Rent X-Men: The Movie (2000)

At Last - A Brilliant Superhero Film - X-Men: The Movie review by GI

A superhero genre film that stands out above many others. Firstly it's clearly aimed at a more adult market and secondly for a big budget, special effects laden film it is a concise and very well constructed, edited and directed film. Considering the considerable franchise that followed this remains, arguably, the best of the series and as a stand alone story it's entertaining, exciting and has great characters. This is where the film really excels creating superheroes that have human flaws and story arcs that draw you in. The stand out being Hugh Jackman's Logan (aka Wolverine), a simmering volcano of a character with a heart. Set in the near future and human evolution has taken a sudden leap resulting in some people having special powers. Normal society refers to this people as 'mutants' and there is a political move to have them registered and controlled. Two older mutants Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) advocates protection of mutants and proving they are not a danger but his former friend Eric (Ian McKellen), a powerful mutant, has begun a plan to take control of the human world. But he needs a young girl with a very unusual power to achieve his plan. The different powers that have emerged in various characters are great fun and in some of the 'bad' characters sometimes eerily scary too. The film has a great cast including Famke Janssen, Halle Berry and James Marsden. Brilliant effects and some gritty action. This remains one of the best in the ever popular superhero/comicbook genre and the Marvel Universe. A film to revisit for its sheer enjoyment factor and if you've not seen it then it's well worth checking out.