Hugh Jackman, a household name, a Hollywood heartthrob, and truly one of the most talented actors the world has seen in a long time. X-Men was his first major role, one that has landed him among Hollywood's elite, and from July 14, 2000 (the day that X-Men premiered), the world has had nothing but admiration for the actor. This is the film that made him famous.
In a world where mutants exist, the world struggles to come to terms with their abilities. Some mutants use their powers for good, and others, for evil. With Senator Kelly (Bruce Davison) speaking out against the mutant race, individuals like Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), Erik Lensherr/Magneto (Ian McKellen), and Wolverine (Jackman) must do whatever then can to prove to the world that they are no different than the rest of the population. Chaos will likely ensue, and old friends will be pitted against one another.
Let’s quickly travel backward (forward?) to X-Men: First Class. There is one casting decision that may be better than any of the others in the X-Men universe, and that’s the casting of Bill Milner (young Erik) to play the same exact role as Brett Morris–and, this may be sad, but this, maybe the fifteenth time that I’ve seen the franchise, is the first time that I noticed that they were different actors. What a great job of piecing aspects of this franchise together, even in this very small detail.
I’m conflicted on how I feel about X-Men, the first film in the franchise. The film itself is quite fun, and the interactions between the slew of characters on screen are as well, but in the grand scheme of the franchise there are far too many continuity errors to overlook. From the opening moments the film it’s plagued with things that just don’t make sense as a result of the other films, and that’s a massive issue for both the film itself and the franchise as a whole. Given how much fun the film is, and the silly, but effective acting throughout the course of X-Men, it still holds water in the grand scheme of cinema–and this is the film that propelled a franchise forward and helped to create a following for Marvel.
As the first blockbuster superhero film of the twenty-first century, there are a number of things that director Bryan Singer takes on that were unprecedented in this field of cinema. Seeing characters transform into others, bend metal, and manipulate the minds of other X-Men are difficult tasks, and these spectacles are developed flawlessly. The cinematography, special effects, and everything else related to the development of the superpowers of everyone throughout X-Men is incredibly well done. However, the thing that allows the film to shine so wonderfully bright is the acting from everyone involved. With actors like Jackman, Stewart, McKellen, James Marsden (Scott Summers/Cyclops), Halle Berry (Orono Munroe/Storm), and Famke Janssen (Jean Grey), there was never a doubt that the acting would be superb, and everyone delivers nothing short of greatness. The chemistry between each and every character allows the story of X-Men to come to life and ultimately find success. Wolverine is, without a doubt, the most enjoyable character, and that character develops and evolves as a result of Jackman’s prowess. But he does more than that–he’s the force that propelled Marvel forward in the world of cinema, and I think it’s fair to thank him for being an integral part of bringing the current Marvel Cinematic Universe to life.
X-Men is eventually outshined by the prequel series, and that’s a sad fact. That doesn’t make the film bad by any stretch of the imagination, however. The most enjoyable part of the entire film is what the actors bring to the table, as they never fail to exude emotion or connect with viewers. However, the film as a whole, regardless of whether others blow this one out of the water, is tons of fun, a great introduction to the world of Marvel cinema, and a successful start to superhero films as we know them today.
Directed by Bryan Singer.
Written by Tom DeSanto, Bryan Singer, & David Hayter.
Starring Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, Tyler Mane, Ray Park, Rebecca Romijn, Bruce Davidson, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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