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Visitors Review

andalynne 2012-05-25 07:30:17

Waited 20 years for this.....

.....And I LOVED IT!!!! This was everything I have been dreaming aboutsince I was 10 years old and read my first Uncanny X-Men comic book! Forthose of you who went to see this movie without knowing a single thing aboutthe X-Men and were confused all I can say is this movie was NOT made foryou! The die-hard fan was clearly the target for this movie and they scoreda direct hit. I loved the opening scene showing Magneto's first use of hispowers as an adolescent. And why didn't they explain all the other X-Men'sorigins? That's what the sequels will be for! This movie clearly focusedon Magneto's hatred and fear of humanity and humanity at large's hatred andfear of mutants in general. The side stories of Jean Grey/Cyclops/Wolverineand Wolverine/Rogue were well handled and really brought the characters tolife for me. I've seen some comments complaining there were 'inside' jokesthat only fans of the comic books would get; huh? excuse me? 'Inside' jokesare MEANT to only be understood by true fans of the comics and TV series! Anyway I'm sure there are lots who disagree with me and that's great BUT Iloved this movie and I am positive that anyone who has seen the TV series orread the comics whether in the last year or 30 years ago will love it aswell. 10 out of 10 (in case you couldn't figure that out from myreview!)

changeling69 2012-05-24 16:47:24

One Heck of a killer Movie!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well I went in expecting good things and I was not disappointed. As withany comic the main plot was weak, but there was reason behind it. Theytookthe time to really get into the characters, not all of them mind you, butitwas still very well done. Bryan Singer is an excellent director and IthinkI will continue to be impressed by his work. ( I only hope they bring himback for the sequal) I feel that this movie will do well and expect othercomics to make the move to movie form shortly, because of the success oftheX-men movie.

LJ312UA-2 2012-05-23 14:12:36

The perfect comic book adaption?

I think this is a near perfect adaption of a comic book to film. Kudos tothe cast & crew for pulling together & creating this masterpiece. I couldnot be more pleased with the film. Yes it could have had a better score andbeen about 2-3 hours longer, but those are minor issues. I can not wait forthe sequel! This has become the new benchmark for comic book adaptions. Igive this a 10 out of 10!!!

anton-6 2012-05-23 12:39:15

What a stupid and silly film!1/5.

I tried to like this silly action film.Bryan Singer has done "the usualsuspects" and it´s placed #15 in the top 250 over the best films ever.WHY???I did not like that one at all.X-men tries to be this smart and on the sametime funny action film.I just don´t get it:Bad acting,silly story...*/*****

mr_bungle-3 2012-05-19 20:31:57

wolverine

I liked x-men and x-2.......x-3 in my mind isn't part of the series!!anyway my comment is, why does Hugh Jackman play the biggestpussy-wolverine! i mean seriously he has the look OK, but wheres thegrowl in his voice?? wear is the black and yellow??? and the mask? Ithink this movies were close but not as true to the characters likebatman begins or superman was. I think these movies would have beenmuch better as well, if characters were introduced as early as x-men,gambit, the beast etc.....and whats with killing off saber-tooth? ohwell... I hope that they get the character right in the wolverine moviecoming up in 08

Bruno César Cabaço 2012-05-19 06:09:33

X-cellent

When I first read that they were going to make an X-men movie I thought:"It will never work, there are too many characters, too many plots...". Ithought that the only way it might work was to restrict the number ofcharacters, but...which ones? And what about the story? I discussed theseissues with some friends of mine: Wolverine, Storm, Cyclops, Jean Grey,Xavier, Magneto, Sabretooth, Beast, Gambit, Mystique, Rogue and Iceman werethe most wanted characters. And the story? It had to be Wolverine-centered,after all, he IS the world´s favourite X-man. I was extremely nervous whenIwent to see the movie, most comic adaptations to the big screen hadcompletely disappointed me with the exception of the two first 'Batman' and'Blade'(even though I liked 'the crow', its ending has nothing to do withthe original comic-book). As I watched the film the only thing I couldthinkof was "This is great!!". Hugh Jackman is fantastic as Wolverine, Stewartand Ian's interpretations are really cool, and the others...awesome. Ok,some might say "what about Beast, Gambit, Colossus, Nightcrawler, etc..",well that's what sequels are for...Bryan Singer did a wonderful job (evenifthe character of Rogue isn't exactly what I expected)and i just hope thatthe sequels will be as good or better than this one (I hope to see more ofWolverine´s mysterious past...and see the x-men hunted down by yuo knowwho).

