X-Men Reviews

Not one of the best Superhero films but a long way from one of the worst. While with imperfections and better was to follow in the franchise, X-Men is a good film and a solid start though with a yet-to-properly-find-its-feet feel. X-Men is well-made, the special effects while not mind-blowing are great, the film was slickly shot and edited and the dark, moody visual style worked wonders. Michael Kamen's music score had those grand, mysterious, rousing and haunting qualities that really add a lot to the film's atmosphere. Apart from the odd cheesy moment the dialogue is smart and taut with some subtle humour that thankfully did not feel out of place, and Bryan Singer shows that he does know how to direct an action sequence, tell a good story and not let the special effects overwhelm everything, a solid directing job indeed. The story, while simple compared to what was to follow in the succeeding films, is compelling and doesn't try and take itself too seriously or like a joke. The character exposition was nicely done on the whole and doesn't drag things down too much, Cyclops, Storm and Toad are underdeveloped but Wolverine and especially Magneto(who actually has depth to him rather than being a clichéd villain) are interesting characters. The relationships between the characters were also believable, Wolverine and Rogue's was a standout. And the story didn't feel like it was second fiddle to the action sequences, which weren't big and bold as such but were tightly choreographed and performed with spirit and passion. Admittedly though the Statue of Liberty climax while strikingly filmed is on the silly side at times, but it was fun too. The cast are mostly very good, apart from a stiff James Marsden(he and Famke Janssen's chemistry was very bland), a monotone Tyler Mane and Halle Berry and Ray Park also felt a bit bland. Hugh Jackman however shows great charisma as the lead character Wolverine and has a powerful screen presence, Rebecca Romijin-Stamos is a sexy and icy Mystique, Anna Paquin did bring a feistiness to Rogue and Famke Janssen is fine. Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen promise much on paper, and both of them deliver, Stewart brings a cool, classy command to the screen as Professor X but even better is McKellen, who is certainly menacing but gives Magneto a sympathetic edge. To conclude, a good film and a solid start to the franchise. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Not one of the best Superhero films but a long way from one of the worst. While with imperfections and better was to follow in the franchise, X-Men is a good film and a solid start though with a yet-to-properly-find-its-feet feel. X-Men is well-made, the special effects while not mind-blowing are great, the film was slickly shot and edited and the dark, moody visual style worked wonders. Michael Kamen's music score had those grand, mysterious, rousing and haunting qualities that really add a lot to the film's atmosphere. Apart from the odd cheesy moment the dialogue is smart and taut with some subtle humour that thankfully did not feel out of place, and Bryan Singer shows that he does know how to direct an action sequence, tell a good story and not let the special effects overwhelm everything, a solid directing job indeed. The story, while simple compared to what was to follow in the succeeding films, is compelling and doesn't try and take itself too seriously or like a joke. The character exposition was nicely done on the whole and doesn't drag things down too much, Cyclops, Storm and Toad are underdeveloped but Wolverine and especially Magneto(who actually has depth to him rather than being a clichéd villain) are interesting characters. The relationships between the characters were also believable, Wolverine and Rogue's was a standout. And the story didn't feel like it was second fiddle to the action sequences, which weren't big and bold as such but were tightly choreographed and performed with spirit and passion. Admittedly though the Statue of Liberty climax while strikingly filmed is on the silly side at times, but it was fun too. The cast are mostly very good, apart from a stiff James Marsden(he and Famke Janssen's chemistry was very bland), a monotone Tyler Mane and Halle Berry and Ray Park also felt a bit bland. Hugh Jackman however shows great charisma as the lead character Wolverine and has a powerful screen presence, Rebecca Romijin-Stamos is a sexy and icy Mystique, Anna Paquin did bring a feistiness to Rogue and Famke Janssen is fine. Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen promise much on paper, and both of them deliver, Stewart brings a cool, classy command to the screen as Professor X but even better is McKellen, who is certainly menacing but gives Magneto a sympathetic edge. To conclude, a good film and a solid start to the franchise. 7/10 Bethany Cox

