X-Men

viewed July 14, 2000 at Century Plaza 10   Full Details

Of all the movies released this summer, X-Men was the one I anticipated most eagerly.  I was even considering buying stock in Marvel Enterprises due to this film's promising profit margin.  The delayed release date (to avoid running against The Patriot) made me wonder if I should prepare to be disappointed, but the trailers released both in theaters and online insisted that this film was outstanding.  Having seen it, I would tend to agree more with the trailers; it is one of the most satisfying of this summer's entertainments (not that I have seen many, or want to).

X-Men is everything one could want out of a summer movie: the storytelling is brisk and efficient, the special effects are unbelievably well-done, and the action is engaging (though not ingenious).  The film doesn't have time to really breathe, given that it has a dozen or so characters to introduce before it lets them wreak havoc on each other.  I don't agree with the complaint made by several critics, that the film takes too much  time explaining its characters, sorting out their special powers.  Bryan Singer did a great job keeping what could have been a painfully slow process of exposition wound around a tightly drawn narrative.  

The plot centers around Wolverine (played by Australian Hugh Jackman, who is sort of a cross between Mel Gibson and Clint Eastwood with sideburns), a mutant with superhuman strength and 12 inch blades protruding from his knuckles.  Accompanied by Rogue (Anna Paquin), a girl who can absorb the lifeforce of anyone she touches, he is recruited by mutant Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart, perfect for the role) and his school for mutants, to fight against Xavier's nemesis, Magneto (Ian McKellan).  The two mutant leaders represent opposing philosophies towards a society that considers them freaks to be held at arm's length, whether through legal registration or everyday discrimination.  Singer takes makes some interesting riffs on this theme, establishing Magneto's hostile approach towards his oppressors in the context of his experience as a Holocaust survivor, in a sequence that is oddly moving (albeit exploitive of the Holocaust, like Singer's Apt Pupil).  The casting of McKellan in the part also brings to mind the undertone of discrimination against gays. These are underdeveloped but unlikely and provocative themes for a summer movie to raise.

The somewhat unsatisfying conclusion leaves no doubt that there will be two or three sequels down the line. Like a cartoon episode of G.I. Joe, there are no fatalities among the mutants. Indeed, watching X-Men is like returning to childhood days of after-school cartoon serials. It is slight but magnificent fun.  

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