In a time when race and religion don't separate people, but extra powers and mutated characteristics do, two longtime friends, Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen) part ways, only to become rivals over the issue of how much patience they should have with "normal" people. Living lives that scare most humans lacking the "X-factor" (a special power such as telekinesis), they fight over changing the general population into mutants. Xavier decides to help mutants in a special school while waiting for humanity to be more accepting, while Magneto opts to change all "normal" people into mutants in order to create a mutant-only world. Leading a group of four powerful X-Men (and women) to rescue one lost girl (the mutant Rogue, played by Anna Paquin)--and the entire population of New York--Xavier recruits a new member to their group: Logan (Hugh Jackman), better known as Wolverine, joins the team with much reluctance, only to prove very valuable to the rescue effort.

Each member of the X-Men has mastered their special gift--the ability to create a storm (Storm, played by Halle Berry), telekinesis (Dr. Jean Grey, played by Famke Janssen), eyesight carrying laserlike destructive power (Cyclops, played by James Marsden), the ability to heal nearly any wound he sustains (Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman). The chemistry among these four sets the stage for some expert teamwork--and some hidden romance. The mutants' ensemble work drives the action sequences, such as in a train station battle with Magneto's crew--including Sabertooth (Tyler Mane), Toad (Ray Park), and Mystique (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos)--that unleashes a lot of destruction, thanks to the striking special effects.

just ok

I'm not an X-Men fan - never have read the comics. I just rented the movie to find out what all the hype was about.

I thought the movie was just ok. It had some pretty good special effects and action scenes but the plot was rather weak and confusing.

My advice: rent it but don't buy it.

X-Men is X-cellent!

When I look back at the summer of 2000 there's really only two films that come to mind; Ridley Scott's Gladiator (which I loved), and Bryan Singer's X-Men. Which in my opinion, was the best comic book movie adaptation (at least at that time), even beating out Batman for the top spot. X-Men seemed to deliver just the right amount of big-scale action, humor and sci-fi imaginings that made the film accessible to anyone, whether they were die-hard comic book fans, or not. And at that particular time, I was not, but now I am a huge comic book fan.

When I was really young (around four or five) I used to be into Superman and Batman, so I was more of the D.C. Comics type of kid. I watched those old 40's Max & Dave Fleischer Superman cartoons, the George Reeves 50's black and white Superman TV show, and of course the Christopher Reeves films, and both the Batman and Superman animated TV series of the early-mid 90's (which I still love), heck I even watched the 60's Batman TV show with Adam West (remember back before he was the Mayor of Quahog?). I didn't really get into Batman until Tim Burton came out with his film in '89. But despite all of these things I still wasn't a "comic book kid". I never went out and bought, or read comic books, but it wasn't until I saw Bryan Singer's X-Men, and to a greater extent Sam Raimi's Spider-Man that I became a real comic book fan. So for me X-Men is kind of a turning point in my interest with comic books and superheroes.

X-Men has a number of things working for it. First off, the film is under a hundred minutes, and is very quick paced; never slow, or dull. Second, the casting is, well... excellent. Hugh Jackman is spot-on perfect for the character of Wolverine, who was always my favorite X-Men even before I saw the film. He's a tough character whose rough around the edges, but with a tender heart, but don't mess with him, because he'll tear you a new one, literally! Then there's Professor X (for Xavier), played by none other than Patrick Stewart. Honestly though, could you even image for a second for anyone else in this role? Because I certainly know I couldn't. Then there's "the bad guy"; Magneto, played by the great Sir Ian McKellan, needless to say he's great as well; a villain evoking both cold-blooded menace and intelligence. Then there's the rest of the cast which includes James Marsden, Famke Janssen, Halle Barry, Anna Paquin, Rebecca Romijn (insert drooling sound here), Tyler Mane and Ray Park. All of them were great, well all except Halle Barry's wig and fake accent, but other than that it's hard to see anything wrong with this cast. And I for one am glad they decided to change the costumes a bit, because Wolverine just wouldn't have looked as kick-ass as he did if he was wearing yellow spandex, like in the comic books, but I thought the X-Men looked great in the black leather costumes.

The plot of X-Men, in case you've been living under a rock, or just haven't seen the movie before is about two mutants (Wolverine and Rouge) who are rescued by two X-Men (Storm and Cyclops) and brought to a "school for the gifted" run by Professor X. It seems as if they are on the edge of a war between humans and mutants. Magneto has an evil, secret plan to...well, I ain't gonna spoil it for ya, you'll just have to see the movie. But X-Men isn't just a big summer action flick, filled with computer effects, no, X-Men is also well-acted and well-written. Any "popcorn" flick can have special effects, but not all of them deliver the solid performances and smart dialogue like X-Men does, and on top of that the film is also dark, stylish, exciting, and at times surprisingly funny. I couldn't have asked for a better comic book movie, and it still holds up after many viewings, many years later. This is excellent summer fun that's not dumbed down, and people of all ages, young and old, and both male and female alike and both fans and non-fans can enjoy.

Great!

As a fan of the X-Men cartoon, I felt like this movie was a great adaptation. Most of the changes weren't at all disappointing and completely understandable. Singer even made jokes of some them, which were greatly appreciated. The one thing I felt could have been done better: the casting. Though Patrick Stewart and Hugh Jackman were perfect as Professor X and Wolverine, I think that Halle Berry as Storm and Famke Janssen as Jean Gray fell a bit short. Ian McKellan was another excellent choice as Magneto, however James Marsden as Cyclops just shows you how boring the character really is altogether. Despite casting troubles, I think that this is a great movie that's definitely worth owning and is a great first go at the X-Men movie franchise.