X-Men Review

I've seen this movie a bunch of times.  This is the first time I've seen it since I started reviewing movies on this weblog though.  So, if I've seen it so many times, you can imagine that I like it.  I do.  It is a very well done comic book movie.  It makes the changes necessary to adapt it to the big screen (no stupid costumes), it is well written and it is built to be a franchise.

For an action movie that came out 11 years ago, X-Men's special effects age very well.  Part of this is due to the quality of them but I believe that it is mostly due to the fact that the film does not rely on effects nearly as much as it relies on a strong story and good characters that are decently acted.  This is where it loses a bit.  Only three of the actors give above average performances.  The rest are either average or below.  There is really no reason to make Anna Paquin have a southern accent that seems forced just to have it disappear halfway through the movie.

Hugh Jackman is the perfect man to play Wolverine.  He's got the look and the ability to play a "don't really care" kind of guy.  Ian McKellan is great as a villain with a chip on his shoulder even if he plays a guy who grew up in either Poland or Germany and magically acquired a British accent.  Finally, Patrick Stewart is always nothing but class.  Even when he's playing a guy who writes a movie about women getting naked (Extras) or the proprietor of an erotic bakery (Saturday Night Live).

The bottom line is see it.  It is just long enough to not leave anything out and it moves fast enough to keep your interest for the whole thing.