FlashCallahan 2012-05-13 19:23:41

Like a toad being struck by lightning.....

The same as everything else.....In a world where both Mutants and Humans fear each other, MarieD'Ancanto, better known as Rogue, runs away from home and hitches aride with another mutant, known as Wolverine.Charles Xavier, who owns a school for young mutants, sends Storm andCyclops to bring them back before it is too late.Magneto, who believes a war is approaching, has an evil plan in mind,and needs young Rogue to help him.....I know Bryan Singer was introducing a huge amount of characters to thebig screen, and while the film is very well made, did it really have tobe so boring in certain places? Stewart, Mckellan, Jackman and Janssenare blistering in this movie, whenever they are on screen, the film isat it's peak.On the other end of the spectrum though, we have Berry, Marsden andPaquin, who are mundane on the verge of being offensive, which is whatSingers major flaw is. He didn't think of the other characters,instead, just having somebody slightly 'big' at the time would make themore interesting, it doesn't work.So all in all, it's not bad, just compared to other movies in thegenre, it feels very lethargic and longer that it actually is.

jldmp1 2012-05-13 12:32:25

Bluffing Itself

This was far busier than it needed to be, stuffing in drama, moralityand comedy relief. Since neither of the former two motifs can be takenseriously, we have to look at this as a comedy.The way this is centered on Jackman and way he is directed to play thisputs me in mind of Eastwood in "Coogan's Bluff"...the attempt is toinsert a smart aleck into a fish out of water situation and just lethim crack wise at every opportunity.The problem is, Singer didn't understand "Coogan's" structure...inaddition to the defined jokester, that movie had defined targets(remember the ludicrous 'Pigeon Toed Orange Peel'?) and both were at adistance from the audience. This movie can't distinguish the targetsfrom the audience: the moral is "we all have to get along with eachothers' differences" and the audience is expected to empathize.The morality play propped up by Stewart and McKellan is a sort-of MLKversus Malcolm X philosophical debate. It's not offensive, but it isunnecessary. The whole point of it dissolves like the erstwhilesenator.One item of interest is the camera's movement around Jackman during theStatue of Liberty fight; it rotates through 360 degrees in slow motionand only at the end of the shot do we find our perspective again...ifonly there had been more of these *film* ideas and less comic bookflatness and penny-ante moralizing, we'd have had something toremember.

Denny Keaton 2012-05-09 23:04:07

A 96 minute tour of 37 years of comics.

Bryan Singer has certainly succeeded in making a comic book movie thatcaptures the flavor of the beloved Uncanny X-Men. All of the actors capturethe personalities of their comic book counter-parts (with the exception ofMystique, who in the comics was the second leader of the Brotherhood ofMutants). The story line does not follow to an overly predictableconclusion. A special treat was cameos by X-Men standards like Kitty Prydeand Bobby Drake. This is a very good movie, but it does suffer from oneflaw. Its way too short. Certainly I would hope that more time could havebeen spent developing Prof. Xavier, Storm, and Cyclops, without taking awayfrom the obvious stars of the film, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman is AWESOME),Rogue, and Magneto. And, for a comic book movie, it was a little light onthe action. It is well written, and Wolverine is the natural choice to bethe center of the film. Overall, a good film. Certainly worth the time ofany fan of comics, action movies, or science fiction.

