Rating
-
Action
(US); 2000; Rated PG-13; 100 Minutes
Cast
Patrick Stewart: Professor Charles Xavier
Ian McKellen: Eric Magnus Lehnsherr/Magneto
Hugh Jackman: Logan/Wolverine
Famke Janssen: Jean Grey
James Marsden: Scott Summers/Cyclops
Halle Berry: Ororo Munroe/Storm
Anna Paquin: Marie/Rogue
Rebecca Romijn-Stamos: Mystique
Tyler Mane: Victor Creed/Sabretooth
Ray Park: Mortimer Toynbee/Toad
Produced by Avi Arad, Tom DeSanto, Richard Donner,
Stan Lee, Lauren Shuler Donner, Joel Simon, Bill Todman
Jr. and Ralph Winter; Directed and screenwritten by
Bryan Singer; based on the Marvel Comics series “X-Men”
Review Uploaded
7/29/00 |
Written
by DAVID KEYES The
genetic evolution of the human being, as we are told at
the beginning of Bryan Singer’s “X-Men,” takes a gigantic
leap every hundred centuries or so, creating a rift between
those affected with the transformation and those who remain
undisturbed by it. At the end of the 20th century, such
developments have unleashed a society of superhumans: people
who exhibit altered physical or mental attributes which
allow them to attain capacities that no standard being could
hope to achieve. Any person who has fallen victim to this
transformation should be grateful to have been given this
chance, but since the broad scope of humanity refuses to
accept them because of their differences, these traits are
actually regarded as punishments. In such a society, the
word “mutant,” which they are referred to as, becomes synonymous
with “freak.”
Of
course, fans of the widely recognized, 37-year-old “X-Men”
comic book series can tell you all of this in their sleep.
The only thing they probably couldn’t describe successfully
is the whole involved story behind the mutants. I should
know; I was a fan of the series for many years, and even
in my experience, there is difficulty keeping all of the
characters and storylines straight. Their complexity is
sometimes so extreme that we often get lost in the details.
This would be the first problem to tackle with any film
adaptation, and thankfully, Singer, who was the director
of “The Usual Suspects,” assures that the opening chapter
of the X-Men’s screen career is one with a clear, concise
and simple narrative, without it ever getting boring or
boggled down by a vast amount of characters or direct comic
references. And in accession, the film supplies one of the
most exciting thrill rides at the theater this summer.
In
the opening shot, audiences are transported back to Poland,
1944, presumably the first place where this genetic breakthrough
is seen. A young child is separated from his parents by
Nazi’s, locked behind a metal gate wrapped in barb wire.
As he struggles to free himself of their grasp, his hands,
pointed in the direction of the metal, begin to twist and
shape the barb wire without any direct contact. The guards
are astounded, but unaware of who, or what, has induced
this astounding feat. That child grows into the looming
figure of Magneto (Ian McKellen), a man twisted by his past,
who believes that normal humans should be eliminated and
surrogated by his own kind.
In
the opposing corner is Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart),
a telepath who heads a school devoted to teaching mutants
how to handle their gifts. He and Magneto grew up together,
but Xavier, unlike his friend, did not experience the horrors
of World War II, and is therefore not shaped by hatred for
mankind and its prejudices. His dream stands firm—one day,
both mutant and human could live together in peace and harmony.
That dream, needless to say, is far beyond the horizon,
as both Xavier and Magneto have formed their own teams of
mutants, who share similar beliefs and are at constant war
with each other regarding the future between mutants and
ordinary humans.
Undoubtedly
you’ll recognize most of the team members: Magneto’s consists
of the eccentric Toad, the shape-shifting Mystique, and
the brutally challenging Sabretooth; Xavier’s contains the
developing telepath Jean Grey, the conceited but energetic
Cyclops, the supremely powerful Storm, and newcomers Wolverine
and Rogue. Their on-screen tasks remain the same as those
of the comics—to fight for their own beliefs and for the
pursuit (or even decimation) of peace and serenity between
Homo-Superiors and Homo-Sapiens—but they seldom take the
challenge seriously, throwing themselves into the fray with
such little forethought that we understand why their leaders
encourage rehearsing combat. As Magneto prepares a plot
to unleash a machine onto the free world that will convert
normal humans into mutants (and, as a side effect, kill
them), sides clash like two speeding cars in the same freeway
lane. Only problem is, the master of magnetism needs a battery
for his machine, and his eyes are on the recruited X-Man
Rogue, whose powers allow her to absorb anyone’s energy
simply by touch and, in some cases, unleash them in greater
amounts.
The
special effects artists have utilized their technological
freedom so well that, at instances, “X-Men” deserves comparison
to last year’s masterwork “The Matrix.” The fight scenes
are staged with unorthodox choreography, in which the fighters
defy laws of gravity and use their superhuman strength to
assess them (in one scene, Jean Grey uses her mind power
to keep Toad suspended in midair as he jumps towards her).
And as I was watching a cloud of energy sweep across the
waters near Manhattan from on top of the Statue of Liberty,
where the climax takes place, I remember thinking how beautiful
the cinematography was, how precise the editing was, and
how well the excitement builds as the events unfold. Most
generic action films promise great things with big and loud
beginnings, then run out of steam before any climax arrives.
Here is a movie that isn’t afraid to hold anything back,
sets its pace, and gives us more than what we came to expect.
There
is one reservation I have about the movie, however. Even
though the most appealing characters are included in the
necessary simple ensemble, there are quite a few of the
good ones missing, such as: Colossus, a mutant who can change
his body into complete metal; Beast, a man with thick blue
fur covering his body, and a mind that scientists would
love to study; and Juggernaut, a villain whose superb strength
(not to mention body armor) makes him a highly formidable
opponent in combat. Undoubtedly, though, this will be remedied
by the already-planned sequels to “X-Men,” so maybe there’s
no sense in holding this against the picture.
I
do not question that fans of the “X-Men” pages will easily
be impressed with the screen treatment; the visuals, the
cinematography, the pace and plot are all firmly established,
seldom borrowing from the source material so that even non-fans
of the series will be able to understand it successfully.
It’s the character introductions, however, that give the
movie its backbone, and they have been cast with actors
that look, and embody, the personas faithfully. “X-Men”
will hopefully prove to be the foundation for which Twentieth
Century Fox can build a successful film franchise using
the comic books as the motivation. Let’s just hope this
doesn’t turn into a fiasco like the “Batman” series did.
©
2000,
David Keyes, Cinemaphile.org.
Please e-mail the author here
if the above review contains any spelling or grammar mistakes. |