Move #227 X-Men *2000*

I watched X-Men in preparation for my viewing of First Class.  If you read my review of First Class you will probably see much of my opinions of this movie as well.  Not to mention me getting off track for a bit to knock Thor.

So this will be a short review, and I will probably be unfairly comparing this to First Class. 

Not being a comic book guy, I don't have any real reason to get excited when a comic book movie comes out.  I have no interest in Professor X, The Green Lantern, Batman, Aquaman, ect.  Neither to I care if the film is set in Asgard, Gotham, Middle Earth or Jersey.  All I care about is the story and how it is portrayed visually and audibly.  Take The Social Network (I know it is not a comic book movie).  I don't care to see a movie about Facebook.  But I love well made movies about greed, betrayal and social dysfunction.  I don't even have to like or sympathise with the characters.  All I need to do is be sucked in by how the story is playing out.

This is where X-Men come in.  It is not a movie about mutants.  It is not a movie about stealth jets or telekinesis.  It is a movie about people that don't fit in.  That is why this comic (and many other comics) have become so popular.  They feature what society would condemn as "freaks" and "monsters".  Haven't we all felt out of place?  Does high school ring a bell?  X-Men the movie isn't trying to only appease the hardcore comic fan-boy.  It is reaching out to everyone that has ever felt isolated or different for only being who they are.  In doing so the movie raises a lot of interesting discussions that will follow the franchise.  Some in organic ways, like in X-Men 2, some not like in X-Men 3. 

So to be specific about this movie I thought the action scenes were very well done and the CGI still holds up now 11 years later and that is saying something.  I thought that the use of flashbacks and different visual schemes when showing Logan's history were well utilized and not gimmicky at all.  I thought for the most part the film makers were able to hold off on needless exposition and montage, even though eventually they had to employ a little.  I thought that it was a wise decision to not give Hally Berry too many lines of dialogue and to let her do her thing and just look good doing it.  I think that other than Magneto and Mystic the villains (toad and Sabertooth) were poorly imagined.  Toad in particular.  I think he is the worst character in the entire series.  I enjoy the very small glimpses of the young mutants and what their powers are.  It is a great way to introduce future characters and stimulate the hardcore fan at the same time.  Without centering too much screen time to people that have nothing to do with the story at hand.  I felt that the wire work was clumsy and obvious.  I thought this movie opened and closed on great bookends.  This set up a second film, all the while presenting a complete story in its own rights.

I enjoyed X-Men a good deal.  I give it ★★★1/2.