K 2012-05-09 13:41:40

extremely well done

Mr. Singer did an awesome job. While the movie, X-Men, isn't great,itkept the flavor of the comic I love. First you have to understand theX-Menuniverse is extremely complicated. He tried to pare it down intounderstandable characters. No one is going to be happy with that, sinceweall have different favorites.What he did do, was instead of going for the action adventure, andtotally ignoring what made X-Men the favorite it is, he kept the humanityofit. We lost out on some slam-bang action and kept what made the X-Men thebeloved comic of our time. The fact that these are people who aredifferent. Who are tormented because of the fact that they aren't likeeveryone else. God knows, we've all experienced that bigotry, in one formor another. The X-Men stand for all of us.Thank you Mr. Singer. I went to the movie expecting to bedisappointed.It's not the great movie I wanted, but it told the tale like it wassupposedto be told.Oh, and Jackman didn't 'almost' steal the movie. He stole it and ranaway with it. The Wolverine character is the one I really expected to bedisappointed in. Instead, he was absolutely perfect. C'mon people.Wolviehas never been a nice guy. He's short, cranky, stubborn, and a warrior.He's also the kind of guy a person could bet their life on, and win. Wedon't like him cause he's nice. We like him because of his faults!

kevin c 2012-05-06 21:48:34

X-People ??

I'm no comic book nerd, and had no prior knowledge or expectations of theX-Men.This is the most intelligent summer blockbuster of 2000. A film that dealswith issues of paranoia and prejudice. A film that delays the action, andrespects it's audience to develop plot and character. It also captures thecomic book darkness that prevailed in the atomic age/cold war 1950s and1960s. No need to camp this up or dumb it down.A top cast in a welcome success.

Inque 2012-05-06 08:06:55

Disappointing and slow

I went into the theatre expecting to fall in love with this film. I had readand heard good things about it, and I like my superhero films a bit dark.And while I am not a die-hard X-Fan, I looked forward to seeing Storm, oneof my favourite super-heroines, on screen and larger than life.I was disappointed by the film, in the end. I needn't tell you what awashout performance Halle Berry gave as Storm. A strange imbalance in thiscrowded movie was too much character background for some characters, nonefor others. I assume they will work this out in sequels, but isn't assumingthat there will be sequels a bit pretentious? It certainly isn't a goodexcuse for making a lame first film, which should be able to stand alone. Isubmit Star Wars for your edification.I think that what really hurt the film, (aside from the fact that for longstretches, nothing happened) is the lack of humour. I counted 4 jokes, andthey were wry ones at best. I'm off to watch Batman (1989) again.

Jacks Smirking Revenge 2012-05-04 20:29:37

Made me a fan...

Simply stated: this is one of the best movies adapted from a comic book.Growing up, I have always read comics and was never a big X-Men fan. Thischanged my outlook on this team of outcast mutants. A great cast, greataction, and a solid story make this a must see for any die-hard comic fansor sci-fi junkies. and for those of you who scoff at this, i even recommendit for those who don't dig theses types of films. damn, it was just areallyfun flick. that's what movies should be, right?

danielll_rs 2012-05-04 14:20:22

What a pleasant surprise!

