X-Men (2000) Review

 

X-Men (2000)

X-Men follows Wolverine and the X-Men in their mission to stop Magneto from unwillingly turning humans into mutants, in the light of a new mutant strain in teenagers.

I have to give it to Bryan Singer, while the movie is a bit corny and outdated, it holds up remarkably well in it’s statements on humanity and power. We get a compelling villain in Magneto who is one side of a coin that either way it’s flipped, is right in some sense. I see stark parallels between him and Charles with Malcom X and MLK during the civil rights movement where both want what’s right, it’s just the way they go about it that differs. Regular people are the catalyst for that, discriminating and moving to pass laws to make mutants identify themselves to the public. It’s world building at it’s best, integrating it hand in hand with the introduction of all of these characters and each’s ulterior motives.

The movie does suffer a tad in Magneto’s supporting cast however; with Toad and Sabertooth being absolutely ridiculous. The weird fatherly but sexual in nature relationship between adult Wolverine and teenage Rogue was also really weird and I still don’t know how to interpret that. I gotta say that the fight choreography was terrible as well, being a cheesy mishmash where characters are introduced as powerful but then get their asses kicked in any other situation.

The cast has become classic in the years since though, featuring Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Anna Paquin, James Marsden, Famke Janssen, and Hugh Jackman. Jackman is a bit different than the grizzled Wolverine we’ve come to know in years since, but this solidified him as a badass, portraying the character with a gritty swagger to him, with his chemistry (or lack of) being perfect with Marsden. I also really admire the respect of McKellen and Stewart being on opposite sides morally, but similar sides in the fight for mutants.

X-Men, set in the post-Spider Man revolution of superhero movies adds a darkness that is inherently cool, though with a touch of leather and corny dialogue that has made it a decent product of it’s time that kicked off a near 20 year long series of X-Men properties to follow.

7.3/10