X-Men (2000)

(20th Century Fox) Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, Tyler Mane, Ray Park, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Bruce Davison. Screenplay: David Hayter. Producers: Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter. Director: Bryan Singer. MPAA Rating: PG-13 (violence, profanity, adult themes) Running Time: 100 minutes. Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.

I think it's fair to say that I've been looking forward to a film version of X-MEN for a while now -- somewhere in the neighborhood of 23 years, as a matter of fact. X-MEN #107 was one of the first comic books I ever bought, and it launched me on a love affair with the medium that abated only when, as a college student, I could no longer afford my habit. Some readers may suspect that this history would lead me to go easy on an adolescent fan-boy. Personally, I thought it would make me much tougher. After all, a 23-year wait can do something to one's expectations. I didn't think I'd settle for anything less than the kind of comic book adaptation you almost never see: one that combines rousing heroic action with a solid story.

To my joy and astonishment, that's exactly what I got. X-MEN is not just a great comic book movie; it's actually a pretty good movie _period_. For those unfamiliar with the source material, the X-Men are mutants -- humans with unusual powers that manifest themselves during puberty. Telepathic mutant Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) has dedicated himself to helping mutants learn to cope with their powers at his School for Gifted Youngsters, mutants like retractable claw-wielding Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and a teenager called Rogue (Anna Paquin) who absorbs the life force of people she touches. Xavier also has a powerful adversary in Magneto (Ian McKellen), who sees mutants as destined for superiority, and who believes the mass of humanity fears and hates mutant-kind. It seems Magneto's perspective is justified when U.S. Senator Robert Kelly (Bruce Davison) begins advocating for mutants to register with the government. And when Magneto and his Brotherhood of Mutants set in motion a plan to mutate all of humanity, you can bet that a battle with Xavier's X-Men is not far off.

The X-Men universe has grown pretty unwieldy over the years, but director Bryan Singer (THE USUAL SUSPECTS) and his team of writers wisely keep the focus on a limited number of characters: team leader Cyclops (James Marsden), telekinetic Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) and weather manipulator Storm (Halle Berry). Even more wisely, he focuses primarily on Wolverine and his paternal relationship with the fragile, frightened Rogue. That choice not only gives the story an emotional anchor, it gives plenty of screen time to X-MEN's most intriguing character and easily its best performance. You've probably never seen Australian actor Hugh Jackman before -- though he resembles a brawnier Gary Sinise -- but you will see him again, because the guy has charisma to burn. Jackman offers everything a fan could hope for in a portrayal of Wolverine, from the trademark muttonchops to the genuine sense of mystery and menace. If X-MEN had nothing else going for it but Jackman, it would still be worth seeing.

The wonderful thing is that X-MEN _does_ have more going for it. Drawing on one of the comic's best stories of the 1980s, X-MEN effectively uses the subtext of anti-mutant hysteria as a combination of Red scare (there's a great moment in a Senate debate in which Kelly waves around a "list of names of known mutants"), racism and homophobia. It offers dozens of insider gags for the X-Men faithful, while avoiding the slavish devotion to every detail that can interfere in solid film story-telling. And, just in case it matters to anyone, it offers some of the kick-ass-in'-est action scenes this side of THE MATRIX. The climactic battle between the X-Men and the Brotherhood -- including shape-shifter Mystique (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos), tongue-flicker Toad (Ray Park) and bone-crusher Sabretooth (Tyler Mane) -- is simply superb. The fact that you don't have to wade through 90 minutes of junk to get to it is a wonderful bonus.

Of course X-MEN has its flaws. There's not much for Halle Berry to do but look intense when her eyes go white, which is probably all for the best given the Incredible Disappearing Accent she occasionally employs. The script also doesn't do quite enough with turning Magneto into a genuinely tragic villain, especially given the amount of time devoted to his back-story in the prologue. It's always tough for a film like X-MEN to lay the foundation while still delivering the goods, so it's inevitable that there are going to be some lulls and loose ends. I was startled, however, by how few there were. Maybe my inner adolescent fan-boy did emerge during X-MEN, but it emerged because the film reminded me of the best the comic book had to offer, as well as some of the best an action film can offer. I think it was worth the wait, though I have a sneaking suspicion it won't be 23 years before the X-Men hit the screen again.

     On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 homo superiors:  8.

                   Visit Scott Renshaw's Screening Room
                    http://www.inconnect.com/~renshaw/
                                   ***
             Subscribe to receive new reviews directly by email!
 See the Screening Room for details, or reply to this message with subject
                               "Subscribe".