I actually already saw this movie but since it was a while back and since I had this movie on DVD, I thought I might as well check it out again. Nowadays, the box-office is pretty much ruled by Marvel but it took them actually a while to take over the market, some other studios like Fox were in fact some of the pioneers in the genre and this movie was definitely a major milestone. Still, even though this movie was a commercial and critical success when it was released, it didn't completely work for me. The biggest issue, in my opinion, was that the running time was just too  short. Indeed, the damned thing was only about 100 minutes long but they had to introduce a dozen of super-heros and Professor Xavier's school for mutants, they had to deal with the love-hate relationship between Magneto and Professor Xavier, to deal with the love triangle involving Logan-Jean Grey-Cyclops, to deal with the increasing fear and discrimination from the humans towards the mutants and there was also some rather half-baked plan cooked up by Magneto. Seriously, most of it was pretty cool and entertaining but there was simply not enough time to develop anything properly, the biggest victim being the gorgeous Halle Berry who had the most thankless and boring part in this movie. To conclude, in spite of its flaws, I have to admit it, it was still a decent watch and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

Before Hogwarts - the school for wizards and witches - there was Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. These Gifted Youngsters are mutants look just like us, but have incredible powers that some believe to be an endangerment to those around them. This first entry in the X-Men film franchise kicked off a commercially successful film series, though their critical reception varies greatly. Simply titled "X-Men," this was among the first successful comic-book films, and more or less ushered in Marvel's eventual reign over the super-hero genre. And to be honest, I'm a bit surprised that this film was such a mainstream success.

X-Men focuses primarily on Wolverine who has the ability to self-heal, and can also extend huge, claw-like daggers from his knuckles. He doesn't remember anything about his past, but perhaps Charles Xavier - a mutant himself - can help him.

X-Men is really silly, and really stupid. But the film seems to know that it's really silly and really stupid. Whether its self-aware and almost parody-like environment was an intentional factor or not, the X-Men is a solidly entertaining super-hero film, despite its multitude of problems.

Even though Wolverine is the primary protagonist of the film, there's a massive array of other characters that the film tries to give ample screentime to. As a result, X-Men is cluttered and despite quite a bit of exposition, nothing really gets explained. The direction is all over the place, and the opening scene (a bit of backstory for the antagonist, Magneto) seems completely unnecessary.

And yet, X-Men is an enjoyable film thanks to solid performances and (mostly) interesting characters. Hugh Jackman plays Wolverine with just the right amount of heroism, frustration, and sarcasm to avoid falling into obvious cliches or stereotypes. The highlights of the cast are undoubtedly Ian McKellan as the evil Magneto, and Patrick Stewart as the wise Charles Xavier. They bounce off of each other brilliantly. Every scene they're in truly brings the film to life.

Unfortunately, there are several less impressive cast members. The worst of the bunch include Famke Janssen, Halle Berry, and Anna Paquinn - the latter of which occasionally uses a strong Southern accent, and at other times, forgets it.

Michael Kamen's score is less enjoyable than the film itself. While it has a smattering of tongue-in-cheek fanfares, it also contains dated synthetics, and unmemorable themes. It works well enough in the film, but I'm not inspired to seek any of it out elsewhere.

It's far from perfect, but it's a lot better than many other super-hero franchise-starters. It's got plenty of interesting action sequences, likable characters, and fresh ideas. I'm surprised that audiences have taken to it so much considering its many inconsistencies and notable problems, but it's an excellent time waster.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

While it does have its share of witty character moments, overall I found this movie a little too slow and unfulfilling. It has about as much content and stakes as a TV episode, and feels about as long as well; nothing particularly grand ever happens. Still, it does have its highlights, like the accident with Rogue in Wolverine's bedroom, and especially the teamwork in the climax. But on the whole, it's not really anything special. Now, X-Men 2, on the other hand… we'll get to that awesomeness here: www.listal.com/viewentry/6423252! :) I'd actually recommend watching the two back-to-back, because that's exactly what this one feels like: a warm-up before the feature presentation.

My rating: 65%

X-Men is a very impressive movie, although it always gets overshadowed by its immediate successor and it's not hard to see why. This one is kinda raw, delivers the goods, but feels unpolished, hurried even. But I gotta say, I loved Bryan Singer's direction and his way of handling such a big cast. Gotta give him that. Like some of the superhero films, this one also has messages and themes to it to which audiences can relate to, in this case: Outcast, loneliness, insecurity and the like. I enjoyed the way how the film starts off and brilliantly keeps rolling till the finish. But it was a little low on the dialogues though but that's nothing.

