X-Men

2000
US
104 min
12

Directed by: Bryan Singer
Cast: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Bruce Davison, Rebecca Romijn, Ray Park, Anna Paquin

This adaptation of the popular Marvel Comic sees super-powered mutants outlawed in America of the near future. Magneto (McKellen), the Holocaust survivor and master of magnetism, will not stop at mass murder to protect his own kind; Professor Xavier (Stewart), a telepath, seeks peaceful co-existence with humankind. To further their ends the two old foes employ rival teams of mutants in a deadly game of chess. It's a difficult balance, satisfying the fans without alienating those unfamiliar with the comic book. 'X-Men' pulls it off with speedy pacing, imaginatively staged action set pieces and a smart script full of witty dialogue and a message about race prejudice that's not overplayed.