X-Men Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Join the Evolution.
Change is coming. The evolution begins july 14th.
Protecting Those Who Fear Them.
The time is coming when all that we are afraid of will be all that can save us.
Trust a few. Fear the rest.
Protecting those who fear them.
We're Not What You Think
The future is here.
Across the world, children are born with an extra twist to their chromosomes that allow them to exhibit superhuman abilities: fire a beam of force from their eyes, or sprout wings that allow flight or being able to read men's minds. These 'children of the atom' are often feared and despised by the world, forcing these 'mutants' to resort to desperate actions. However, one group of mutants have banded together to show the world that it need not fear their kind. Apart, they are simply scientific curiousities, freaks and monsters - but together, united by their shared belief, they are more - they are the uncanny X-Men.
| Hugh Jackman | Logan, Wolverine |
| Patrick Stewart | Professor Charles Xavier |
| Ian McKellen | Eric Lensherr, Magneto |
| Famke Janssen | Jean Grey |
| James Marsden | Scott Summers, Cyclops |
| Halle Berry | Ororo Munroe, Storm |
| Anna Paquin | Rogue, Marie D'Ancanto |
| Tyler Mane | Sabretooth |
| Ray Park | Toad |
| Rebecca Romijn | Mystique |
| Bryan Singer |
7.40 out of 10 (94323 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Faithful to the spirit of the comic and characters
posted on 29 Aug 2009One of my major concerns before I saw the movie was whether or not they could do Wolverine right. Lets face it, he is the X-men and one of the major reasons the X-men has been so popular over the years. I am happy to say that not only were they true to his character but they were also true to Storm, Jean Grey, Professor X, Mageto, Sabertooth, Mystic and Toad. Rogue was a disappointment, but luckily she was played very well by Anna Paquin. I only say she was disappointment is because they weren't true to her powers or personality. True, in the movie was able to steal the powers of other Mutants, but in the comic she can also fly and is very strong. In the movie she was the damsel in distress most of the time. Hopefully they'll fix that in the sequel.All in all, I would highly recommend this movie to anyone, not just comic book fans. There are many touching moments between Rogue and Wolverine. Some great one liners, and several intense action scene's loaded with great special effects. Is X-men perfect? No. (They never explain why Rogue travels to the north before meeting Wolverine) Is it fun? Yes. Should you see it? Absolutely.
A masterpiece by director Bryan Singer!
posted on 29 Aug 2009I was surprised that Bryan Singer was selected as the director of X-men. Normally i would´ve suggested that a director like John Woo or the Wachowski-brothers did this kind of movie. X-men should be a movie with fast action, fast story and a fast and beautiful photography.Bryan Singer was´nt, as you can see, the first man i thought of but i was still pleased to see him as a director. He has a very special way of giving characters life, to give them flesh and bone. The worst kind of thing that could happened to X-men was a thin story with characters you did´nt care for.Bryan Singer convinced me once a again that he belongs by my top ten directors in Hollywood! This movie has anything that you possibly could want from a movie like this! As a fan of Marvel i don´t feel ashamed over this movie, like i was over Spawn ( though it had its moments ). I recommend everybody to see this movie, enter the world of mutants and enjoy! I doubt i´ll see any greater movie this year!
