| The X-Men |
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USA, 2000. Rated PG-13. 93 minutes.
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen,
Patrick Stewart, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin,
Bruce Davison, Tyler Mane, Ray Park, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos
Writers: David Hayter (screenplay), Tom DeSanto (story), Bryan
Singer (story), based on the Marvel Comics series
Music: Michael Kamen
Cinematographer: Tom Sigel
Producers: Lauren Shuler Donner, Ralph Winter
Directors: Bryan Singer, Corey Yuen (action)
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I capable of enjoying a summer movie anymore? I began to wonder after being
underwhelmed by a half dozen dull (Shaft, Gone
in 60 Seconds), overwrought (The Patriot,
The Perfect Storm), or overbearingly mindless (Mission:
Impossible 2) summer releases this year. While many of these were mildly
entertaining (I have graded them all a C or C+), they left me
feeling... weary. Is this what happens eventually to all movie critics, I wondered.
Were summer movies truly getting worse, or was I just jaded? True, I had thoroughly
enjoyed two big budget action pics earlier in the year, Gladiator
and U-571, but the memory of those films
had been buried by the summer onslaught. So I undertook a review of The X-Men
with misgivings. Expecting more dissatisfying eye candy, off I went to see The
X-Men on opening night. Instead, I found The X-Men strikes an ideal
balance between intriguing characters, spectacular special effects, and ultra-cool
comic book style. My enjoyment of the film may be the product of lowered expectations,
but what can I say? This movie is fun.
The X-Men is based on the eponymous Marvel Comics series, which first
appeared in 1963, but whose popularity didn't take off with kids until the late
1970s and ‘80s. The X-Men pitted normal humans against "Mutants"–a group
of genetically abnormal humans with special powers such as superhuman agility
or telepathy. A small group of Mutants, the X-Men, sided with normal humans,
but received little appreciation for it. With its anti-hate social message–fearing
what they don't understand, people tend to cast out those who are different,
and in so doing, often provoke anger and resentment that causes their fears
to become self-fulfilling–The X-Men was wildly popular in particular
with young teens who didn't fit in. At one time or another almost all young
teenagers experience alienation from society or their peers, and so many teens
identified with The X-Men.
I was never a fanatic myself, but in eighth or ninth grade I borrowed a stack
of twenty or so X-Men comics from a friend. Though I did not pursue the
interest further, I thoroughly enjoyed what I read. I remember thinking how
much cooler these superheroes were than the oh-so-square Superman and
Fantastic Four. Judging from the number of X-Men comic books being read
in the movie theater before the lights went down–I counted at least ten in my
immediate vicinity–the series is still a favorite among comic book aficionados
today.
AboutFilm.Com
The Big Picture
|
| Alison |
D
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| Carlo |
B
|
| Dana |
-
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| Glenn |
B
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| Jeff |
B
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| Kris |
B
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| ratings explained |
The X-Men is obviously intended to be the first of a series of films,
because a great deal of time is spent on exposition. The movie opens with one
of those traditional comic book set pieces that establishes one of the protagonists'
background–there is always a major event in each hero or villain's background
that defines who he or she is. In this case we learn how the leader of the supervillains,
Magneto (Ian McKellen), first discovered that he could use magnetic fields to
control metal and the reason for his hatred of normal humans.
Two of the heroes also receive a lengthy introduction. As a teenager, Rogue,
a.k.a. Marie (the annoyingly affected Anna Paquin), learns that she can practically
suck the life out of people she touches. Her first kiss is a disaster. She flees
to some cold, snowy place where she has heard that others like her are hiding
out. After wandering into a bar, she meets an invincible local prizefighter,
Logan (Hugh Jackman), nicknamed Wolverine. Marie stows away on Logan's truck,
and then all hell breaks loose. For reasons that become clear later, they are
ambushed by Magneto's minions, and then the X-Men intervene.
