The MCU Re-View is finished, for now. It’s time for Marvel’s Merry Band of Mutants to take center stage with the X-Men Re-View!

Now that Avengers: Endgame has released, there’s a persistent temptation to look back at the arc of history surrounding this modern age of comic book movies. At the turn of the century, the genre was in a bit of a slump. DC’s most recent output was Batman and Robin and Steel. Marvel had one moderate success in ‘98 with Blade, but that was it. The various original and unaffiliated properties weren’t breaking the bank either. And then, in 2000, came the X-Men movie. With its success, the seeds of a box office juggernaut genre were planted. So sit back, relax, and enjoy my X-Men Re-View.

The Next Step in Superhero Movie Evolution

From the opening scene, X-Men signals it’s a different type of superhero movie. We don’t get a standard action sequence. Instead, we open on a flashback to Auschwitz, where we meet the film’s primary antagonist in his youth. A young man named Erik Lehnsherr is dragged away from his mother by the Nazi guards. In his desperation, he activates his electromagnetic powers, taking the first step towards becoming the Mutant Master of Magnetism, Magneto. It’s a shocking exploration of the dark events that inform the the main antagonist’s beliefs, couched in the real world’s brutal history.

That’s X-Men’s real claim to fame; it was the first superhero movie to be both unrelentingly gritty AND as radically political as the comics. It completely embraces the mutant metaphor by depicting a class of super-powered individuals, a people discriminated against due to immutable characteristics. The third scene of the movie literally takes place on the floor of the US Senate, as Jean Grey addresses the Senators in a bid to head off a grotesque violation of mutant civil liberties.

From there, we’re introduced to two different factions of mutants, as represented by their respective leaders. Charles Xavier is a peaceful integrationist and leader of the X-Men. This incarnation of the team consists of Jean Grey, Cyclops, and Storm (and later Wolverine and Rogue). The young Erik Lehnsherr has grown into the revolutionary he was always meant to be, leading the radical Brotherhood of Mutants (consisting of Mystique, Toad, and Sabertooth). Charles and Erik’s conflict is the film’s conflict, two friends brought to blows under the pressure of mainstream disdain.

The Mutant Metaphor

This film is heavily allegorical. As I mentioned before, mutants are a representation of the disenfranchised minority. Specifically in this film, they are representations of the queer population. It’s not an accident or an arbitrary choice to specifically state that the X-Gene activates at puberty. Though it has long been an element in the comics, the inclusion here speaks to specific intent. It is no accident that the film SPECIFICALLY depicts Rogue’s powers activating during a sexual awakening.

But it goes even beyond that. Not all of the political commentary is so subtle. Appropriately, the political opposition to mutants directly echoes many of the tropes levied against the LGBTQ community. In this universe, mutants must choose between safety and living openly. That’s right, mutantdom comes with its own version of the closet. There’s also a lot of noise about the threat posed to children, a common battle cry from the regressive set.

It’s telling that when Senator Kelly, the primary voice of opposition to mutant rights, identifies what he believes to be the greatest threat the mutant community presents, he names telepathic abilities such as Charles Xavier’s. Not one of the more explicitly destructive abilities. There are mutants who could outright destroy cities, namely Magneto. Even with that on the table, the greatest fear of the bigots is quite literally that someone might change their minds.

One of the most depressing elements of this X-Men Re-View is seeing just how relevant the central metaphor still is. The film was produced 20 years ago and it’s still achingly relevant today.

Fun fact: The writer behind this film is David Hayter. If you didn’t know, David Hayter, although an accomplished screenwriter, is better known as the English voice of Snake from the Metal Gear Solid franchise.

The Birth of Icons

The performances in this film are dynamite. First and foremost, Hugh Jackman launches a cultural icon with his rendition of Logan/Wolverine. Going back to see it now, it’s immediately apparent why this performance caught fire in the national consciousness. He’s layering on the exact right amount of charm over a bed of cynical misanthropy. Patrick Stewart is predictably excellent as Charles Xavier. He perfectly captures the gravitas of the character, though the march of time has painted his views as far more naive than they would have appeared in 2000. Famke Janssen is also excellent as Jean Grey. Though she doesn’t get much of a chance to stretch her legs in this outing, she already demonstrates both a commanding presence and a dynamic chemistry with Jackman.

But the real MVP of this film is Ian McKellen. He gives a compelling, nuanced performance as Magneto, the film’s main antagonist. As touched on before, the character’s background is tragic. He may be an extremist, but he’s an extremist with a point. He knows how bad things can get if the mutants are put fully in the crosshairs. Given what occurs in subsequent films, one of the most interesting discussions to have about the franchise as a whole is whether Magneto had a point. The script does its fair share, but McKellen anchors the whole thing.

Technical Limitations

This film also has surprisingly good music. The late Michael Kamen provided a solid score across the board, with a few standout pieces in scenes such as the dramatic opening at Auschwitz or Wolverine’s emotional rescue of Rogue late in the film.

Visually, you could guess that this film came out a while ago. While the film isn’t overly reliant on CGI, the times it makes use of the technology are quite obvious. The fights and stunts also leave a lot to be desired. There are an awful lot of quick cuts and obvious wires. It’s not particular scenes. It’s everything.

Result

On the balance, this film has held up shockingly well. The technical problems aren’t dealbreakers when the script and performances are this good. Even though I have no choice due to this film being the vanguard of the franchise, I don’t feel bad at all making it the inaugural #1 for the X-Men Rankings.

Stay tuned for the X-Men Re-View sequel next week!

PS- If you read this piece and you liked what you saw, consider donating to my Patreon! Donations from readers like you make this site possible.

Share this: Facebook

Twitter

Reddit

Tumblr

Pinterest

LinkedIn