A Superhero Film With Big Themes
posted on 25 Aug 2009X-MenThere's a scene early in X-men, where Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) explains to a confused Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) in about five seconds everything his school for the gifted is about, and introduces the films featured characters in lightening quick succession, while also giving a two second intro to the villains. All of which Logan responds to saying "This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard of". For a moment...you might be thinking the same thing.But there's no other scene like that. In fact X-Men manages to translate something larger then what it intends. It intends to be simple action entertainment. But it suppresses something more.X-Men perfectly captures prejudice; how the mutants are segregated and out-casted from society. A little girl looks up at Cyclops, only to be dragged away by her mother. A man thinks he's owed money by a mutant, because the other guy's a mutant. They have to hide, they have to run from home. People want them registered, some want them locked away. But mutants hide because "...those who have come out have been met with fear, hostility...even violence". They are so out-casted from society they don new names for themselves.And of course just like in any case of prejudice, there's a loudmouth who wants all the different locked away. In X-Men, that loudmouth is Senator Kelly (Bruce Davison). And there's a radical on the other side too, Eric Lensherr, or Magneto (Ian McKellan); a man who was first met prejudice in WWII in Poland, and now as a mutant. So it's understandable why he might want to do away with normal people just as they want to do away with him. His plan may seem far-fetched, but that's the thing; it's so stupid it cannot possibly work, it can only be harmful radiation.The movie features a stellar cast, all who perform superbly. Rogue (Anna Paquin) is incapable of human contact, sucking the life force from humans. Cyclops blasts bolts of energy from his waking eyes. Wolverine can heal rapidly, and has super metal attachments that eject from his hands. But he has a forgotten past as well, that troubles him. Mystique can transform into anything. Magneto controls anything metal. Storm alters the weather. All these characters (plus more; I cannot name each) have potential to be deep (Wolverine's dark past isn't looked into; Rogue's incapability isn't explored), but aren't really developed. Perhaps because there are so many, but that is X-Men's biggest problem. Lack of development.The visuals rock between good and bad, but the score is solid, and the action is engaging. 8/10."What do they call you...wheels?"-X-Men
For fanboys and regular homo-sapiens alike.
posted on 17 Aug 2009Yes, I'll admit it. I read comic books. And yes, I've read the X-Men comic books. In fact, I started reading XMEN when I was about thirteen, and got quickly hooked.For those of you who don't know, (as if the media juggernaut for this movie hasn't run you over yet) the X-Men are mutants. They're born with genetic abnormalities which give them super powers. These powers usually manifest around puberty. Mutants, in general, are feared and hated by the rest of humanity.Is it any wonder teenagers eat this stuff up?Well, we all grow up. I still read X-MEN from time to time, but not with the fanatical devotion of my teenage years (at one point I was reading "X-Men," "X-Factor," "eXcalibur," "X-Force" and "Wolverine," much to the detriment of my savings account). Now, maybe I'm just being an old fart, but I SWEAR the comics had better quality when I was younger. The thing that always drew me to the book (well, aside from the adolescent male power fantasies) was that, unlike many super-team funnybooks, X-MEN was character driven. Most of the heroes had major flaws, and the villains weren't really evil, they just saw the world with a different set of ethics. Best of all, their super-powers were often as much a curse as a blessing.Recently, the writer who brought comicsdom its best X-MEN stories (and characters such as Wolverine, Storm and Rogue) has come back to the title--which is good, because recently, X-MEN has been all about a bunch of super-powered, spandex-clad yahoos who go out and beat up on the bad guys.Now, I was afraid that X-MEN might be like THAT. Fortunately, it's not.Okay, much as director Bryan Singer (THE USUAL SUSPECTS) has denied it, X-MEN is an action movie. But it's most decidedly NOT a children's film. The PG-13 is there for a reason--don't bring your eight year old, assuming it's just a comic book movie. You'll scare him. He also won't be able to follow it.I'll admit, I was rooting for this film. I wanted it to be good. Well, it met my expectations and exceeded them.First point: you don't have to read a single X-MEN comic book to enjoy this film. It actually opens in Poland, 1944, in order to explain the motivations of its villain. That, from the get-go, let me know that they'd done this movie right. Any movie which uses its opening sequence to humanize the bad guy (ESPECIALLY a summer special-effects blockbuster) gets major props in my book. Next, we see the harrowing trauma one young girl goes through when her powers manifest. In fact, we don't really see an action sequence until about 20 minutes in, when we're introduced to Wolverine (Hugh Jackman).You're gonna be seeing more of this Hugh Jackman guy. Mark my words. In fact, unlike MOST comic-book adaptations, the producers of X-MEN went out and found themselves actors who could actually ACT. One big fanboy complaint has been the casting of Anna Paquin as Rogue. Now, in the comic-books, Rogue is a incredibly well-endowed babe. Anna Paquin... well, she's cute and all, but no one would call her the comic-book model of babeitude. Well, lemme tell ya--Rogue was NOT an easy role. A lesser actress would have come off as a whiny, annoying, self-pitying ass--kind of like Lacey Chabert in... well, in anything. Fanboys everywhere should thank their lucky stars that the producers didn't listen to them.Second point: if you've read the comic books, you'll especially like the metallic "clang" when Wolverine hits a guy. You'll also like the cameos (such as Shadowcat, Iceman, Jubilee, and even Pyro). But especially, you'll like that Bryan Singer and writers Tom DeSanto (APT PUPIL) and David Hayter do justice to the characters. They're also smart enough to keep the story focused on the more interesting characters, (Wolverine and Rogue) while giving the more two-dimensional characters (Cyclops and Jean Grey) a backseat.Anyway, if you like action movies, run right out and see this sucker. If you're not a big action movie fan but you find yourself sucked into seeing them (by family or friends), then you could do a whole lot worse than X-MEN.Like any Jerry Bruckheimer movie, for example.X-Men gets 4.87632 out of 5 Woobs. Just about perfect for its genre.