Meanwhile, in the U.S. Congress, McCarthy-like Senator Kelly (Bruce Davison)
is leading a campaign for mandatory registration of Mutants, likening Mutant
children in the nation's classrooms to loaded weapons. Kelly's speech and the
dangerous Mutant paranoia that has swept the world spurs Magneto to action.
He will eliminate the human threat and establish Mutant dominance on Earth.
At this point the plot becomes significantly less clear, the specifics of Magneto's
plan in particular, which is as muddled as the Mutants are biologically improbable.
Though the story is a shortcoming, it doesn't torpedo the film, because The
X-Men is driven by characters, conflicts, and themes, not by the plot. For
example, the lack of a clear-cut distinction between good and evil, at least
initially, makes for a more-interesting-than-average superheroes vs. supervillains
flick. Magneto's motivations make some sense. After all, Mutants can't help
the way they are. It's normal humans who are driving the conflict. This makes
it difficult for Logan to choose sides, until Magneto goes too far.
There isn't much time to flesh out the other characters in detail, so we meet
them on the run. Led by wheelchair-bound Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart),
who is telepathic, the X-Men are Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), whose special ability
is telekinesis, Cyclops (James Marsden), who shoots energy beams out of his
eye, and Storm (Halle Berry), who controls the weather. In the opposite corner,
we have super-strong Sabretooth (Tyler Mane), shape-changer Mystique (Rebecca
Romijn-Stamos, wearing quite an outfit), and wall-crawling Toad (Ray Park),
who has a ten-foot prehensile tongue. Among the notable X-Men not appearing
in this first installment (the comic books featured dozens of heroes and villains
over the years): Beast, Nightcrawler, Gambit, and Colossus. Even with these
omissions, there are still quite a few faces to remember. Not surprisingly,
some actors have little to do, Halle Berry in particular.
Though Stewart (giving a solid Picard-like performance) gets top billing and
the cast is littered with minor stars, the heart and soul of this film is an
Australian unknown: Hugh Jackman. Remember that name, because he'll be getting
his pick of plum roles. To me, Wolverine seemed like just a basic muscle guy
in the comic books (maybe I didn't read enough of them), but Jackman, looking
and sounding not unlike Clint Eastwood, turns Wolverine into the most intriguing
and riveting character in the movie, bringing the requisite edge and charisma
that we associate with these superheroes with a dark side. Of course, McKellen,
who was robbed of the 1998 Oscar for Best Actor, is also noteworthy. Some might
say, "What is McKellen doing in this movie?" but why begrudge him cashing
in his "artistic integrity" for a hefty Hollywood paycheck once in awhile? He's
earned it. We can probably credit director Bryan Singer with recruiting McKellen,
who worked with Singer in Apt Pupil and obviously trusts him.
Singer may seem an odd fit for an expensive action & effects movie. He is a
fine choice, however, because he showed in The Usual Suspects that he
knows how to create and maintain interest in unusual characters. For the most
part, Singer prevents the characters from being overwhelmed by the special effects
and uses them–not the effects or the premise–as the lynchpin of his film, Wolverine
in particular. Clearly Singer was chosen specifically for his ability to maintain
focus on the characters, because he hands off the action scenes to renowned
martial arts choreographer Corey Yuen (Romeo Must Die).
The influence of The Matrix is evident, in the action scenes certainly,
but also in that The Matrix made dark action & effects films popular
again, and may have persuaded studios to have more faith in a director's vision
for a summer movie. That hasn't been the case since the first two Batman
movies, which, like The X-Men, did not have much of a story, but did
feature plenty of memorable characters (meow!), psychological motivations, and
style. All that was lost when director Joel Schumacher took over, substituting
more explosions for character development, adding camp, and putting nipples
on the Batsuit. Hopefully Singer will stay on for The X-Men sequels,
and the X-Men suits will remain nipple-free.
Review
© July 2000 by AboutFilm.Com and the author.
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