X Men (2000)

Directed by: Bryan Singer | 105 minutes | action, thriller, science fiction | Actors: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Anne Paquin, Halle Berry, Rebacca Romijn-Stamos, Bruce Davison, Shawn Ashmore, Tyler Mane, Ray Park, Matthew Sharp

Before taking on the superhero film ‘X-men’, director Bryan Singer had already written the intriguing Nazi thriller ‘Apt Pupil’ and cool crime puzzler ‘The Usual Suspects’. These were both – although not perfect – very successful films, in which the eye for the characters and the stylish direction stood out. An adaptation of a much-loved comic, however, is an entirely different story. The emphasis is on action and spectacle while not forgetting iconic aspects of the comic and the nature of the characters. Fans need to be pleased, but novices shouldn’t get lost either. The difficulty of a series like “X-Men” is also the enormous number of (main) characters that have to be introduced. It seems an impossible tightrope act to combine all these objectives into a satisfying mix, and there will no doubt be disappointments, but Singer shows himself to be a skilled filmmaker by concentrating on a few themes and characters and building all the action and the many minor characters around it. . The result is an (eventually) action-packed superhero film with a heart. A film that immerses the viewer in this new universe full of mutants in an understandable way, offers spectacle and makes you curious about what is to come. A great start from the X-Men, then.

It would have been a perilous undertaking to introduce all the characters – well over a dozen – in detail, so Singer wisely chooses to focus on the main groups and a few characters from those groups and then let these people carry out his themes. In fact, it centers on humanity and two groups of mutants—people with special abilities such as weather control, telepathy, or magnetism—made up of the X-Men from the title, and the so-called Brotherhood of Mutants led by Magneto (Ian McKellen ). The X-Men, led by Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart), wish to use their powers in a positive, constructive way and negotiate diplomatically with the people who shut them out and fear them in order to deal peacefully with them. them to live together. Magneto and his mutants, on the other hand, want to fight militantly against the humans because they feel they are being discriminated against on improper grounds. They want to usurp their rightful place in the world, by force if necessary.

Singer makes clever use of Magneto’s history to reinforce his theme of tolerance and the (non)sense of xenophobia. At the beginning of the film, Magneto is shown as a small Jewish boy at a concentration camp while his parents are being dragged along by Nazis. In short, the man does have some experience with bigoted people and now that he has to deal with them again through his gifts, he does not intend to let it go his way. Especially considering that his developed powers give him a lot of power. That this power can subsequently corrupt again is an irony that he will have to find out for himself. On the one hand, this background makes the theme clearer than ever and on the other hand, it provides an understanding for Magneto, who is now not a stereotypical bad guy, but someone who is too often disappointed by humanity and now perhaps slightly flips to the other side, but not completely inhuman. is.

Singer has largely focused his narration on the characters Wolverine and Rogue, who are introduced to the other mutants for the first time in the film and thus also introduce the viewer to this world; a handy construction, since the story can now be told apparently without interruptions, while the viewer can gradually become acquainted with everything and everyone. Wolverine is the big action hero of the movie, which is a good choice by Singer. Actor Hugh Jackman is perfectly cast in this role. He is pleasantly cynical and sarcastic, making all the fantastic elements easier to swallow and there is welcome humor present. Especially his love triangle with Jean Gray (Famke Janssen) and Cyclops (Scott Speedman) makes for nice interactions.

There are regular spectacular scenes in the film, but in the end it’s all about the characters and themes being treated economically and beautifully. In fact, the great conflict between mutants or the contrast between humans and mutants is brought together in Rogue’s character, excellently portrayed by Anna Paquin. She is confronted with a force that severely limits her social life (everyone she touches goes into a coma), so she is very unsure what to do with it. She has the feeling that she doesn’t belong anywhere and gets into a kind of identity crisis. The struggle in her character will later run as a common thread through the series and is what gives the theme as a whole a human face and the film a heart. The fact that there are also nice one-liners and spectacular battles can be enjoyed is only a bonus.