It could have easily gone so wrong. After all, it
has been done so many times before; take a classic comic book and turn it into a movie
that carries none of the mystic or charm that made the original comic book so loved.
There are exception's to the rules, of course. The original Superman movie was
quite good as was the original Batman film. But as a whole movie makers have not
been able to adequately adapt a comic book to the big screen in a way that made the film
stand on its own as an outstanding piece of cinema. The new X-Men movie can.
Now it must be mentioned that I am not a fan of the
comic book or the numerous cartoon series' that are based upon the X-Men phenomenon.
Not because they were not any good but simply through a lack of exposure to the
material.
Comic books have never been my forte but I did have a
very vague understanding of what the X-Men was all about. Maybe this lack of
knowledge about the X-men helped me to appreciate the film because there was not a huge
amount of expectation hanging around my neck as I entered the theatre. But when I
left the theatre, I fully understood why these characters have become so popular, and
that's got to be a positive sign about the movie.
X-Men the movie is a action movie that has what not
many other action movies possess: an excellent script. Instead of relying on the
appeal of its characters carry the film, X-Men explores the characters, some more than
others, and it lays a foundation of interest before it unleashes the customary action
sequences which are excellently staged.
The plot itself has a certain realness to it despite
the fact that it is littered with mutants who have extraordinary powers. The mutants
plight (the human senate is preparing to pass a mutant registration legislation that would
require all mutants to register with the U.S.A government and reveal just what powers they
possess. Of course, this does not go over well with everybody, particularly villain
Magneto who decides to do something about it) has racial overtones to it and they come
across as representatives of all the various human's who have been victims of
discrimination just because they are perceived as "different".
The opening scene of the film, that sees a young
Magneto being dragged from his parents' side during the German invasion of Poland in 1944,
highlights this fact and it shows why Magneto is so opposed to the proposed new
legislation and why, in fact, he not really a villain at all. Maybe he is more evil
in the comic books but this movie certainly does not paint him as your typical
cold-hearted villain, more of a outsider who goes a little too far in trying to get his
point of view heard.
The appointment of director Bryan Singer -- who
directed what is one of the best films made in the last 20 years, The Usual
Suspects -- certainly helped this film start off on the right track.
Singer shows a deft hand at combining the film's scintillating action with its
quieter character moments and he brings out the best in what is an extremely well-cast,
um, cast.
Australian Hugh Jackman has received huge praise for
his role as Wolverine, and with good reason, but his performance is by no means a
standout. The characters are not overplayed which is a rarity in these types of
movies and it is this quality acting that goes a long way to explaining why X-Men is such
a pleasantly enjoyable film.
Sequels to this film will no doubt be made, after all,
the characters are to interesting to fully explore in just one movie, and let's just hope
that the sequels can maintain the same high quality of their predecessor.
- Adam Matthews
