X-Men
The genetic evolution of the modern comic book movie from highlighting singular heroes in their quest for justice (Superman, Batman, the underrated The Crow) to the onslaught of whole entire ensemble films featuring teams of heroes working together (Avengers, Justice League, Suicide Squad) was a gradual yet necessary process that was truly kickstarted by this 2000 release, one which had been well known and very much loved in the comic book community for hitting the ground running with its âteamâ concept and also for going on the premise that its group of heroes and villains had actually been born human but that through the very same process of genetic evolution, they would wind up having DNA that developed into various superhero abilities (although no two would ever be exactly the same) and at the same time, be labeled as âmutantsâ to be feared and reviled by the ânormalâ human world which one group seeks to destroy on the precept that mutants are truly gods among men and should be considered as such while the other group seeks to reach an ultimate understanding with humans as they still work to protect them from their more sinister counterparts. Thatâs a lot to hold together in a single establishing film and even moreso considering all the various players on both sides for whom proper character development is a must. Enter director Bryan Singer, hot off the sleeper hit The Usual Suspects and the not as well received but still good Apt Pupil, being passed the torch by Superman director and here the Executive Producer Richard Donner and it was Singer who brought a new, more political wrinkle to the fold: Being a gay man himself, Singer had somehow made a connotation between the mutants struggling to be accepted by society as proper equals and the real life gay community constantly feeling ostracized and isolated for their sexual preferences and orientation, using that to establish a personal connection with the material even though most of the more overt references in that regard were saved by Singer for the sequel. What excited the fans perhaps the most was in the potential casting for the various roles: In the major lead role of Professor Charles Xavier (âProfessor Xâ), Singer would cast Patrick Stewart, a longtime number one fan choice even as the studios tried to push him towards someone more âbankableâ. But the real excitement lay in the casting of the ultra badass, ultra masculine anti hero himself, Wolverine (aka Logan). Singer offered the role to the most obvious choice in Russell Crowe (fresh off Gladiator), but Crowe would turn it down as comic book and cartoon films were said to not be his thing (although he would later play Jor-El in the Superman revival). After Singer did the round robin looking at various other actors, Crowe would actually get back to him to recommend a friend of his: Hugh Jackman. Despite being a total unknown at the time, Singer agreed to cast him at the eleventh hour and so into the project Jackman came, delivering a decent yet uneven performance that (by Jackmanâs own admittance) was hampered by actually still being in training for the role DURING filming (resulting in differing physiques throughout the film) and also by an inability to get himself fully settled completely into character as a result, as when Logan goes from being fierce or angry to being a little too soft spoken, with the transition coming off as a little too jarring which sometimes gives Jackman that deer in the big budget headlights look, but overall, he still does a fine job even though it took nearly three movies for him to become fully immersed into the character. Also on board was Halle Berry with her Oscar win and big name stardom as Storm and given nearly nothing to do; Ian McKellen as the much feared Magneto, given some mighty presence by McKellen even if heâs a little too old to be intimidating; Famke Janssen as fledgling psychic and telepathic Dr. Jean Grey, here just starting to carry out the opening notes of a romance with Jackmanâs Logan even as sheâs currently involved with the laser beam throwing Cyclops (James Marsden again on thankless detail) who comes across as being such a rigid, unlikable prick (even as a good guy) that we actually root for her to dump her current beau for whatever kind of craziness that Wolverine can drum up in the bedroom; and Oscar winner Anna Paquin as Rogue, in some ways the main character (for this film only) as we get a pretty full origin story for her developing her ability to not only kill by touch, but also to absorb the powers of other mutants whenever they come into contact with her, which makes her ideal for Magneto to want to kidnap to carry out a task that would kill him but instead have her be sacrificed instead. Paquinâs cuteness while carrying a white trash Southern accent is so fetching that one can see just why she went on to play a somewhat similar role on the vampire TV series True Blood. Rounding out the cast as Magnetoâs troops are Rebecca Romijn as the shape shifting Mystique, Tyler Mane as the animalistic Sabretooth (with no reference made to him being Wolverineâs brother as was revealed later in the series), and Ray Park as the green haired Toad, long considered a scrub in the X Men ranks but in the hands of the actor who played Darth Maul, allowed to make just enough of an impression to make one wonder why the charismatic Park hasnât had more of a career since. The plot starts off not only with the teenage Rogue discovering her power (by kissing her boyfriend and putting him into a coma), but with Magneto (first shown flashing back to when The Nazis took his family away from him and forcing him to conclude that mankind has no worth) and Xavier showing deep interest in some Congressional hearings where a powerful Senator (Bruce Davison) is obviously posturing himself to curry public favor by demanding that mutants become registered under the law with The United States Government. Magneto sees this as being a level of persecution akin to what The Nazis had done to The Jews and thus rallies his âbrothersâ to take the fight to the humans using a device that will turn them into mutants as well, albeit for only a short time before their bodies will reject the transformation resulting in instant death all while playing various chess games with Xavier and his troops to ward them off stopping him from creating such a major catastrophe (Mystiqueâs shape shifting ability proves to be quite useful in all of this). This is the driving force of the first movie in the long running franchise, presenting a scenario where the âbadâ mutants cannot be considered all that unjustified in their actions against a government that seeks to repress and control them, even (as stated), the development for characters such as Berryâs Storm and most of Magnetoâs troops is woefully underwritten and the rather childish rivalry between Cyclops and Wolverine over Jean gets a tad bit ridiculous with Cyclops being written as a guy not only with severe insecurity issues but also as someone who turns into a full fledged bumbling idiot firing laser beams all over the place whenever his flimsy visor is knocked off his face which only makes Logan seem that much more masculine and appealing as a mate for Jean especially in the eyes of like minded female viewers. The other actors all do a fine job of stepping up to the plate though, with Stewart and McKellen bringing the gravitas needed to maintain the idea that while they are on opposite sides of the philosophical debate (and the war), they are still old friends with a history between them that was obviously once on good terms. Paquinâs sweetness and vulnerability as Rogue translates well into making the viewer care about her even as it softens Loganâs hardened exterior. As for Jackman? Well, as he would continue to grow into the role of Wolverine and eventually be the ONLY actor to appear in all of the movies and their spinoffs (sometimes in only a cameo), he would eventually surpass even Stewart as being the face of the franchise itself, finally and fully embracing the role successfully in the Wolverine Origins movie and never looking back. But here as a newcomer to big budget films, Jackman does acquit himself quite well while also having the intelligence to allow the more experienced actors to carry him through, thus paving the way to start a franchise that at least separates itself from the Avengers smashfests by attempting to have some introspective writing and acting in between all of the big mutant fight scenesâŚ
8/10