X-Men

2000

Directed by Bryan Singer

Quick Synopsis… Amid increasing fear and bigotry, Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) provides a safe haven for powerful outcasts like Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Rogue (Anna Paquin) and Storm (Halle Berry), who are genetically gifted mutants — and the world’s newest, most persecuted minority group. In an explosive battle for freedom and honor, the X-Men take on Magneto (Ian McKellen) and his band of evil mutants, who relish the public’s paranoia.

• I won’t say that X-Men is the movie that kicked off America’s love of superhero movies.
• Because back in 1978, we believed a man could fly with Superman: The Movie. But that franchise evolved into something super campy.
• But then in 1989, we believed a grown man could dress as a bat with Batman. But that franchise also evolved into something super campy.
• Both of those franchises showed us with their early entries that it was possible to take comic book characters seriously while putting them on the big screen.
• X-Men reintroduced us to that idea.
• Without 2000’s X-Men, we may not have gotten Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man. We may not have gotten Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. We may not have gotten the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
• X-Men did what it took the MCU five movies to do… Brought together a well-known team of well-known superheroes to introduce them to a new audience while telling a decent story that actually makes sense.
• Let’s not talk about the rest of the X franchise… it’s been hit or miss ever since.
• It also gave us Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, a role that pretty much defined him for 17 years.
• Right at the beginning, did you ever notice, during the 20th Century Fox fanfare, that the X in Fox lingers on screen for just a second after the rest of the image fades?
• It’s a pretty cool feature that I don’t think they did for any of the future movies.
• It’s kind of funny to go back and watch movies from this time. Like a lot of others that are heavy on special effects, the CGI has a hard time holding up to today’s standards.
• Even just watching Wolverine’s claws go in and out of his hands is enough to see how far technology has come in 19 years.
• I remember being excited for this movie when it was first released.
• Not necessarily because I was a huge X-Men fan. I’m a DC, not a Marvel, remember?
• But I did love the X-Men cartoon series that was on the Fox network in the 90s.
• I knew all of these characters thanks to that show, not because I’d ever picked up an X-Men comic book.
• This is definitely one of the better movies in this franchise.
• I’d say it’s only topped by its direct sequel, X2: X-Men United, and the more recent Logan and Deadpool.

What’s your favorite X-Men related movie? Did you like this one? Monday will be Y day and the featured film will be a black and white comedy. Got any ideas? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

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