 Tagline: Evolution Begins. Join the Evolution. The evolutionary next step in explosive action spectaculars is here! Loaded with hours of special features including deleted scenes, making of featurettes and more, this new 2-disc edition of the "smart, sleek" (Newsweek) and "striking" (Time Out London) first chapter in the X-Men saga has never been more powerful! Born into a world filled with prejudice are children who possess extraordinary and dangerous powers -- the result of unique genetic mutations. Cyclops unleashes bolts of energy from his eyes. Storm can manipulate the weather at will. Rogue absorbs the life force of anyone she touches. But under the tutelage of Professor Xavier, those and other outcasts learn to harness their powers for the good of mankind. Now they must protect those who fear them as the nefarious Magneto, who believes humans and mutants can never co-exist, unveils his sinister plan for the future! Storyline: In a world where both Mutants and Humans fear each other, Marie, better known as Rogue, runs away from home and hitches a ride with another mutant, known as Logan, a.k.a. Wolverine. Charles Xavier, who owns a school for young mutants, sends Storm and Cyclops 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. Written by Film_Fan Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman, April 23, 2009 -- Mutation. It is the key to our evolution. There were comic book-based movie before it, and there were certainly comic book movies after it, but arguably no other film of its kind proved quite as important to the genre -- and to Hollywood -- as 2000's X-Men, the film that sparked the revolution that saw the heroes and villains from the inky pages of Marvel and D.C. comics to come to life anew on the silver screen. Certainly, Hollywood had dabbled with the idea before. A quartet of Batman films found favor with audiences between the late-1980s and the late-1990s, and Tim Burton's 1988 film was even dubbed "the movie of the decade." Superman, too, enjoyed several films, of note the 1978 outing starring Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Ned Beatty, Marlon Brando, and Margot Kidder, the film still one of, if not the, finest superhero movies of them all. Studios also turned to some of the lesser-known characters in the 1990s, with films like The Shadow starring Alec Baldwin and Judge Dredd featuring Sylvester Stallone thrilling audiences but the idea never really catching on. X-Men, however, a big-budget special effects extravaganza that also brought to the table a fantastic ensemble cast and, most importantly, a first-rate story, is the film that many see as responsible for the deluge of quality comic book-based films that have positively dominated the decade, and rightfully so, as it still stands as a classic example of superhero moviemaking done right. In the near future, humans and mutants find themselves at odds, each concerned over what the future may hold for their respective species. A war is brewing, on one side the less-than-scrupulous mutants, led by the powerful and highly intelligent Magneto (Ian McKellen, The Da Vinci Code), and on the other, U.S. Senator Kelly (Bruce Davison, Apt Pupil) and those humans who fear the mutants. In the middle is Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart, TV's "Star Trek: The Next Generation"), a mutant with the ability to read minds, head of the Xavier School for Gifted (read: mutants) Youngsters, and leader of the X-Men, a powerful conglomerate of mutants with unique and powerful abilities that fight for justice and peace. When a young girl, later dubbed Rogue (Anna Paquin, The Piano), runs away from home after discovering the deadly power of her mutation, she meets a mysterious figure deep in the heart of no-man's land named Logan (Hugh Jackman, Australia), himself a mutant with regenerative powers. The pair is ambushed by Magneto's thugs but escape when they are rescued by two X-Men, Cyclops (James Marsden, Enchanted) and Storm (Halle Berry, Monster's Ball). Logan and Rogue are returned to X-Men headquarters where they are treated by Dr. Jean Grey (Famke Janssen, Taken), and allowed to remain. When Magneto's plans for his attack on Logan and Rogue come to light, the team must attempt to prevent the villain from hatching a scheme that could start a war with mankind -- and cost the life of one of their own. X-Men smartly melds itself into much more than a typical effects-heavy popcorn movie with a thin plot and minimal characterization. In fact, it is the thought-provoking plot and character interactions, motivations, and personalities that make X-Men a success both aesthetically and thematically. The themes of fear, paranoia, confusion, and, of course, good versus evil, reinforce the action and special effects, providing to them more weight, meaning, and importance. X-Men is a film about context, about relationships, and about how differences may unite rather than divide. Of course, it's also about how differences may divide rather than unite, and therein lies the conflict of the film, and even ties in to the title of the sequel, X-Men United. At the center of the conflict is a political drama that revolves around acceptance and fear, clearly dividing two factions -- the humans that fear mutants and the mutants that fear humans -- that choose one over the other, each failing to see that one not necessarily breed the other. Professor Xavier and the mutants on the side of good differentiate between the two, seeing the inherent good in all creatures, mutant or not, and searching for a coexistence where one's ability to control the weather is no different than Beethoven's ability to control a piano or Michael Jordan's seemingly superhuman ability to put a ball through netting. Still, it is the character development that sparkles in X-Men, and each individual makes for a fascinating study. The tit-for-tat conflict between Magneto and Xavier -- a conflict of the minds rather than the bodies -- makes for the film's best moments. Magneto is the film's most complex and interesting character, a man who witnessed firsthand the dangers of artificial divisions and fears as a boy during World War II. Magneto still craves justice and equality, though his solution is not ideal, his basic principles seemingly in the right place but his conscience and morality having seemingly abandoned him long ago. Also of note is the superb writing that defines Logan and Scott, in particular. They share a fantastic rapport, delivering side-splitting banter even amongst the film's most frenetic action sequences. It's definitely the film's finely-tuned characters that sets X-Men and some of the other very best comic book movies -- like Iron Man and The Dark Knight -- apart from more average comic book fare like The Fantastic Four. The best films dig deep and feature complex characters that, despite their powers, still struggle with their humanity. Though they may be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, regenerate their bodies, or control metal, they come to realize that their souls are no more different than that of an everyday man. X-Men offers solid entertainment, thought-provoking drama, and fascinating character studies. Director Bryan Singer expertly melds the two worlds, doing so through well-staged and exciting action but equally invigorating mental and psychological conflict. It all comes together in what may no longer be the standard-bearer of first-class comic book movies, but nevertheless remains a well-above-average cinematic outing and a classic in its own genre. 20th Century Fox's Blu-ray presentation of X-Men is outstanding. Featuring a solid video transfer, a reference-quality and bass-heavy DTS lossless soundtrack, and hours upon hours of extra materials, this disc is nearly impossible to resist. X-Men comes highly recommended. (Based on Comic Book) Cast Notes: 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 [as Rebecca Romijn-Stamos]), Bruce Davison (Senator Kelly), Matthew Sharp (Henry Gyrich), Rhona Shekter (Magneto's Mother), Kenneth McGregor (Magneto's Father), Shawn Roberts (Rogue's Boyfriend). IMDb Rating (06/01/11): 7.4/10 from 134,083 users
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