WARNING: SOME SPOILERS AHEADI had a strange curiosity in watching "X-Men" because of the fine reviewsitwas receiving. But I had many doubts about it. 1) I have never, I meanNEVERread an "X-Men" comic book. I had already watched some episodes of thecartoon, but didn't understand a word of it. Maybe the words would sound tome like Chinese. But, man, I was wrong! 2) If you watched "Judge Dredd","Batman Forever", "Batman & Robin", "Superman 2, 3, 4..." or 90% of comicbooks adaptations, you know what it means- crap, brainless, RazzieAwards...I was afraid that "X-Men" joined the list. But, man, I was wrong! 3) I donot appreciate summer blockbusters very much. There are exceptions ofcourse("Gladiator"), but the majority is pure crap. "The Mummy" is one of theworst films I've ever seen, and I had an unpleasant experience in themovieslast week watching the infamous "Gone in 60 Seconds". "X-Men" could havejoined the list very well and would be a perfect meal for the RazzieAwards.But, man, I WAS WRONG!In fact, "X-Men" is one of the best blockbusters I've seen in a very longwhile. It's very far from a perfect movie, but it has everything you needfor your perfect summer flick: thrilling action, terrific special effects,cool characters, good soundtrack, amazing scenery. And for my taste, anabove the average character development.This could have been just another action flick, or something worse. But thedifference is a good screenplay (a rarity on the genre) and a decentdirector, who (thanks God) didn't know anything about the X-Men. The man isBryan Singer, who had already directed two other films: the great "TheUsualSuspects" and the mediocre "Apt Pupil". He teaches us everything (or almostthat) we, outsiders, should know about the X-Men. The film starts in a Nazifield on the World War II, showing Magneto when he was a child, starting touse his powers and, maybe because of that, separated from the rest of thejews. Now, in the near future, there is a weird segregation in the society:the homo sapiens (us, of course) and the homo superiors. These are mutantswho have to learn how to use their power, and they really suffer with that.They are divided in two groups: the ones led by Professor Charles Xavier(Patrick Stewart)- the X-Men, who wish that the society accepts them, andthe ones led by Magneto (Ian McKellen), who want to start a war against thehomo sapiens. These two characters were compared by Singer with MartinLuther King and Malcolm X. The X-Men are Dr. Jean Grey, Cyclops, Storm,among others. They are receiving two newcomers- Rogue, a girl who killspeople who touch her, and Wolverine, a very strong man with bad mood andthose metal knives inside his hands. Magneto's men are Sabertooth, Mystiqueand Toad, all of them really nasty. I understood well what all thecharacters represent, and I thought this was a great job by thescreenwriter.I got even what I didn't expect- some depth. Wolverine is the mostwell-developed character, but we will know more about him on the sequel.Magneto is a very interesting character, ambiguous and not just plain bad.Ireally liked the way the movie treated the good and the evil, but I stillwanted to know a little more about the rivality between Magneto and Xavier,about Storm, Jean Grey and Cyclops. I think everything will be moreexplained in the sequel. This movie lets the door wide open for the sequel:what is the secret of Wolverine's past? What will happen now that Mystiquehas turned into the Senator? What will be Magneto's plans now? What willhappen to Rogue? Let's wait for the sequel- and I hope they make a goodsequel, as good as the original.Overall, "X-Men" was a very pleasant surprise in many ways. It is a goodchoice if you are tired to see things as "Gone in 60 Seconds". And itdestroys the myth that every comic book adaptation is awful. Along with thefirst "Batman", it is there the prove the opposite.I thought they put $75 million dollars in the right place. "Gone in 60Seconds" costed $90 million, "The Patriot" costed $110 million, but "X-Men"is much better. It's fun, stylish, smart, amazing. Not perfect, but verygood.8 out of 10 = EASILY RECOMMENDED

newfiesailor 2012-05-01 20:57:46

Not just another comic book movie...

This movie ranks up there with Spiderman as the best comic bookadaptation. It introduces us to the mutants with a little of theirbackground and how they joined Professor X in his fight againstMagneto.Stellar acting and a plot that doesn't take itself too serious, yetserious enough, keeps the movie fueled. The mutants and theiradversaries are interesting, the showcasing of their various powers areal treat. Because they are not overly endowed with powerfulabilities, each mutant having one definable power, their one on onematchups are all the more attractive. We have a little bit of a lovetriangle, three dimensional characters, tortured souls, comedic relief,and an attractive cast all wrapped up in costumes. Great stuff! Themovie inevitably sets up sequels for years to come. There is no doubtthis will become a franchise, much in the way Batman Begins andSpiderman are. The question is: will the departure of Bryan Singer meanthe fall of this budding series?

ManiacCop 2012-05-01 13:01:04

special effects wasted due to lack of progressive plot

X-men has some decent special effects and directing, but it is wasted due toa lack of a progressive plot. Movie goers want to see a movie that movesalong, in the X-men's case the movie moves at a snails pace and the onlycharacter the audience genuinely cares about is Wolverine. They should callthis movie Wolverine and friends.They should have kept this one in comic book format. Lets hope X-Men 2 hasa more exciting and explosive plot. Isn't that what comic books arefor???

