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X-MEN
review by Joseph B. Mauceri
REVIEW: When filmmakers attempt to adapt comic material the pitfall exists where they can become caught up in the effects and window dressing that cloak a basic human drama. By stressing those elements the film often becomes quite comical. However, when they concentrate on the drama, they make the material accessible to a wider audience. With a good screenplay as a foundation, the next key that can make or break the film is casting. A balance needs to be struck between the characters and available talent. The biggest box-office draws are not necessarily right for the part. Sometimes, when an unknown or character actor takes on the mantel of a superhero it can turn them into overnight household name. X-MEN posses a unique problem in the way the story has evolved over the past thirty-plus years, and the numerous heroes and villains that populate its universe. Executive producer Tom DeSanto and director Bryan Singer take these potential problems and work them to their advantage. Not since "Star Wars" has a film reinvented and reinvigorated a classic film genre. The lynchpin of the film is in the character. They've chosen Logan/Wolverine to focus the narrative, and the tale spreads out from there. Logan is the wander, the loner, no longer looking for answers. However, when he meets Professor Xavier the tragic figure becomes heroic, and he again is interested in solving the mysteries of his creation. X-MEN draws the audience in right from the start. The narration and opening sequence are unencumbered by credits. Bang, we are off and running. The emotional level is carried right into the next scene, and each subsequent one. By the time the audience gets a taste of the first complex visual effect they've been well primed. The effects flow from characters that we've begun to know. There is an organic aspect to them, and other then Mystique, there is acceptance by the audience for the fantastic. Director Bryan Singer makes good on his promise of delivering a character driven story with special effects. With a running time of 92 minutes, the film is pared down to a respectable fighting weight. It's satisfying, but leaves you wanting to know more, which is exactly what Lucas did with the first "Star Wars" film. There is a feel to the pacing and development of X-MEN that is reminiscent of the classic fantastic serials like "Flash Gordon." X-MEN easily earns director Bryan Singer his place in cinematic history alongside directors George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg. In X-MEN, the casting is the thing! To quote Bryan Singer, "God Bless Hugh Jackman." He not only gets the character, gives it weight, and looks like the character in the Marvel comic series. Most impressive is his ability to compliment the scenes he is in with veteran actors Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen. These to cinema greats take the characters and instill in them an essence equal to that of a Shakespearean hero, or a villain in McKellen case. It is delightful to watch the visual poetry that is create on screen when these actors are together. An important element to the success of the production is the score. Singer and DeSanto have saved the film from the plague of pop songs in the score. Michael Kamen's classical score shines through accentuating the film's dramatic moments, creating a foundation by adding atmosphere and mood. Born in the last millennium, X-MEN is the phenomenal first installment is a series that will span the new millennium. Xceptional acting, speXtacular effects, Xcellent directing and writing make X-MEN an Xtraordinary blockbuster. OFFICIAL
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SYNOPSIS:
In the not too distant future, the next step in human evolution
has begun through mutation. The United States government is on the
verge of passing legislation that would require mutant registration.
A riff has formed within the mutant population, and a war is coming
that could decide the fate of humanity.