X-Men (2000)

Hollywood finally gets the "superhero" thing right.

I didn't grow up with the X Men, I grew up with superfriends lol.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I rented this one, I knew who wolverine was but none of the other characters.
I liked it.
I'm so glad Hollywood decided to get actors who can actually act.
They definitely give the characters depth and personality.
The story is very good, how can you not love Magneto???
The direction is ok, but not phenomenal.
The fx are great but kinda gross in a few parts, like the part when the Senator "melts". Yuck.
All in all, a fantastic movie and a great introduction to the X Men.
Recommended.
June 30, 2008

A good movie in a good set of movies

My son is a superhero fan and had seen X-Men 2 and 3. We really wanted to see how it all started so we hunted down X-Men 1 and were glad we did. It is well done with good character development. If you like superheros, you will really like all the movies of the X-Men May 12, 2008

Warning: Offensive Language on DVD

The X-men DVD I got has an add for other FOX DVDs, before
the movie begins: This "trailer" includes a scene of Bruce
Willis as 'John McClain' from the 'Die-Hard' series shouting
an obscenity, and it is one of the worst things you can
possibly hear. I ended up throwing away the DVD simply
because I could not stand that commercial from Fox. I
don't know if 'X-men 1.5' has this offensive trailer. But
if you are offended by "bad language", then I suggest you
gamble and get X-Men 1.5 instead.


I would sum up the beauty of this movie, in the following way:

Near the beginning of this movie, we see Rogue, in a bar.
She's hungry. She looks at a jar containing "tips";
Wolverine looks over at her, and decides not to offer her
a drink, or a meal. She's a girl; He's a man, and a loner.
She looks over at him, and warns him of an attack. He
owes her.

To love another is TWO things: an obligation, and a thing
freely given, with no EXPECTATION of receiving anything in
return. You might HOPE though.

"I saved your life", she says to him, hoping. Later, they
are in Wolverine's truck, a home for him. He's a "migrant
worker", or a "vagrant". She asks him if he has anything
to eat. He opens a glove compartment and gives her some
"7-11"-like snack food. And he notices her gloves.

Rogue is afraid to touch a guy for fear of hurting him:
She will absorb a person's "lifeforce" if she touches him.
And so she keeps her hands covered. She asks Wolverine,
"Does it hurt?" (She is referring to his claws -
artificially planted in him by military scientists, in an
horrificly painful way. So painful, he can't remember how
exactly, just that he doesn't want them there. They
pierce his skin when they come out.) He tells her, "Every
time". She's afraid of touching him, and he's afraid of
being peirced.

Near the end of the movie, there is a "crucifixion scene"
where Wolverine embraces Rogue, to bring her back to life:
He is pierced, by a "crown of thorns".

There is also ugliness in this movie:

The character 'Toad' has a really long tongue, and he eats
a bird in one scene. Also, Senator Kelly, after he changes
into a mutant looks like a giant "jelly fish" and without
his clothes on, really repulsive. And there is a mutant who
is blue, and attractive, but she can change her gender, which
makes her repulsive. I don't think this movie is "safe" for
children under 17 years of age, for there is too much ugliness.

But the chemistry between Wolverine and Rogue is fascinating
to watch. Jean Grey is beautiful, but spoken for, yet Wolverine
has difficulty "staying away" (not thinking about her). Well,
she is beautiful. He falls in love, and waits. Jean Grey and
Wolverine are sort of like Sir Lancelot and Lady Guinivere.
Guinivere was already "married" (spoken for). It is a love
triangle: Rogue-Wolverine-Jean Grey. Sometimes, the best
answer is to do nothing. And so, Wolverine waits, the mood best
captured perhaps in the lyrics of a song called, "radar love". May 12, 2008

A Blast

Not many words needed to describe this wild and exciting ride with these unusual but intersting charaters. April 28, 2008

Pretty bad -- really.

Even for a movie based on a comic book, this one is pretty unwatchable, partly because it tries to take itself way too seriously. I saw "X-Men" shortly after seeing "Fantastic Four," and it suffers greatly by comparison. The only non-cardboard characters are Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and Rogue (Anna Paquin), and even then Wolverine was too much the nice guy instead of an antihero. This also may be Patrick Stewart's worst movie yet, and Ian McKellen doesn't come out much better. The other actors simply chew the scenery. And -- again, even for a comic book -- the plot holes are enormous. E.g., where did the billions of dollars come from to construct the underground complex at Xavier's private school? (I hate to think what the tuition bills are like. . . .) The original Superman and Batman flicks are proof that a good film of this type is possible. February 19, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...