I must admit, I was unsure whether or not I'd enjoy the X-Men movie when I first heard about it. I went into the advance screening of X-Men expecting the worst. I'm happy to say I wasn't disappointed. In fact I was pretty pleased, along with the rest of the audience. Singer's film is not without faults, but it is a highly enjoyable interpretation of one of the biggest comic properties around. The film opens in the 1940's as we see a young Magneto being separated from his parents in the middle of a Nazi concentration camp. We quickly see the awesome power this young man possesses. Jump to the not too distant future, where we meet a confused girl named Rogue, who learns of her power in a frightening way. The film doesn't waste too much time on story, but rather jumps forward with numerous character introductions. We learn that Mutants are the subject of fear within the American public. One man in particular, Senator Kelley, has determined that Mutants must not be tolerated due to their unpredictable nature. Meanwhile, Rogue leaves home only to find another Mutant in the form of the rough and rugged Wolverine. They are attacked in the snow filled woods of Canada by another vicious Mutant named Sabretooth. Just when things start to look really bad, two more mutants show up to save the day. Jump to the Xavier School, where Wolverine and Rogue find safety among others like them. We learn that Professor X, played casually by Patrick Stewart, has assembled a bevy of Mutant youngsters in an attempt to teach them and help them understand their powers. We also find out that Magneto, all grown up and immensely powerful, has devised a lethal plan to get back at his human persecutors. The first thirty to forty minutes of the film simply introduce and explain all of the key characters and plot points to us. We then become aware that Magneto's plan is contingent on acquiring the power of one of our heroes. Then the major action starts, and pretty much doesn't stop for the rest of the film. The movie is paced fairly well. We never really get much of a chance to be bored, and there are plenty of nice effects to gaze at. Singer tries to spend a fair amount of time on each character, but it's obvious he wants to focus on Wolverine. Hugh Jackman does a fantastic job of portraying the popular hero, but I can't help feeling that some of the other characters get neglected. Cyclops, who has always been one of my favorite characters, doesn't really have much to do here. Oh sure, he stands around and looks tough, but I wanted to see more depth from him. He and Storm, played quietly by Halle Berry, are for the most part just set dressing. I really got the sense that we were missing some development scenes here and there. I hate to say this, but I really got the feeling that Wolverine was doing too much. During the film's finale, our rugged hero fights THREE battles, one after the other. Why couldn't Cyclops jump in there? Perhaps if the franchise continues, the sequels will spend more time with the other heroes. All in all the film is pretty well done. We get most of what we want, which is fast-paced action and lots of groovy effects. The film is not without surprises either. Look for cameos by other X-Men, or shall I say soon to be X-Men. Judging by the audience reaction, this film is really going to do well. In my opinion the best thing about the film is the fact that it will open some doors in Hollywood for others like it. Singer has provided a nice template to work from, let's just see which artist uses it next.
