X-Men (2000)

Do you remember when there wasn't a superheromovie three times a year? When only true nerds knew who Green Lantern, Aquaman and the other loser-superheroes were? Back then, Bryan Singer actually had the audacity to make a flick about a bearded, cigar-puffing thug and his soon-to-be-friends. And since these films weren't a fad yet, he could do it well.

Singer immediately distances himself from the genre as a whole by making the first scene a historic one, from a Jewish concentration camp, heavy on tragedy and realism. To add to the reality, the scene as a whole is shot with very grey filters, in mud and rain. Practically bereft of colour. As an added bonus, the scene adds background to one of the characters. Now that is how you start a big-budget adventure (read this Michael Bay, you useless git).

It also plays to Singer's strength that he is able to create tension and thrills by many different methods, and on several different scales. It all feels genuine and exciting, and rarely boring. As the first of any instalment, there are many characters to introduce and that will wreak havoc with the flow of the film. At times, there is a bit little going on, and suddenly the story takes a leap.

It is immensely worth it though, as no superhero-flick has ever been cast as thoughtfully and fantastic as this. The pairing of McKellen (not a very known face before this) and Stewart is absolutely delectable and most of their scenes are a study in verbal sparring. There never were two more belivable leaders of a group than these two. Another great piece of casting is Anna Paquin. The perfect balance for a very unlikely mentor in Wolverine. And who could ever think of anyone but Jackman as Wolverine after this series? Marsden and Janssen are both good, as they have some relevance. Halle Berry is useless, though, and her character doesn't really fit into nor the story nor the other characters. Double kudos to Bruce Davison for playing a despicable politician with just the proper gusto, sneakiness, arrogance and megalomania to make it believable.

And since Singer is a good director, he actually has a plot here, and a story. Both good, and both developing nicely alongside the characters. Furthermore, the dialogue is refreshingly down to earth for this kind of film. It's also worth noting that the cinematography is very stylish and clean (apart from the aforementioned introduction), making it seem all the more futuristic.

This is the kind of film that has you dying to see the next, whereas standing firmly on its own two feet.

8/10