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The adaptation of a science fiction comic book to the big screen is a
high stakes business. First of
all, these movies are usually expensive because of the special effects that
this genre demands. Then, in
order to recoup these high costs, the movie must be targeted at a wide
audience. Comics, by their
nature, appeal to a comparatively small audience (normally young
males). Therefore elements of
the comic must be adjusted in order to attract this wider audience. But the problem is, that by making
these changes, the movie may end up alienating the original comic reading
fans that made the idea popular in the first place. It is a fine balancing act that often
fails (see The Phantom, The Shadow, Supergirl, Spiderman). But when it works, the payoff can
be huge (see the success of Superman and Batman). Director Bryan Singer seems to have hit the bullseye
with X-Men, which seems certain to spawn a series of sequels.
The film is set in the ‘not too distant future’. By a dubious stretch of the term ‘evolution’,
mutant human beings are being born who possess an array of weird and
wonderful powers. Because they
are different, these mutants are misunderstood and feared by normal humans. In a parallel to the 20th
century human rights movement, two leaders have arisen to fight the cause
for mutant rights. One is
Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), a powerful telepath who has set
up a school for mutants to help them to learn to control their powers. Xavier believes that humans and
mutants can live peacefully together.
The other is Magneto, whose childhood experiences in a Polish
concentration camp have taught him that humans will always be prejudiced
against those who are different and therefore believes mutants must use
violence in order to survive.
Key characters aligned with Xavier are Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), a
broody hardman with incredible healing powers and super cool claws that shoot
out of knuckles, Rogue (Anna Paquin), a young girl who absorbs the life
force of people she touches, Storm (Halle Berry), who can control the
weather, Cyclops (James Marsden), who shoots lasers out of his eyes, and Dr
Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), who has telekinetic powers. Magneto’s gang includes heavy
Sabretooth (Tyler Mane), the froglike Toad (Ray Park), and sultry shape
shifter Mystique (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos).
It may all seem a bit complicated, but the plot is deceptively simple. The key is that it still has
evidence of a rich background which is not required for the movie but
necessary to provide a framework for sequels and off screen storylines (see
Star Wars and Star Trek for other examples of where this has been done to
great success). For example,
we get hints of some mysteries in Wolverine’s past but these are not
explored fully.
Why do I think this is such a cool movie? Well, for starters, the acting is better than you would
expect for a sci-fi comic adaptation.
Stewart and McKellen provide a certain level of maturity and
dignity, Oscar winner Paquin is great as the tortured teen, and Jackman is
wonderfully broody and gets some great lines. The overall atmosphere is cool, from the décor of the
buildings, to the sleek black costumes (it was probably a good move to not
faithfully recreate the comics bright yellow outfits). The action scenes are
thrilling. The climax is
emotional. The movie is serious,
but doe not take itself too seriously – look out for some great in jokes,
including one classic move by Ray Park. But most importantly of all, as a part time fan of the
comics, I do not feel like the essence of the X-Men has been changed too
much.
So this is a summer blockbuster worth a look and I can’t wait for the
sequel. If you’re a hardened
X-Fan, you’ll enjoy spotting cameos from Kitty Pride and Ice Man. If not, its still a great ride, even
if you do think Wolverine and Sabretooth sound like characters out of The
Jungle Book.
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