"What do they call you? Wheels?"
Being a long-term fan of the X-Men comics, I greeted the news of an X-Men movie with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. With the possible exception of the Superman movies, superheros hadn't exactly been portrayed in a positive light. I was most concerned for Wolverine, the team's feisty Canadian bruiser. He is my favourite character, and I was desperate that he should be portrayed right, but I knew of no actor who would be able to pull it off.
By coincidence, the first photo I saw from the new movie was of Wolverine, battling on a train. I was astounded - everything seemed to be in place - the trademark upswept hairstyle, the claws, even the leather jacket. Things began to look up!
But I digress! For those of you who have not seen the movie, here is a brief plot synopsis.
Humanity is starting to evolve, producing individuals with amazing powers and abilities. These individuals are split into two main groups - the X-Men, led by Professor Xavier, who believe that humans and mutants can live together peacefully, and the Brotherhood of Mutants, led by Erik Lensherr aka Magneto, who want to rule humankind. Magneto is willing to go to any lengths to achieve his aim and therein lies the problem .....
This is an extremely intelligent and well thought out movie - not the usual fluff and nonsense superhero outing we have previously been subjected to. The movie begins with the young Magneto's parents being herded into the Nazi gas chambers and explains why he is so determined that mutants will not go down the same road, despised as they are by normal humankind. Xavier's solution is a school, where mutants can be taught how to use their powers safely for the good of all humanity, while at the same time providing a safe haven from the outside world.
These two characters, Xavier and Magneto, are played by two heavyweights of stage and screen, Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan, and their casting is nothing short of inspired. Both bring a wealth of talent and integrity to their roles. In fact, most of the casting is spot on. Special mention must go to Hugh Jackman, who is a positive revelation as Wolverine. Of course, he's a little taller than his comic-book counterpart, but this can be forgiven in the light of his excellent performance. Unfortunately, Hallie Berry doesn't fare quite so well as Storm and is grossly miscast. Whoever thought she would be perfect as the majestic windrider was woefully misinformed.
However, this is just a minor quibble for a movie that singlehandedly revived the superhero franchise, and paved the way for such blockbusters as Iron Man and the excellent Batman re-imaginings. Love 'em or hate 'em, the superhero movie is here to stay!Read full review
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