Speaking of performances, Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier), Ian McKellen (Magneto) and Hugh Jackman (Wolverine) were fitting and iconic in their roles. All three masterfully tackled their characters and fleshed it out 100% and never faltered one bit. It's a good thing Singer kept them in the sequels as well. The rest of the cast were pretty decent, although I liked them better in the sequels, but none were as impressive as Anna Paquin (Rogue). She's like a modern-teen icon for, what, insecurity...??? Maybe? I loved her performance and her chemistry with almost everyone was good!

In conclusion, one of my favourite superhero films and it's definitely worth checking out!

7.5/10

If this film had been given to the wrong director it could have been incredibly cheesy. Being a reader of the comics I know that there are a few things that works on the page of a comic book but not in a film and let me say that the costumes is one of these things that in all probability wouldn't work. Singer chose to go with black leather outfits and I, for one, am very thankful for this choice. There are many things in this film that works but unfortunately there are a few things as well that prevent the film from being truly great.

Lets start with the things that work. Acting wise the film is very good. This is above all attributed to some excellent casting. Hugh Jackman is simply perfect as Wolverine and brings out the duality of the character in a very satisfactory manner. Also the scenes were we see a glimpse of the rage in the character work remarkably well. The only thing that could be said about him is that he is too tall but it seems most people, including myself, have accepted this fact. I think also that it was a wise choice to let a relatively unknown actor play the part because in that way we have no preconceived notions about him. As for Professor X no other man than Patrick Stewart could/should play him. Stewart simply becomes Xavier both in presence, voice and looks. An example of perfect casting. Ian McKellen is brilliant as Magneto and succeeds in creating a human villain rather than the usual cliché like villains we see in Hollywood productions. The acting aside from the ones mentioned above is pretty good. Not spectacular but good. The only one who does not look and act like the character we know from the comics is Anna Paquin who plays Rogue. The character is nothing like in the comics and Paquin's performance doesn't help the character.

When it comes to music and sound effects in general the film is a notch above average. The musical score has a very grand, even epic, feel to it and this suits the film very well. The score is not as memorable as the score from Batman (1989) but it is very adequate. As for the general sound effects they are both very fitting and believable adding to the overall credibility of the film which is considerable. The sound Wolverine's claws make when they come out is exactly as I imagined it. Very well done. The effects in general are also very well made. Not as good as in Spider-Man but still very good. A lot of care has been taken to make the effects seem as believable as possible and from where I'm standing they work. The only character whose powers I did not fully believe in was Toad's. Ray Park is an excellent athlete but many of his stunts look like obvious wire work. This is a pretty general complaint I have as some of the action look rehearsed. There is, however, some interesting action scenes and overall the action is acceptable.

The story is pretty well written and the dialog is both witty and sharp. Especially much of the dialog between Wolverine and Cyclops (James Marsden) is very entertaining and true to the comic books. Where I feel the story is lacking is in the climax which I am afraid to say is a little silly. Magneto's plan for world domination is actually pretty stupid when you think about it and that is a shame because much of the exposition is very well done. Generally, however, the first film is all about setting the stage for the films to come and it does do that in a satisfactory manner.

its a really good movie. its filled with a lot of action. 2 me its a must c movie. its the 1st of the series and every1 know the 1st movie is alwayz the best. idc wat anybody else thinks it is awesome. dnt u nerds try 2 deny it. u know u like it. dats pretty much all i can say bout a movie as great as this 1. i mean come on here i am writing a review nd i cant think of anytin bcuz im so feakin speechless.

The idea of mutants and humans is great.

This film is obviously at a specific public that will enjoy such movies and soundtrack.
It's a fun trilogy - but as with most trilogies, the quality goes downhill.
The first X-Men was really enjoyable, while the next two were mediocre in quality; it shows even in the actors' performances.

In any case, it's fun, action-filled, and it's got a good cast. The movie is worth watching just for that.