X-Men

Surprisingly excellent comic science fiction, which works not only as a trick and action affair, but also on the level of the characters and the story. Professor Xavier's (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto's (Ian McKellen) gambit is truly electrifying and is certainly not a traditional battle between good and evil in pure form. The experiences from the concentration camp that have marked Magneto, who perceives the conflict between mutants and humans as a possible repetition of the events of the Second World War, adds tension to the otherwise slightly worn plot. Of course, it doesn't dig too deep and remains, as tends to be the case in Hollywood, only with hints of ethics, but even X-men couldn't handle anymore than that. Mainly thanks to excellent actors and decent tricks, this film is one of the best comic book adaptations ever. And I haven’t even mentioned the open potential for the future films... (09/11/2004)

Visually cold and narratively very straightforward with a remarkably short running time considering account how many main characters are introduced. Bryan Singer's direction is clever and skillful, and with this work, he kick-started one of the best comic book sagas. Each of the characters is interesting, attractive, and emotionally appealing, so every viewer should be able to find their favorites. Technically, it is of course fine, although compared to other installments, it is evident that there is a significant increase in resources (filters, enhanced effects). Not only for that reason, the first X-Men film has a pleasantly intimate and minimalist impression and goes in a completely different direction than big blockbusters like Avengers or Batman. (12/16/2012)

As a pilot for a series (which this film has actually become in hindsight), it's great and flawless. A lot of iconic characters gradually appear on the scene, each of whom gets their due space, and Singer portrays the entire mutant community well by having the best comic book character in history being led by the hand by the other players constantly explaining everything to him. The script is smart and draws out not only the inevitable issue of mutants coexisting with ordinary humans, but above all a convincing and logically motivated villain, Magneto, whose potential far exceeds a single feature film. Maybe it's just a pity that the film goes by so insanely fast that it doesn't even manage to leave a hickey on our experiential threads, and instead of some stylish eye candy action we remember exclusively the awesome Wolverine claw-fucking his colleagues and the attractive Halle Berry, to whom the word mutant fits about as well as a sleeping pill to a corpse. Definitely a revolutionary achievement, which can be watched over and over again and whose success was the start of a great sensation. (03/04/2017)

So to be clear, X-Men is a pretty normal Hollywood slop, kept afloat only by some interesting special effects (although the ratio of interesting to terrible is about 1:1) and some good fights. What's left is a bland and flavorless product that typically depicts the ideals of a "factory for dreams". But not mine. (06/29/2006)

One of those films that I really loved in the cinema back in the day and, even though I’m basically twice as old now, nothing has changed with the years. X-Men is an entertaining comic-book film that clearly doesn’t feel very comfortable in its own clothes (it’s somewhat cautious and insecure), which affects the impression a little, but doesn’t matter because the sequel already reaches the highest rating :-) The X-Men are still a favourite: Wolverine, Cyclops… shit, I forgot about Magneto. So, Magneto, Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm… shit, I forgot about Rogue... Magneto, Wolverine, Cyclops, Rogue, Storm, ... bugger, Professor X :-D (09/24/2009)