to other entries to come. It also lacks clear focus and is good mostly as a setup.
Let’s talk about the characters. I found Wolverine to be memorable here as he’s as good as always in this installment. Magneto and Professor X also have their moments and this a fine introduction to these amazing characters. Cyclops and Jean Grey are solid and I liked the triangle between them and Magneto, it was well established for the first time here.
Mystique is disappointing and although great in terms of the action sequences, as a character, she is lacking and I think she didn’t even get any line of dialogue which is ridiculous. Storm is as boring and as frustrating as ever. And I have a conflicting opinion on Rogue. On the one hand, her character is the most tragic and her story is both emotional and well crafted. But on the other hand, even though this is in some parts her own movie, she didn’t get a lot to do in ‘X2’ and thus they never really did anything with her which is just unfortunate. The treatment of this character is just as poor as the treatment of Storm.
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The acting is expectedly good, everyone did a great job and it is great watching Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman and Ian McKellen in particular for the first time in their great roles. But James Marsden and Famke Janssen are also quite good.
Bryan Singer directed X-Men quite well and the film is somewhat well paced and well shot, although too dark. The special effects are good for the time being, but now not so much. The entire movie is great and groundbreaking for its time as it is the first ever serious superhero film which has to be respected, but it is nonetheless a bit dated nowadays as time did not treat it well at all.
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I really liked some of the action sequences in the third act. The fight between Wolverine and Mystique was really well done, but the action is overall not the greatest and not particularly memorable as well. The film is well executed and solid as a whole, but just never as good as the succeeding entries will be. It is a solid introduction to the series and rarely being more than that.
X-Men has some very good scenes, strong acting, solidly executed action sequences and it is groundbreaking being one of the first serious superhero films, but the direction, the script and the characters are never as sophisticated or as engaging as they will be in some of the later entries in the franchise.
My Rating – 3.5
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