Glenford Barnes 2012-04-30 16:49:33

Just bliss for X-Men fans

I have just spent the last one hundred minutes in total bliss. I have justcome out from watching the X-Men movie, and it has at last proven to methatto make a good comic book film takes a major company to employ a very gooddirector to direct exceptional actors, who take their profession seriousenough to make it feel like you've known their world all of yourlife.As you've probably guessed, I am a big X-Men fan and have been for thelasttwenty-five years. I have watched the development of characters within thebooks, Watched members die and seen new members born. Seen brother fightstheir own brother and even their own father, I have felt their pain andjoy,and as a family they have become part of my life.When I first heard that they where about to make this movie, the firstthought that came to mind was the original series of spider-man films thenIremembered the last comic book hero that I had seen in films of which Ienjoyed watching which was Batman. Things just had to get better. Todaywasthe day that things would change for better or for worse, today was thedayI got to see people that I have known most of my life in the flesh. Dyingwith anticipation I arrived at the cinema took my seat then waited. Therewas not much wrong with the film apart from the obvious differences in agewith some of the major and minor characters, and the obvious lack ofstronger personalities, it was just great to see people that you couldfeelfor, feelings either of warmth or disdain. I am not going to mentionscenesfrom the film as I urge all to see for themselves, all I can say is thankyou Bryan Singer for making the world of the X-men real for the rest oftheworld. Roll on X-Men 2

Ian McLAUGHLIN 2012-04-30 08:46:56

I am X-tremely X-ited about this X-hilarating Adventure

I saw this on its opening day of July 12 in Australia. Having watched theanimated TV series about 9 years ago I knew a "Fair" amount about the Xmenbut I wasn't a long term fan of the comic (never bought one). So was Iexpecting to grow to love the characters of this Bryan Singer film in only2hours?Y-E-S!!!! From Magneto's heartbreaking separation from his parents, toRogue's near fatal bedroom pash to Wolverine's "X-treme Fighting"introduction, I was instantly gripped by these characters. The writing wasflawless, the plot moved along very fast but for an action movie I wasamazed how little this adventure was plot driven and how majorly it wascharacter driven.I couldn't believe I was looking at Hugh Jackman, the musical theatreprettyboy as the meanest toughest superhero of them all, Wolverine.......what anacting standout! He even stole the show away from Patrick Stewart and thatis no small feat. When I saw how far down the list Anna Paquin's name wasonposters I thought "She'll be lucky to even say anything in the movie letalone act up to her potential........all I can say is the on screenpairingof Wolverine and Rogue is Cinema magic.....I cried when "That" scene (youknow the one....let sleeping dogs lie....)occurred.In fact the whole movie overwhelmed me emotionally. I went "Wow!" at theaction and most action movies don't do that to me (seen one buildingexplodeyou've seen them all) but the fight scenes, especially the one on top oftheStatue of Liberty were fantastic. It was also symbollic to fight forjusticeand humanity on the symbol of liberty I thought.Everything was spot on, the bickering of Cyclops and Wolverine, the calmcold war chess game mind set between proffessor X and Magneto and themesmerizing body of Mystique made sure I didn't look away from the screenonce during the whole movie.......heck I even stayed right to the lastcredit in case there was a "One Shot" to give a clue of asequel.....The best comic book to screen adaption EVER, even outdid Superman theMovieand that is the ultimate compliment.10/10

