It has been slow with movies in 2024, so I decided to revisit Marvel Movies Marathon and look at the X-Men films (mainly thanks to the Deadpool & Wolverine teaser). They are surely starting to become part of the MCU with hints being shown off in many of the MCU movies and TV shows (the question is whether the audience will be interested or not considering the MCU’s decreasing popularity). Let’s dive into Marvel Movies Marathon with these mutants’ first film: X-Men.
Pros:
1.) The idea of a world where mutants are born alongside the human race is a cool one. The mutants gain their powers (usually through puberty) because they are born with them, and they could be considered a threat to the world, especially depending on what types of powers they receive. Those powers can be anything from reading minds to accelerated healing; that is a fascinating concept for a superhero genre. The only issue is that this can be seen as a convenient way to receive powers instead of the typical spider bite or cosmic cloud (not to mention that scientists are baffled by how exactly these types of genetics work), but this idea was cool in the comics and it is still cool in these films as well.
2.) Many of these characters are so compelling to watch. From Logan a.k.a. Wolverine (played by Hugh Jackman) to Charles Xavier a.k.a. Professor X (played by Patrick Stewart) to Erik Lehnsherr a.k.a. Magneto (played by Ian McKellen), they have such compelling backgrounds and motivations to their roles from wanting to protect humans despite their hatred for mutants to hating humans and believing mutants are superior. It also helps that these people are played by fantastic actors. This pro is one of the reasons why the X-Men film franchise did pretty well.
3.) This is how you do a film about intolerance and prejudice without being preachy. Unlike certain recent MCU movies (and even many current movies these days), the first X-Men film manages to look at both sides of the argument about helping/killing humans without shoving the message down your throat or being completely one-sided. While it is not the best film with that type of message, the X-Men series (whether films or comics) usually have that type of subject, and I am glad that this film did a decent job at it.
Cons:
1.) Compared to the main theme in the sequel and later movies, the music in this film is forgettable. Maybe there are one or two decent themes, but considering the sequel’s music (as well as the X-Men: The Animated Series theme), it is easy to forget there is even music. This is very nitpicky, but I do want to acknowledge this since it does get better over time.
2.) A few of the visual effects have not aged well over time. Not all of them are bad like Wolverine’s claws and Cyclops’ (played by James Marsden) optic blasts, but a few like Wolverine saving himself on top of the Statue of Liberty and Wolverine riding Cyclops’ motorcycle at high-speed look rough. Again, it does get better over time, but just remember that this film was released in 2000.
3.) As much as this is called the X-Men, the film is more focused on Wolverine and Rogue (played by Anna Paquin). The X-Men are more tagging along rather than being the main focus. It is fine in this case since this is a film introduction to this superhero group alongside the mutants, and the two are catalysts to two sides fighting against prejudice in their own ways, but it is a little disappointing that the X-Men (other than arguably Professor X and Jean Grey (played by Famke Janssen)) do not get equal or similar screen time.
Overall:
The X-Men has been one of the most popular superhero groups of all time. It is no surprise that these guys would eventually get their own film, and their introduction was a good one despite its age. The world of mutants is compelling (if a little absurd), the characters are fascinating, and its messaging is what many current filmmakers try to do but fail miserably. This Marvel film series would get better over time and is one of the precursors for the MCU, so you have this series to thank for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The X-Men have been accepted into film culture back in 2000, and it is just the beginning.
8/10
benzeyeview 