X-Men

The announcements of very few films have filled me with as much anticipation as X-Men. Finally, a movie made from one of the best series of comic books ever. Finding that they had put in Wolverine, Magneto and Storm, arguably some of the best comic book characters ever just heightened the excitement. This is not to say that there weren’t disappointments. Two villains that I didn’t really know too much about (Mystique and Toad) and no Gambit on the side of the X-Men were a little shocking, but I still looked forward to the release date, especially once I had my tickets for the show.

Despite Toad and Sabretooth being fairly wishy-washy bad guys, the film delivered in pretty much every department. There was plot, there was character development, but by far the most important aspect, there were cool fight scenes featuring the mutants. From the opening sequence showing the initial origin of Magneto, right through to the final showdown on Liberty Island, X-Men has you hooked and wanting more when the final credits roll. Fortunately there are sequels.

Dodginess

If taken as a standard action film, X-Men would rate very high on the dodgy index. However, given that it’s based on a comic book, the rules have to be revised slightly. Nevertheless, X-Men rates a handy 4 on the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man scale. When considering the dodgiest moment, there are many that spring to mind. Storm rising up from the elevator shaft, the Senator squeezing through the bars of the prison, even Cyclops blasting the roof of the train station, however, the best, and also dodgiest moment has got to be given to Wolverine and Mystique, and the battle between them on Liberty Island, or should I say, the fight between Wolverine and Wolverine that becomes the fight between Wolverine and Mystique.

Rewatchability Rating

X-Men manages a 5 on the rewatchability rating. While it was let down a little by the final movie in the trilogy, it can easily stand alone and be watched many times. Of course, you find yourself skipping to the final showdown on liberty island, but that doesn’t reduce the rewatchability of the film.

Most Memorable Quote

For any fan of the X-Men, it was a little strange when Wolverine was in a muted grey outfit. However the question Cyclops asks him “What would you prefer, Blue and Yellow Spandex?” goes down as the best line in the film for giving a nod to the original while being funny. Now that's good writing.

Final Thoughts

The X-Men is great and has spawned 2 sequels and hopefully to spinoffs that at the time of writing were announced (Magneto and Wolverine). While not the dodgiest superhero movie you’re ever going to see, it had mass appeal and it’s great success led to a large number of other comic books being turned into films. X-Men has to be watched, and if you don’t enjoy it, I suggest you start watching period drama’s and find another reviewer to read.