The summer of 2000 has a lot to offer when it comes to movies, and Bryan
Singer's X-MEN only adds to your choices.
OK – it's not the comic book, but it's a darn well-made movie, with a large
and solid cast, and you don't have to be familiar with Stan Lee's comics to
pick up and enjoy the story.
The premise? A result of quickened evolution, mutated humans have developed
a range of extraordinary powers. Trouble is, they pose a threat to the rest
of humanity, or at least to those hatemongers who want to pass laws to force
`mutants' to register (as Jews registered early during the Nazi terrors?).
Many mutants are allied with Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), who
runs a special school for `gifted youngsters' and who is himself a mutant,
with powerful telepathic capabilities. Dr. X's nemesis is Magneto (Sir Ian
McKellen), a sometime friend who believes he is leading a war against humans
– the species that would annihilate mutants. Magneto's specialty is
creating magnetic fields, and all kinds of mayhem involving metal.
A side conflict that flows into the primary one involves Senator Robert
Jefferson Kelly (Bruce Davison), who is the main political force against
mutants. In one early scene he is assailing the credibility of Dr. Jean
Grey (Famke Janssen), who is testifying before Congress on behalf of her
fellow differently abled homo sapiens. (Dr. Grey is telekinetic, with
telepathic powers in their infant stages.) What keeps us engaged in the
story is the question of whether Magneto will succeed in his campaign
against conventional humankind. Will he thwart both Senator Kelly and the
superintelligent Dr. Xavier?
The acting is strong, helping to make a fantastic story more plausible.
Stewart delivers a magnificently understated performance, showing the
control and range of emotion of a master actor. I would tend to agree with
some critics that McKellen is a tad too old for Magneto, though he too
achieves a masterful subtlety of character. This is a pair of seriously
talented actors playing unusual but gripping antagonists.
Hugh Jackman plays a brooding Wolverine. This character is virtually
indestructible, his powers a bizarre combination; his body almost instantly
heals itself, but his mind is continually bothered by the traumatic
experiments done to him at some earlier time (that he cannot remember). The
perverse experimenters implanted a wondrous metal skeleton throughout his
body. Anyhow…Wolverine is moody and extremely powerful, his sword-like
talons shooting from his knuckles, and Hugh Jackman creates a level of
sympathy that superheroes don't usually receive.
The rest of Wolverine's cohorts – the `good' X-Men working with Xavier –
include Janssen as Jean Grey, Grey's boyfriend Cyclops (James Marsden),
Storm (Halle Berry) and the newcomer Rogue (Anna Paquin). The baddies –
Magneto's henchmen – are Sabretooth (Tyler Mane), Toad (Ray Park), and the
intriguing Mystique (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos). Although some of these
characters are featured less than others, all of the actors turn in
transparent jobs.
Bryan Singer keeps a tight pace but does not ignore characterization. His
scenes are functional, and they don't feel the pressure of supplying
non-stop action. We need to feel close to the featured X-Men, just as Stan
Lee causes readers to sympathize with the print versions of these mutated
heroes. And character development serves Lee's creative purposes.
If you are a fan of the comic, you will be instantly aware of the plainness
of the heroes' costumes. Wolverine appears mostly in street clothes, and
when he joins the other X-Men, he dons their same black body armor. (We are
treated to a piece of wit, by the way, concerning Wolverine's usual yellow
tights.) I think the lack of flamboyance actually helps the story; we are
not distracted by the neon colors. In addition, Jean Grey appears normal,
Janssen's dark hair supplanting Grey's orange. Good decisions, Mr. Singer.
In all, X-MEN does suffer from the formulaic blues, the clichés of superhero
stories coming out all over. But there is enough catchy dialog, cool
powers, and human interest to make the running time seem very quick.
Wherever your tastes in movies run, X-MEN will keep you entertained this
summer.
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