X-Men
An ideal comic adaptation, for those who know everything about the X-Men...or for those who know nothing at all.

Hugh Jackman, with luckiest girl alive Famke Janssen.

When I was ten years old, there was no greater cinematic experience to be had than Tim Burton's Batman. The sets, the script, the Joker, the artist still known as Prince -- I loved it all, right down to Kim Basinger's kick-ass wardrobe (hey, it was 1989) and Batman's wonderful toys. Even now it remains one of my all-time favorite movies, and so I was surprised when a hard-core comic book fan and close friend of mine expressed his dismay over a certain aspect of the film. Sure, it was a decent adaptation, he scoffed, if you could overlook the fact that the Joker was the one who killed Batman's parents! I looked at him blankly, confused. I mean, of course the Joker killed Batman's parents. That's, like, why he became Batman, right? My friend shook his head sadly, and began to recite a long, detailed description of the Caped Crusader's genesis, which I then promptly forgot.

Because you know what? I don't care. In this Batman's world -- in Tim Burton's Batman's world -- the storyline makes complete and perfect sense, because Batman is a well-thought out, nicely developed film. When I think of butchering the Batman story, the only name that comes to mind is Joel Schumacher, as I remain utterly ignorant of this character's print past. My 1990s Batman experience has been as deeply tragic as that of any comic fan (or, for that matter, remotely discerning individual), but for different reasons. Oblivious to the comic world, I like a good movie, on its own terms. And I loved Batman. All of which leads me to hope that the Schumacherian hordes of Hollywood stay the hell away from the inevitable X-Men sequel, because I like my X-Men, and I like them just the way I first saw them: in a Brian Singer film.

Cursory glances at the Saturday morning cartoon aside, X-Men was my first real exposure to Rogue, Wolverine and company, and I am pleased to say that it succeeded as an introduction to their world. And at points it seemed little more than that, but in a good way -- X-men felt like the first act in an intriguing, almost epical tale. More time is spent on character development than actual plot, but this serves the film well, setting up an exciting cast of heroes and villains who will hopefully have more complicated, involved adventures in the future. X-Men is all about origins, and the rich possibilities that its simple set-up -- evil mutants versus good mutants -- provides. It's a film that feeds the imagination while providing captivating images of its own. About an hour in, after the majority of the characters had already been established, I longed for a deeper plotline but found myself still amazed at the visual splendor of this initial installment.

Sex-Men: Wolverine (Jackman) and Cyclops (Marsden), with Jean Gray (Janssen) bringing up the rear.

Much has been made of X-Men's excellent cast, but the 80 or so minute length of the movie doesn't always serve to showcase the incredible talent at hand. The exceptions to this rule are Rogue (Anna Paquin) and Wolverine (the very fine Hugh Jackman), two mutants learning to deal with their powers in the prejudiced, fearful world dominated by men such as the overbearing Senator Kelly. Paquin and Jackman are wonderful as their angry yet vulnerable characters, but I would have liked to learn more about Magneto and Dr. X (played by the always great Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart), and Mystique, well-played by Rebecca Romajin-Stamos. (Yes, that Rebecca Romajin-Stamos. She's cool. Really.) Some would cite the brief screen time allotted per actor as a flaw, but it's really just another aspect of the film's ingenious gift/curse scenario: you want more, you get less, you pay for the sequel. X-Men is a big tease.

But at least it's a thoughtful one. From the film's opening moments -- set in Nazi-dominated Poland, where the young Magneto discovers his metal-bending powers -- Singer lets you know this is a somewhat serious flick. This fact is solidified in the scenes that follow -- soul-sucking Rogue kisses her boyfriend into a coma, Wolverine is coerced into attacking a man at a bar -- although you'd never guess it from the score, which varies from Muzak to Nintendo before settling on a happy mix of both. Michael Camen's tinny, goofy music is one of the upsets in Singer's solid feature, which incorporates simple, stark cinematography with futuristic, gorgeous sets. It's a shame, because the film is quite moving at points, and would have benefited greatly from a more vivid musical accompaniment.

Chick magnet Wolverine consoles an ailing Rogue (Paquin).

On that note, there's a certain hesitancy to X-Men, whose story of mutant's struggle for acceptance inevitably hits emotional chords. Several storylines involved the pain behind the superpowers -- in particular, the teenaged Rogue's struggle with those she loves, and Wolverine's inability not to attack -- but the film pulls back just when you think it's going to go deeper. This is too bad, because it's obvious the gifted cast can handle deeper material, but the film does manage to tackle issues of societal prejudice, personal acceptance, and individual sacrifice in its short screen time. It also explores just how fine Hugh Jackman looks in a leather jacket, how cool Storm's eyes get when she's using her powers, and how much fun it is to watch New York City blow up for the zillionth time on screen. X-Men is more thought-provoking than most summer films, but it's also entertaining, even if you're the only one in the audience not laughing knowingly at the mention of yellow tights and Kitty Pryde.

DROOL FACTOR: There are plenty of things worse in life than being introduced to Wolverine by way of Australian hottie Hugh Jackman, and few things better. The jacket. The sideburns. The adamantium. Wolverine is a character destined to attract strange, unwieldy estrogen brigades ala Darth Maul, brigades which I will undoubtedly join. For those who want to play it safe, there's James Marsden's Cyclops, who I personally found quite dull. And for those genre girl geek die-hards... you know that Patrick Stewart's in this movie, right?

GROSS-OUT FACTOR: Nothing really springs to mind, but it could be that I was just distracted by Hugh Jackman.

STRONG CHICK FACTOR: I love Rogue! Anna Paquin is always cool, but the character of Rogue is truly one of the strongest, most interesting chicks to come along in a while, reminiscent of a pre skin-and-bones Buffy Summers. Romajin's Mystique and Famke Janssen's Jean Gray were also great characters. The only weak point remained Halle Berry's under-written, under-played Storm -- had Angela Bassett gotten the role as originally planned, this would have been a perfect cast.

-- Sarah Kendzior

X-Men is now playing nationwide.

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