X-Men

Reviewed by:
Eric Alt

After some embarrassing missteps—remember the ’80s Captain America movie? Neither do we—Marvel Comics returns to the big screen with what is, behind Spider-Man, their most popular and recognizable team of superheroes. But fear not, true believers, the X-Men movie does Wolvie and crew proud.

With Patrick Stewart (as kindly Professor X) and Sir Ian McKellen (as the villainous Magneto) leading the way for Usual Suspects director Bryan Singer, you’re bound to get more than guys in spandex battling with cheesy special effects. For the uninitiated, X-Men follows the exploits of a group of “mutants” (humans born with superpowers because of a fluke of evolution) and their struggle for acceptance in a world that hates and fears them. Some follow Prof. X, who takes a Martin Luther King-like stance of peaceful coexistence, while others join Magneto, whose Malcolm X-ish “by any means necessary” philosophy leads to violent conflict. Heady stuff for a comic book, which is in part what makes this movie work. The rest is pacing and tone—X-Men moves along briskly and manages to have fun with the characters along the way. It’s a flashy and thoroughly engrossing summer flick.

The cast, which includes Halle Berry (as weather-controlling Storm), Famke Janssen (as mind-controlling Jean Grey), Anna Paquin (as power-absorbing Rogue), and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos (as, well—who cares, she’s practically naked!), seems to enjoy taking on these larger-than-life characters. But the standout is Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, the badassedest superhero ever. He brings the raging Canuck to life in a way that’s sure to please even the staunchest fanboy. Let’s hope this paves the way for more Marvel-related movies. X-Men proves there’s no special trick to bringing comic books to the big screen. It succeeds for the same reasons any good movie does: smart direction, tight plotting, and a strong cast.

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