Overrated spectacle!
posted on 17 Aug 2009To me it's embarrassing how this mediocre movie has entered the top 250 films list. Surely, it contains good special-effects and some good acting, but the movie's script seems to have been written during a coffee-break. It's a simple chase-story with a predictable plot. A disappointment!
Perfect Adaptation
posted on 17 Aug 2009People's main problem with 'X-Men' was that it didn't follow the comic. Well in my mind it hit the nail on the head. Tolerance was the original theme in Stan Lee's X-Men. And was played out beautifully here. The movie is about the next step of human evolution. "Mutants" or Homo Superior are born with special powers. And are therefore feared and hated by regular humans. Professor Charles Xaiver (Patrick Stewart) wants to look past their differences and look toward a peaceful co-exsistance. But, Magneto (Ian McKellen) another mutant wants to wipe out humans to make way for his kind. He can only see the evil of homo sapiens, and will stop at nothing to destroy them. Like Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, they both had the same agenda, the same goal, but could not see eye to eye about how to do so. And thats where the recruitment comes in. The Brotherhood(Magneto's team) and the X-Men(Xaiver's team) go head to head with each other. One set on destroying man. And the other protecting those that hate and fear them. It doesn't matter if characters were left out. Or if their wasn't enough fighting in it. The message was perfect. And thats really all that matters.RATING:***1/2 out of ****
My comments are two things: Good, my own personal comments
posted on 13 Aug 2009the movie X-Men is one of the best movies that I have seen. I love Hugh Jackmans representation of the broding Wolverine, and Oscar winner Anna Paquin was marvelous as Rouge. she I think would be good in anything she did and I basically loved the entire movie so much that I spent over thirty dollars just going to see it at the movie theatre five times, I also have watched over one hundred times since I bought it twice on tape because I broke one tape. I know the movie by heart and I just think that it is a really good movie and I am looking foward to the sequels. thanks for reading
far more exciting than MATRIX
posted on 13 Aug 2009How long did you take to recognize that the first scene of this film was used for the reason for the evil mutant king's revenge against the whole world? The plot is extremely excellent and the pictures are all the way fantastic. Isn't MATRIX next to this one?
The characters leaped right out of the comic book!!!
posted on 11 Aug 2009I can hardly wait for the sequel to this action packed thriller. It seems more and more to me, that there still are people out there that want to produce quality. I am so very glad that we have finally seen this long talked about film, come to life. I was on the edge of my seat you can be sure of that. Everyone else that I spoke to; also, enjoyed it from beginning to end. I really did like it; it is worth seeing a second time.
And when it comes out on video; you can bet that I will be there to buy my copy.
Surprise; It Does Not Suck.
posted on 11 Aug 2009You know, there are a great many things that could easily have wrecked this movie completely. Marvel Comics adaptations have a pretty poor track record of coming across in live-action to either TV or the movies, especially when compared against their competition from DC. Witness The Punisher, The Trial of the Incredible Hulk, Captain America, Doctor Strange, and a good handful more. Balance these with the successes of the old 70's Spider Man series (cheesy, but not a bad effort at all for its time), the majority of The Incredible Hulk series and the recent Blade, and you can imagine how terrified I was that X-Men simply wasn't going to cut it.I mean, bring in the biggest overall franchise Marvel has had in the last 20 years, throw in "that guy from Star Trek", "that guy from Apt Pupil" and several supermodels, and everything points to an expensive disaster that would kill the credibility of what used to be a really good comic book.
