X-Men (2000)

20th Century Fox

After revisiting the Iron Man movies, I thought I would go back further and revisit one of the first times Marvel Comics hit the big screen. This movie is actually much more dramatic than I remember. It’s more about relationships than it is about battling with their super-human abilities.

The relationships between Magneto and Professor Xavier and Logan and Rogue are the heart of the movie. Through Logan (Wolverine) and Rogue we’re introduced to the downside of being given super-powers- that you’re an outcast for being different. This brings us to Magneto and Xavier, who have a strained friendship over whether their abilities should be used for good or evil. Hugh Jackman was an inspired casting choice, while Patrick Stewart was the only choice for Professor X. However it is Ian McKellan who steals the show as Magneto. He’s deliciously evil as he’s told by the police to raise his hands, yet he raises their squad cars, too. Then he even forces a gun to fire a bullet and leaves it barely penetrating an officer’s forehead.

The only faults I can see with the movie would be the cheesy motorcycle scene with Logan and then I wondered how Magneto was able to find Rogue. Professor X has the device that allows him to locate mutants around the world, while Magneto does not. Would’ve been easier to say he had a spy within Xavier’s school, yet that wouldn’t really happen until a later movie when a student crosses over to the other side. Yet for being one of the first blockbuster Marvel movies, it hit the spot and I’d watch it again. It’s more than just The Wolverine Show, which is what the series would eventually become.