The Devil welcomes you to his next review in the current series, he hopes you will enjoy our time together in your reading of his work. X-Men is one of the most popular and beloved comic book series in the world. So it's only natural that they would be among the first to receive a major motion picture. The original X-Men film is one of the most influential in the genre. Though, there some that hold the film (and the whole franchise) in great disdain due to certain deviations from the beloved comic. While others acknowledge it as one of the first and best comic book films of our time. But where does The Devil stand? Read on to find out.
What I disliked.
One of the film's strongest points was most definitely the casting. While in most cases the actors were spot on, there was one that left me scratching my head. Halle Berry, I'm not a hater of Halle Berry. I like some of her work, and I even like her a lot as Storm in later X-Men movies. But not in this one, it's so weird but I just can't seem to like her in this film. Maybe it was just the shock of seeing HER as Storm for the first time. Or perhaps it was the horrible attempt at an African accent. Or perhaps it was the cheesy lines. I really don't know, it is probably a combination of these things. I liked her in X-Men 2, Days of Future Past, and even X-Men 3. But I can't seem to like her in this movie. Another weak point in the mostly excellent casting is Tyler Mane as Sabretooth. I personally felt that the characterization was way off while the look was perfect for him. I suppose you cannot blame Tyler Mane for the problems but the writers more or less. It's not Mane's fault, he did the best he could with what he was given. But you see, he was giving very few speaking parts and mostly just grunts and growls like an idiot. I don't blame Tyler Mane, he gave a decent performance, but I just don't understand what the writers were going for.
Aside from a few odd casting choices and some anomalies in the writing. X-Men suffers from one big problem that can't be ignored. The film is just flat-out dated. I understand it came out fourteen years ago. I also understand it was among the first of it's kind and a trend setter. But if you judge the film by modern standards, it seems incredibly bland. The action is very, VERY weak and generic. The story isn't bad at all, despite the fact that none of it came from the comics the plot was really just forgettable. I was not into the cheesy special effects and the poor action. Cyclops' blasts even make me want to cringe at times. Really what I'm trying to say is, the movie is really plain and forgettable in a lot of ways. It hasn't aged well the way it's successor has.
What I liked.
As aforementioned, the casting is the movie's strongest point. Despite Tyler Mane's mute Sabretooth and Halle Berry's bothersome Storm, the film is loaded with excellent cast members and a few breakout stars in the mix. Let's start with the most obvious; Hugh Jackman, in my opinion is the best actor who has played a superhero so far. I know that's an extremely tall appraisal of his ability but I stand by it. Of course Jackman/Wolverine's potential would not be fully tapped until later films, this movie serves as a nice intro to his powers, and how he views himself and the world. His introduction scene in the bar, and the scene where he sacrifices himself for Rogue are still among my favorite Wolverine moments. Speaking of Rogue, Anna Paquin receives a tremendous amount of hate for her performance in this and other X-Men movies. I understand the characterization was off, it isn't the REAL Rogue. But I liked what they did with her, her being on screen brought a sweet, innocent presence to the cast that really helped the script if you asked me. In reality this movie is really centered on her, she has the strongest arc and is the one necessity to the plot. People try to boil down the movie and say it was all about Wolverine, but realistically I'd say it was actually all about Rogue.
Ian Mckellen and Patrick Stewart (oh God, thank you FOX, back when you did stuff I liked) are cinematic GOLD in the original X-Men movie. They were both perfect choices for their roles respectively. Though I did want to see more of Magneto's powers like we would in later films. Rebecca Romijn as Mystique has got to be the most badass henchman ever. Ray Park's Toad was really cool as well, I liked seeing his powers in action. James Marsden is the perfect guy for Cyclops, although I do wish the special effects on him didn't suck so badly. Famke Janssen was perfect for the beautiful Jean Grey. Another strong point for me was the script and screenplay. As I said before the plot was forgettable, but the script however was excellent. The banter between characters is generally great, especially between Wolverine and Rogue, Xavier and Magneto as well as between Jean, Cyclops and Wolverine. Some of my favorite scenes in this movie feature the great dialogue between the characters. Despite the fact that Storm's dialogue is crap, the screenplay between the characters is excellent for the most part. I felt one of the strongest points was the level of emotion brought to the characters through the actors and writing. They aren't just 2-dimensional characters, most of them have personalities and motives behind them. I liked Rogue's arc of trying to find somewhere she belongs. Wolverine's arc of finding something to both live and die for is great as well.
Conclusion.
X-Men suffers from weak CGI and a forgettable plot. I also wish the film had taken more inspiration from the comics the way it's sequels/spinoffs have. But the cast (for the most part) is excellent, and the strong script brings it up a few points. The level of emotion from the characters and story bring this movie to being a decent watch. The effect it had on culture is legendary, and although it hasn't aged well it remains a classic.
The Devil gives X-Men a final score of:
7 stars out of 10.
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