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X-Men was released in 2000 and was directed by Bryan Singer. It’s one of my favorite comic book movies. I love it. Getting to see so many good actors playing mutants exercising all their cool super powers is phenominal. Patrick Stewart as Professor Charles Xavier and Ian McKellen as Magneto dominate in this film. They’re both such amazing actors playing two powerful dudes with opposing views. Near the beginning of the film Magneto says (in reference to mutants and humans) “We are the future Charles. Not them. They no longer matter.” That potent quote, spoken by Ian McKellen, is just one example of powerful drama in this movie. Hugh Jackman also plays a great Wolverine. Right down to his hair, and the muscles, but most importantly, the attitude. Some people think the movie was focused on Wolverine’s story too much and not other mutants. To them I have to say- It could have been a lot worse! Jean Claude Van Damme was once considered for the part and Fox wanted Keanu Reeves to play Wolverine!

Poor air time division aside, I think it’s a great movie that shows off each mutant’s bad assness. Hey, everybody can’t be the star! Halle Berry as Storm, James Marsden as Cyclops, Famke Jansen as Jean Grey and Rebecca Romijn as Mystique are also powerhouses in their own roles. In comparison Anna Paquin’s character is vulnerable and scared. She plays these qualities beautifully, but that’s about all she offers the film. She’s supposed to be Rogue, but with her only power in the movie being temporarily stealing a mutant’s power and energy through skin contact, there leaves a lot to be desired of this “film Rogue”. Ray Park as Toad and Tyler Mane as Sabretooth are both pretty boring yet they get multiple fights scenes because they’re the only villains besides Magneto and Mystique.

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Wolverine is spectacular in this film. He’s tough, so tough in fact that in a fight he actually punches the other guy’s incoming punch. Rogue asks him (in regards to his claws) “When they come out, does it hurt?” he replies “Every time.” That’s bad to the bone, literally. He also makes lots of snarky quips like the one he says to Professor X after hearing names like Sabretooth and Storm “What do they call you? Wheels?” Or one he says in reference to his new X-Men uniform “You actually go outside in these things?” to which his usual verbal sparring partner Cyclops replies (in homage to their retro yellow uniforms) “Well, what would you prefer, yellow spandex?” Another time, Wolverine and Cyclops have an exchange trying to determine if Wolverine is Mystique in disguise W- “Hey, hey. It’s me.” C- “Prove it.” W- “You’re a dick” …. C- “Okay.” My favorite part is when he gives Cyclops the finger by only extending his middle claw and says to Cyclops W- “There’s someone here.” C-“Where?” W- “I don’t know. Keep your eye open.”

Wolverine might hog the show but he’s passionate and works well with the other characters in the story. For instance although Rogue is kind of wimpy in this film her innocence offsets Wolverine’s wild animal nature. When he has a bad dream about how he got his adamantium claws he awakens suddenly and stabs Rogue through the chest. It’s horrifying because she seems so vulnerable, but when she temporarily borrows Wolverine’s powers to heal herself you can see how horrifying her powers are. And when Wolverine touches her at the end of the movie and nothing happens (at first) it’s pretty tear jerking. Then all of a sudden his skin starts changing and his wound begins to bleed freely again and you know everything’s going to be all right.

Mystique and Wolverine have an awesome fight scene as well where she mimicks him. Two wolverines fighting each other? Yeah it’s pretty cool. You can tell which is Mystique however being that her imitation claws break under Wolverine’s adamantium one’s and given her graceful style of fighting you can tell who is who. Mystique has an awesome method of fighting and way of moving. She finally changes back into herself while twirling through the air to give Wolverine a nice hard kick to the face. Anyone who can hold their own while fighting Wolverine and look that good while doing it is pretty bad ass in my book.

Stan Lee has a cameo as a hot dog vendor on the beach where Senator Kelly emerges from the water but I didn’t notice him while watching the film. I was probably too focused on the weird gumby-like mutant the senator had become.

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There are definitely some things I would change about this movie – Rogue being such a wimpy bitch, Toad and Sabretooth’s boring underdeveloped roles, and aspects of some fights and scenes that I felt could have been improved. I wouldn’t change the whole Wolverine/Jean/Cyclops love triangle though because this is a movie, and in the movie, I think it works. The film is very entertaining, and although some characters might not be what you remember them to be, it could have been a lot worse. For a big budget Hollywood film they stayed pretty true to the general idea of the X-Men. That’s why this is one of my favorite comic book films, because you get to see lots of super heroes and villains using their varied powers on a grand scale. And because… well… it’s the X-Men, ‘nough said.

The Movie Lady
themovielady@comicattack.net