At the twentieth anniversary of the original X-Men film, it seems worthwhile to take a look at the X-Men franchise and where it all started. Fox had acquired the film rights to the X-Men in 1994, when the X-Men had grown in popularity due to the success of X-Men: The Animated Series. It was convenient timing that in a few years, the merry mutants would soar to new heights of international popularity with this movie.
After two decades, X-Men is perhaps known for being one of the earliest successes for Marvel in making a live-action superhero film. It isn“t a beloved classic in the way Christopher Reeve“s first Superman film is, nor is it the best in the series. However, it succeeded in putting the X-Men on the map, paving the way for future successes like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and landmark Fox films like Logan. This movie generated interest in superhero movies and these classic Marvel characters, mainly by respecting the source material and bringing passion to the script and to the performances. While this seems like a simple winning formula, it“s one that far too many recent superhero projects have strayed away from, while movies like X-Men tapped into the core foundation of the comic book.
There“s no question that X-Men boasts an absolute dream cast, and they brought the effort to the table. Headlined by veteran Shakespearean actors like Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen as Charles Xavier and Magneto, everything else gradually fell into place. Moreover, Fox was extremely fortunate when they discovered Hugh Jackman, who became such a definitive Wolverine that it“s nearly impossible to imagine anyone else in that role. When Jackman first appears in the fighting cage as Logan, by the end of the scene he“s firmly cemented himself as Wolverine. The rest of the cast isn“t as definitive as those three, but they“re convincing enough to sell those roles and make the viewer want to see more of them. James Marsden is woefully underrated as Cyclops, and it“s mainly because the writing served him poorly in the first three films. Famke Janssen is a convincing Jean Grey, and she has good chemistry with Jackman in the scenes they share together. Some of the others are less impactful”“ Halle Berry is underwhelming as Storm, for instance”“ but never enough to undermine an otherwise outstanding ensemble. Bruce Davison is also a standout as Senator Robert Kelly, and Kelly is treated with all the weight he’s given in the comics.
The script is generally solid, though the writing quality would get better later, especially in X2 and the early First Class films. It does suffer from a lack of polish in places, like the cringeworthy “what happens when a toad gets struck by lightning”“ scene. There are also two notable plot holes that slip through the cracks. Firstly, the movie never establishes exactly how Magneto knows about Rogue or that she has the power he needs for his plan. Rogue herself wouldn“t even know that she can steal powers until much later in the film, and Magneto doesn“t have a Cerebro or a telepath to use it. Secondly, it seems contrived that Jean would be able to use Cerebro to find Magneto when Xavier wasn“t able to do it previously. That said, these are relatively small issues that are easy to overlook. The black leather costumes were also not a great choice, despite their suitability to live action, and later films would do a much better job of making the X-Men uniforms look good on screen.
There are also missed opportunities that don“t make the most of the characters and their established histories, like writing out the mother-daughter relationship between Rogue and Mystique that existed in the comics. In fact, they“re easily the worst adapted characters in this film, and even Sabretooth would be handled better later on. The film Rogue is a strange blend of Kitty Pryde with Rogue“s early origin, and she ends up being less interesting than the sum of her parts. Claremont“s Rogue was emotionally stronger but also volatile, driven as much by her guilt over absorbing Carol Danvers as by her need for human contact. This Rogue loses much of that character“s edge, and is more designed to fill the “Kitty”“ role in Wolverine“s life than anything else. Likewise, Mystique is written as Magneto“s right hand, without any real character and more designed to be an enemy for the X-Men to defeat. She becomes a much better character in the First Class films, where her motivations are explored with greater depth. In fairness, their actresses do the best with the material they“re given, and Anna Paquin does a great job of making her Rogue seem emotionally vulnerable.
Still, where this movie succeeds, it succeeds because of the rich emotional core of the comics, as well as some clever ideas that expand on them. Magneto“s plan to mutate the world leaders is a fascinating one, and it“s a shame that this notion is only given a cursory glance. Likewise, small ideas and scenes open whole new doors on the X-Men characters that are missed even in the comics. Wolverine“s comment that his claws hurt every time he extends them is a moment of subtle brilliance, and Jackman and Paquin play the scene beautifully. Cyclops“s quiet moment where he assures a comatose Xavier that he“ll take care of his team hits the core of the character, and it may be the best moment Marsden gets in the entire first trilogy. It“s the small soap-opera moments that bring the X-Men to life in this film, and these points outweigh any plot issues or questionable adaptation choices. It“s these moments that make the audience care about these superheroes, and what should ideally keep them coming back for sequels.
It“s not likely that X-Men will make too many “best superhero movie”“ lists, especially after the heights that the genre would reach in the following twenty years. At the same time, it“s a movie that“s driven by love of the characters, and it helped create a massive superhero franchise. It“s a movie with some of the best actors playing some of the best characters in the Marvel stable, and it“s still a fun experience even if it isn“t flawless. X-Men does what a good, solid superhero movie should do, and that“s more than enough.
Score: 4/5
Director: Bryan Singer
Cast: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, James Marsden, Famke Janssen, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Bruce Davison, Ray Park, Tyler Mane
Author Profile
- Steve Sellers had been a fan of superheroes ever since Superman: The Movie. But it took the JSA, the Legion of Super-Heroes, Dragonlance, Lord of the Rings, Twilight Zone, and Chris Claremont's legendary run on the X-Men to make him a writer and a longtime fan of comics, fantasy, and science fiction. Steve is the co-creator of WHITE DRUID & MICHAEL NERO and GUARDIANS OF ELAYIM for Omen Comics, and he is also the creator of BLITZ and SHOCKWAVE for Revelation Comics (an imprint of Omen Comics).
