Spoiler Warning - Dudes, this movie is seventeen years old. If you haven't seen it yet, that's your own damn fault, so don't come at me with your accusations about spoiling the movie!
Watching 'X-Men' recently, I was struck by the sort of feeling one gets after re-watching the pilot episode of a beloved TV series. It mostly holds up, but you can't help but be struck by the shakiness of the whole thing when compared to the confidence exhibited by later seasons - or in this case, films. 'X2', 'Days of Future Past' and 'Logan' are all really great films that wouldn't have been possible without 'X-Men' to lay the groundwork, but it's still a bit rough around the edges.
Director Bryan Singer, for the most part, does a pretty good job introducing Marvel's mutants to the big screen. The story, basic though it is, holds up relatively well. But there are some pretty noticeable flaws in the execution, too. Some of the dialogue is pretty bad - especially Xavier's introduction of the team; it's awkward and sounds...stupid. Logan is right to make fun of it, but calling attention to it to poke fun doesn't make it any less silly. Some of the character designs, costumes and special effects haven't aged very well. But the backbone of the movie is strong, and it's elevated by several really good scenes and solid performances.
All the supporting characters do a solid enough job (except Halle Berry who was just kinda...there) but really, the movie hinges on the performances of Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Anna Paquin and Ian McKellan. No superhero movie is going to be all that great without a good villain and McKellan's performance as Magneto is top notch. The opening of the film still ranks as one of the best sequences in all of the X-Films and the utter anguish of that scene permeates McKellan's whole performance. He's as sympathetic as a genocidal lunatic can be, and the fact that it's possible for the viewer to relate to his fear and anger and the unspoken motto of "never again" makes it a little too easy for us to see where he's coming from, even if his destination is terrifying.
After 'The Usual Suspects' (awesome) and 'Apt Pupil (sucked) I was cautiously optimistic about the job Singer would do in making a live-action X-Men. So when I finally saw it, I was mostly just relieved that it wasn't bad. And that's still kinda how I feel now. It's good - not nearly as good as X2 or DOFP - but it's a pretty solid jumping off point, and it has lead to a franchise that has had more highs than lows, and with 'Logan', one of the coolest movie superheroes ever.
FINAL SCORE - 7/10
'X-Men' has been available on DVD for about 22 years. So if you don't have it, just buy the blu-ray. I'm sure it's only like eight bucks.