Granted, I'm talking 15-20 years ago, but I am, after all, at least that old, and it was, after all, really that good for a while.I was worried, to say the least.But then, I noticed who was directing. Bryan Singer most assuredly did not screw up with The Usual Suspects. Not a bad pedigree, that. Also, one of the aforementioned supermodels, Famke Janssen, proved she can actually act a while back when she bloody well held her own against that very same guy from Star Trek -- IN Star Trek, no less. She also added a great deal to GoldenEye, and I'm not just talking about visuals, either."Onotopp?""Onotopp."Sorry -- where was I? Oh, yes. Then there's this whole Hugh Jackman guy.
Never heard of him, and he gets to play what is potentially the pivotal role in the (contracted) trilogy? Granted, I was pulling for Robin Williams or Gary Sinise, but that just goes to show what an idiot I can be when I put my mind to it. So Wolverine was a big question mark.I went to see it the Friday night it opened. You know what? It Does Not Suck. Not only does it Not Suck, but it's actually Pretty Good.Remember, I'm from Minnesota. Up here, winning the lottery is considered "Pretty Good", too.You know what? It was such a solid Pretty Good that I went back on Saturday and paid to see it again, this time with my friends. They came out saying the same thing -- "You know what? That Did Not Suck. In fact, It was Pretty Good".This, of course, led to the many details underlying the concept of Pretty Goodness, including Hugh Jackman's absolute nailing of his part, the rest of the cast doing their jobs and then some without trying to take over, and, most of all, Bryan Singer showing that rarest of qualities in a Hollywood director, restraint. Not one shot stood out as being bigger/badder/bloodier than it needed to be, and that is saying something these days.Bottom line -- go see it. Comic book movies are very rarely this good, and one like this deserves to make enough money so that we might actually SEE the other two for which the cast has been contracted.If we're lucky, we'll get Bryan Singer back, too.IMDB rating = 9
quite a flick
posted on 09 Aug 2009The only complaint that my friends and I had was the lack of Gambit in the movie. Otherwise it was excellent. Good acting, good script, good direction, good effects. I'd place this one right up there with Batman and Superman. I'm sure there will be some sequels in the future, I can only hope they will be on the same level, but I doubt it somewhat. The actor who played Wolverine did an excellent job, and somehow they managed to make his hair look right without overdoing it. Patrick Stewart and Ian Mckellen were just awesome as Professor X and Magneto. This show was well worth the price of a ticket.
No Real Complaints
posted on 03 Aug 2009When I first heard of this movie and seen the previews I was excited to go see it. After a few weeks though, I began to wander. Would it be as horrible as most (but not all!) movies based on super heros and comics? Would the acting be below average? Would the running time be enough to tell the story?Even with my doubts I went to see it, and I'm glad I did. I can't think of a single real complaint aside from little picky things. This movie is filled with great action, story, and humor. There was at least 4 to 5 times where the whole audience got a good laugh going, and many chuckling moments here and there. The story was good and really gets you interested, and the action was great enough to cause cheering!I'll be glad to see a sequel, and as long as most of this cast is in the next I'll probably see it! I say this movie is a 10 easy when compared to other movies of this type. (super heros, action, etc.) Highly worth seeing!
Best Comic Adaptation Since Tim Burton's Batman...
posted on 03 Aug 2009... and definitely the most difficult to pull off. I read the comics for about 4 years and watched the cartoons religiously, but was always apprehensive of anyone trying to pull off a movie. But oh boy did it work!The characterisations in the most part were practically spot on, but it was obvious from the beginning that Wolverine was the star. He couldn't have done a better job. Right down to the scene when he walks through the metal detector <chortle>.Overall, the movie was sufficiently dark and stylish with some top special effects (but thankfully relying more on the characters to carry the story). The humour was just right too.Recommended for anyone, fan or not, and any age at that. This slots in right behind Gladiator for me in this years best movie releases. Roll on the sequels!!
Nicely done!!
posted on 30 Jul 2009Very intriguing special effects, destined to become the movie of 2000.X-Men, while entertaining and fun didn't live up to my expectations. Especially with the huge hypes. I looked forward to a movie that maybe scratched the subject of mutation a bit more and studied the elements of the characters' natures more expoundly. But, instead the movie was just a bunch of heros saving the day.In spite of that small mishap this movie is still great fun!!!!Worth seeing at the very least.At present my vote stands at 7, but it may vary.
