X-Men [HD]

What the Batman franchise should have been.
X-Men, the first REAL attempt at bringing a Marvel Comic to life on the silver screen, succeeds on several levels. First, it is well written, leaving just enough cheese and in-jokes for fans of the comics--but it doesn't ignore the newbie, either. Each important plot point is explained, and we are saved from watching the "origin" of every character.

Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Patrick Stewart as Professor X, and Ian McKellan as Magneto really steal the show. They've embodied their characters, and work well together. The message of discrimination is never played heavy-handed, but it comes across. All in all, a solid performance.

Michael Kamen's music is wonderful and fitting. Just the right amount of adrenaline and somberness. (I recommend you by the CD as well as the DVD!)

In short, X-Men is a rewarding superhero flick. People with children however, should be warned that there is an amount of violence, but it is not gory. All in all, and excellent movie.

Better than it should have been.
Comic books are notoriously difficult to translate to feature-film format. Goodness knows, there have been missteps in the past. But director Brian Singer does about as good a job as can be reasonably expected. First off, we need to thank the makers of Mission Impossible 2 for running over-schedule, thus tying up actor Dougray Scott and consequently allowing actor Hugh Jackman to play Wolverine. Jackman is the standout in this movie. His wonderfully understated performance as the "reluctant hero" is arguably the centerpiece of this film.

What distinguishes this film from other lesser film adaptions is an intelligent script, or at least intelligent for the genre. Character development isn't sacrificed to make room for more standard mindless special effects and action setpieces, like in some movies ("Batman and Robin", anyone?).

The in-jokes are funny, and the characters' history and motivations are treated with a fan's level of respect.

If the...

X-CEPTIONAL ENTERTAINMENT!
At last, with comic book adaptations, Hollywood is starting to get it right. The first, but hopefully not the last, movie to feature Marvel's merry mutants benefits immensely from a superb cast, an enthusiastic director, and an intelligent, thoughtful approach that makes this more than just another "superhero" flick. In the near future, more and more people are revealing themselves as "mutants" - genetically altered people with superhuman powers. As the US government considers passing Senator Kelly's (Bruce Davison) Mutant Registration Act, two extremely powerful mutants ponder their species' fate. Telepathic Professor X (Patrick Stewart in the role he was born for) believes in teaching mutants to develop their powers for the good of mankind, whereas his old friend Magneto (Ian McKellan) wants simply to wipe the human threat out. Caught in the middle of all this are Rogue (Anna Paquin), a young mutant with energy-sapping powers, and Wolverine (a superb Hugh...

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