Customer Reviews
You see the numerous models and yet ... - By: Jacques COULARDEAU, 24 Sep 2008 
The special effects are good. The characters are simple & varied enough to make us like that universe of monstrous mutants that look just like us but can turn into whatever they want. Welcome to Carrie, Christine, Firestarter, the Tommyknockers & many other Stephen King paranormal beings & situations. Of course, this film adds to that berserk universe a good old American wrapping but with a twist. The statue of liberty standing on its nice little island as the symbol of what it is called after & yet looking like a stiletto stabbing the sky & jutting out of a flat no man's seascape. The twist isin the fact that it is this very statue that is going to be the epicenter of the destruction of all the heads of states assembled at the United Nations for the general assembly of this world's forum. This American wrapping is the standard bigot position of a senator against mutants, against people who are different, who rejects them & kills them as fast as possible. And the twist is that this senator is kidnapped by the bad mutants, transmuted himself by them & then discarded to diein any odd place away from them. And before dying he is saved by the good mutants & he even comes to like them. Finally the main twist is that there are good mutants &in this film, temporarily, they win & save humanity from a cataclysm that would have destroyed both humanity & mutant-dom. Then the rest is not even sentimental episodes. It is pure action & mission & some fights, & a lot of visual special effects. That makes a nice entertaining film though on no matrix whatsoever except maybe the very very distant faraway relation to a certain Quasimodoin Notre Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo: the ugly monster is the savior of the beautiful gypsy girl all the normal Parisians want to victimize & kill.
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines
To me, my X-Men - By: Phil Hattie, 26 Jul 2008 
X-Men could have been a bit of a disaster, it had brand recognition amongst the core sci-fi & superhero fan sets but as a concept was relatively unknown to Joe Public. The director, Bryan Singer, was best known for low budget movies & ensemble character pieces & the cast was (at the time) pretty bargain basement. As it was though it all worked out rather well.
Based on Marvel's franchise about mutants born with an "x-factor" who struggle to protect a world that hates & fears them X-Men had plenty of scope. Adding to that the opportunity to use probably the finest comics character ever created (Magneto) there was also less pressure because, as stated previously, the public had few expectations. The film wisely opens with Magneto (in this case as a child being dragged into a concentration campin WWII & manifesting his powers) then moves onto its other big player Wolverine. Fans of the comic books have often seen Wolvie develop a fatherly relationship with young female team mates &in this case they alter the character of Rogue to fit that part. Soon Wolverine & Rogue are saved from Magneto's henchmen (the Brotherhood of Mutants here... they dropped the cheesy Evil from the name) by the X-Men & battle is joined.
Cast wise you have Ian McKellan as Magneto & he is absolutely (unsurprisingly) brilliantin the role. Patrick Stewart brings his clipped tones & authority as Professor X but gets waylaid for half the movie (a recurring eventin the series so far). Hugh Jackman & Famke Janssen are decentin their parts- neither would ever win an oscar for this film but their chemistry as Wolverine & Jean Grey is clear. Halle Berry on the other hand has won an oscar but is her usual dire selfin this film. Thankfully she doesn't have much to do here so she doesn't stink up the film like she would laterin X3 but did anyone ever really think she was right for the part of the regal & authoritative Storm? The rest of the cast don't get a lot to do to be fair but no one is as bad as Halle.
The film is short & punchy with no wasted time, its a punchy action blockbuster script & has obviously been edited to be as tight as possible. Its not awash with special effects but the ones that arein there are all pretty good & haven't dated too badly. Its not a fantastic film really but its zipping aboutin the upper range of the 3 star mark & could even have been a 4 if it had just a little more substance... thankfully that would come with number 2.
Quality action - By: DDH255, 30 Jun 2008 The opening shots depict a bleak concentration camp & a family being seperated. As the rain pours down & the parents are dragged off through the mud, a boy reaches out; his pain drawing the metal of the gates towards him until he is crudely beaten with the butt of a rifle & knocked senseless.
The beginning suggests that this film will take the exploration of discrimination of the x-men comics seriously & this is continued through Washington hearings as a senator whips up public support for the labelling of 'mutants'.
This is an action film that takes its subtext seriously; it develops slowly allowing actors time to structure their roles. It boasts a fine cast. Patrick Stewart & Ian Mckellen are heavyweight performers whose dignity & control give the film its integrity. Hugh Jackman is well-suited to the role of Wolverine, his initial rejection & isolation replaced by a gradual warmth.
The strength of this film is it allows itself to be driven by the characters who are never neglected for the sake of spectacular action. There are some impressive sequences, but I never found myself rejecting the world of the film & finding it difficult to accept.
ok - By: martin thomas, 07 Jun 2008 
this is solid & watchable but a bit anticlimatic as the film never getsin to first gear
Great Comic Book Movie - By: M. A. Ramos, 05 Oct 2007 As far as bringing comic books/games to the screen, this has to be the best so far. The filming, sound & acting are great. The only reason I feel I did not give it 5 stars is that I just finished watching "The Perfect Storm" the same day...and the acting does not compare... But if you like reading the X-men comic, you must have this film. The DVD gives you a lot of extras. And for a comic book, there is a very good story line. Wolverine's creation seems to need its own movie. Everyone else is born a mutant.... Of course the comic book as is the movie, is a statement on how the majority treats minorities they do not understand.