A Rarity, Entertaining And Thought-Provoking.
posted on 22 Jul 2009This is a perfectly paced family film which gives food for thought as well as visceral thrills. Bryan Singer's interpretation of the rich x-men mythos has resulted in the first decent superhero film since the first two Superman films.The X-Men's strongest point is the fact that these 'superheroes' are portrayed as very vulnerable and emotional, as well as the fact that they are scorned for the gifts that they possess. This turns the whole Nietschzen ideal on it's head and paints a more realistic portrayal of the superhuman. Even the 'villain', Magneto, can be sympathised with, a man twisted by his childhood experiences in a concentration camp.This is an excellent film which doesn't require any previous knowledge of the X-Men to watch, and will entertain all generations.
Excellent
posted on 18 Jul 2009I've been a fan of the X-Men for a long time now and I was dreading this film as being a terrible film trying to cash in on the "X-Men" name! However I found this to be possibly the best comic movie cross over so far, Although the story line was not consistent with the comics the characters were captured down to a "T" from the things they said to the expressions on their faces! I was amazed at how Hugh Jackman captured the compassion and aggression of wolverine and I thoroughly enjoyed this film from start to finish, Brilliant!!!!!
X-Men delivers!
posted on 16 Jul 2009Being a fan of comic books, I wasn't sure whether or not I would like a movie based on the best-selling comic of all time. X-Men also received a lot of hype, causing movie-goers to expect a movie to be better than it actually is. However, X-Men was a very good film. Not only is the movie teeming with eye-popping visual effects, but it also has intelligence, emotion, and humor. Most of the characters are portrayed with great attention to the conflicts between them (Professor X vs. Magneto; Wolverine vs. Cyclops). The only things that stop me from giving X-Men a rating of 10 are that Wolverine's past could have been revealed in more detail and that Storm has very little personality (let's work on her more in the sequel). Overall, a very good movie. X-Men delivers! 9/10
Excellent
posted on 12 Jul 2009A great movie that I only got to know a year ago. I saw all three of the "X-Men" films in one night and I like this one the most.OK , so it isn't Spider-Man level yet. (Or at least , that's what I think) But this movie brings a great creation element into the story . Great acting by Hugh Jackman who does well as the kind of cool/arrogant guy. Speaking of action it's bit like all first installments in superhero flicks . The first movie always has less action because they have to tell the story behind the characters. But this movie still had a decent last fight. But action-wise : the sequels were better.My Conclusion : The best in it's trilogy and the third best comic book (trilogy) ever made. For me it goes : Spider-Man , Batman , X-Men
Excellent Mutant Superheroes
posted on 31 Aug 2009I must state in advance that this film was my introduction to the X-Men so I had no preconceived ideas about what the characters should look like or how they should behave as fans of previous versions would understandably have.Set in a world where mutants with super powers exist the story opens during the Second World War were a young Jewish boy is being separated from his parents in a concentration camp. As the guards try to pull him away from them the iron gates start to buckle and they are pulled towards them. After this introduction the action moves to the present day where we are introduced to Rogue, a young girl who sucks the life out of anybody she touches. When she runs away from home she heads to Canada where she meets Wolverine, a man who heals from any injury and has had metal parts attached to his skeleton including long claws that he can produce at will. As they drive along they are ambushed by a large man who we later learn is called Sabretooth, thankfully they are rescued by two other mutants who go by the names Storm and Cyclops.The next time we see them they are at a strange school where mutant children are taught by Professor Xavier. He explains that there are two factions of mutants, one led by himself that wants to live peacefully with normal people and the other led by Magneto (The young boy from the opening scene) who believes that the only way for them to survive is to prepare for a war with humanity.The rest of the film follows Xavier's X-Men as the try to foil Magneto's plans which seem to involve Wolverine for reasons the professor can't understand.I really enjoyed this film, the characters were interesting and well acted and while the plot was the standard "save the world" type one expects in such movies it did have a few surprises and the actions scenes are fairly exciting. I'm sure everybody will have their own favourite mutants, mine are Rogue, played by Anna Paquin for the good guys and Mystique, who can change shape to look like anybody else for the bad guys.