X-Men (2000)

Reviewed by Christian Pyle
Directed by Bryan Singer  
Written by David Hayter
Starring Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Famke 
Janssen, James Marsden, Bruce Davison, and Anna Paquin
Grade:  B+

For the uninitiated: The X-Men are superheroes who are mutants. Mutants, according to Marvel Comics, are born with a genetic change which makes them a different species and gives each mutant a unique superpower that is manifested during puberty. Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) formed the X-Men to combat evil mutants and founded a School for Gifted Youngsters so that teenage mutants would have a place to hang. Xavier's philosophical opposite is Magneto (Ian McKellen), a militant mutant leader who wants to use force to make a place for mutants in the world.

The X-Men were introduced in the comic books in 1963 and revived with a new membership in 1975. The new team prospered and soon became the most popular comic book in America. Over the last twenty years, Marvel has spun-off numerous titles and introduced dozens of mutant heroes and villains.

In adapting the comics to a movie, the filmmakers had to pare down the comic-book cast to the most popular characters. Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) has an indestructible metal skeleton, sharp metal claws, the ability to heal nearly any wound, feral senses, and a disagreeable disposition. Rogue (Anna Paquin) sucks the life-force out of people with her touch. Cyclops (James Marsden) shoots laser beams out of his eyes. Storm (Halle Berry) controls the weather. Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) moves objects with her mind, and Prof. X is a telepath.

The X-Men's arch-enemy, Magneto, emits magnetism. His Brotherhood is a hodge-podge of popular villains from the comic books. Sabretooth (Tyler Mane) is a furry beast-man. Mystique (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) shifts shape, and the wall-crawling Toad (Ray Park) licks people from hundreds of feet away.

Here's the plot: Senator Robert Kelly (Bruce Davison) is proposing legislation to register all mutants because he sees them as a threat to normal folks. This brings to a head the ongoing feud between Prof. X and Magneto (Ian McKellen) While that's brewing, teenager Rogue discovers her mutant powers and darts off toward Alaska. In a seedy bar in the frozen north, she meets Wolverine. They hang together long enough to introduce Wolvie's various attributes before Sabretooth (Tyler Mane) crashes the party, trying to recruit Rogue and Wolverine for the Brotherhood. However, Cyclops and Storm end up taking home the beleaguered pair. But Magneto isn't done with them yet . . .

Although many cranky X-Fans will be lamenting, "But what about [name of fave mutant here]?," six heroes, four villains, and a senator are a lot of characters for one movie. Consider how bloated "Batman and Robin" was with only three heroes, three villains, and a butler. It's easy to see why movies about superhero teams are even more rare than comic-book movies in general. There just isn't enough time to introduce and develop all those characters in the downtime between slugfests. The solution that director Bryan Singer and screenwriter David Hayter come up with is brilliant; they focus on Wolverine and Rogue and sketch out the rest of the characters only as much as needed. Not only does that trim down the amount of exposition needed, but it also allows the audience to come to the X-Men from the perspective of a bewildered outsider.

The script does miss a few beats, though. Magneto has this big evil machine that somehow works off of his magnetic powers, but no one ever really explains how it does. The last scene confused me completely, but I can't really do into it without giving away the end. Some of the humor works wonderfully (particularly the taunts between Wolverine and Cyclops), but other lines fall miserably flat.

Despite its flaws, "X-Men" is the first Marvel Comics movie to approximate the thrills of the comic book without stumbling into campiness. Hayter's script incorporates crucial X-Themes. As in the comics, mutants are a metaphor for any oppressed minority, allowing for blanket commentary on the politics of fear and hatred that use minorities to threaten the majority. Another common Marvel theme: superpowers are more a curse than a blessing. This is particularly true for Rogue, who is a troubled teen terrified by her own powers.

"X-Men" is visually impressive. The special effects are amazingly lifelike and include Toad's long-distance licking, Mystique's morphing, and Wolvie's claw-popping. Some of the sets were rather bland (Prof. X has a thing for stainless steel walls) while others were quite inventive. I wish the black leather uniforms were more colorful.

The cast is lead by two Shakespearean actors, Stewart and McKellen, and their resonant voices enriched their parts. I wish that the script had given McKellen more meat to chew, but despite an early scene where we see young Magneto's mother dragged away to die in the Nazi gas chambers Magneto seems to be the standard badguy-bent-on-world-domination. The bulk of the acting challenges went to Jackman and Paquin, and they both did fine jobs. Jackman's Wolverine is younger and less hard-boiled than his four-color counterpart, but Jackman gives us a well-rounded character who is sympathetic and likeable in spite of his gruff manner. Oscar-winner Paquin is also in fine form and makes Rogue a teenage misfit we can all identify with.

Any movie version of something that has an insular cult following has to pull off the difficult task of appealing to both the faithful and the general public. Singer aims for a middle ground between the two. If you stand outside a theater showing "X-Men," you'll hear the True Believers exiting in heated discussion of how many things were changed. I found it more fun to focus on how much the filmmakers retained: Wolverine's adamantium skeleton and amnesia, the way Storm's eyes go white when she uses her powers, the Blackbird jet, even the street address of Xavier's School. And what about all those moviegoers who don't know a mutant from a muskrat? As I watched, I tried to imagine how I would react to this movie if I had never read an X-Men comic book. I concluded that I might suffer from information overload and have a hard time following parts of the movie. "X-Men" may prove a hard sell to the average popcorn-cruncher.

I had a great time, though. I hope the effort proves successful and spawns sequels and imitations of the same high quality. (The cast of "X-Men" are signed for two more pictures, so there's a likelihood of a trilogy if this one doesn't tank.)

Bottom Line:  Better than I X-pected

© 2000 Christian L. Pyle

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