pyrocitor 2012-04-30 10:07:36

Predecessor to a whole generation of successful superhero movies

When you look at in, X-Men really was a risk when it was first releasedin 2000. Big budget superhero movies hadn't been successful in ages,the last attempt being the abominable flop 'Batman and Robin'. As well,X-Men incorporated a huge cast, most of which were big name actors,almost all of whom needed roughly equal screen time to make the storywork. All in all, it seemed a lot to juggle to make work.Lucky it seems then that a director was attached to the project whoactually knew what he was doing. Brian Singer, whose credentialsincluded 'The Usual Suspects', a heist thriller known as one of themost brilliantly executed of all time and 'Apt Pupil', detailing thelife of an ex-Nazi trying to incorporate himself into an ordinarylifestyle; seemed like the kind of director who would pass off a comicbook film as "too lowbrow". But Singer instead embraced the deeperthemes of the story, such as societal prejudice and exclusion, andplayed them for maximum effect. And it worked; X-Men seems surprisinglygrounded in reality considering it features characters able to blastlaser beams from their eyes and control the weather. The viewer canalmost picture themselves inhabiting a world where parents are afraidof their children going to school with the mutant kids.Singer also comprehensively explores the comic backstory of thecharacters, and brings this into effect. And yet, for all the comicbook trivia incorporated into the movie, the plot never sags, or seemsovercrowded. Such traits as Professor Xavier(Patrick Stewart)'spaternal instinct towards Cyclops (James Marsden), his first studentare expressed in only a couple of lines, and yet become definitive andclear to the audience. We also see such characters as Pyro, Shadowcatand Colossus (who made larger appearances in the second movie) takecameos, as if to see which comic fans are paying attention. Truly aclassy directorial move. There's also several knowing winks to thecharacters backstories (the "what would you prefer - yellow spandex?"line being the most obvious) as well as several cheeky and intelligenttouches, such as Wolverine's middle claw, and "keep your eye open"comment to Cyclops.It also helps that Singer has managed to assemble a stellar cast tobring the much loved characters to life. The movie built solid careersfor relative newcomers Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Romijn, and certainlybrought Halle Berry more into the commercial spotlight. But the movienot only features many well known actors, but also manages to perfectlycapture the essence of the age old characters. Hugh Jackman seems bornto play Wolverine; every gesture, every move he makes is purely incharacter. This also seems to be the case for Patrick Stewart, whomakes a pitch perfect Professor Xavier, trainer and mentor to theX-Men. Famke Janssen is a superb Jean Grey giving more depth to whatcould have been a character written with very little to do. JamesMarsden also brings the overly strict Cyclops truly to life; his backand forth exchanges with the defiant Wolverine are comic genius, andstraight out of the comics. Halle Berry may not have been the mosteconomic choice for Storm (as her behaviour regarding the 2 sequelsproves) but she does bring a certain credibility and truth to hercharacter. Ray Park also proves that despite being constantly cast forhis stunt skills, he most certainly act, playing a truly edgy and grossToad, who in the comics was a simpering moron. Rebecca Romijn gives adangerous edge to the shape shifting Mystique, despite almost certainlybeing cast for her stunning looks, displayed in full glory, as she isnever clothed, with only a few tastefully placed scales, leavingtantalisingly little to the imagination. Wrestler Tyler Mane also makesa menacing and genuinely frightening Sabertooth. But in this cast full of standouts, if one had to pick the single mostaffecting performance, the only contender is Sir Ian McKellan as the"humanitarian" villain Magneto. Again, it only goes to show that goodcasting counts for so very much: what could have been reduced to acampy, ranting performance by another actor is instead morphed into adignified, cultured and genuinely angry villain. McKellan seems tobuild layers of repression and injustice into his very soul, with thetruthfulness he projects his hatred for humankind, and theirintolerance for anything different from themselves. In fact, if itwasn't for Hugh Jackman's brilliant performance, McKellan would easilywalk away with the film unchallenged. As is, the picture still belongsto him, but it's an extremely close thing. The exchanges betweenMagneto and Wolverine are dynamic; you could swear you feel the veryair crackling with intensity. So in the end, there's really nothing not to love about X-Men - anincredibly truthful, intelligent and relevant script is brought to lifein a remarkably tasteful and affecting manner by a truly skilleddirector. The tremendously capable cast bring their characters to lifein a truly satisfying way, and it's all tied together by a trulyenjoyable and powerful score by the late Michael Kamen. All in all, thetremendous success of X-Men served to birth other successful superherofilms, such as the Spider-Man series and the recent Batman Begins. Buteven if viewed as a stand alone, X-Men proves a superbly enjoyable andvery solidly made film.-9/10

DunnDeeDaGreat 2012-04-29 19:19:26

Good flick but needed more action

Since the age of about 8, I've been a fan of the X-Men. When the film wasreleased I eagerly awaited it. Then I saw it and thought it was good, butitneeded more action. Hugh Jackman is bad ass as Wolive and his performancemakes up for the lack of action.