Stanko's Stance

Director: Bryan Singer
Writers: Tom DeSanto, Bryan Singer, David Hayter
Staring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen
Streaming: Disney+
Release Date: July 14, 2000

Ohhhhhh this is so 2000 it hurts…but in the best way possible.

X-Men is a tone-setter for Hollywood. It proved that you could get recognizable stars in a movie and make an ensemble action blockbuster. The casting agents in X-Men deserve a TON of credit because it set the groundwork for a two decade franchise.

Now, let it be clear, X-Men is not the best movie in the world, and it is arguably not classically “good.” The writing is very cheesy in moments, and the crossfades between various scenarios are rough. HOWEVER, there are many moments that just make you smile as an audience. When Magneto (Ian McKellen) comes through smoke onto the train is hilariously over the top. When Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) spins around on the Statue of Liberty or when Storm (Halle Berry) comes up through the elevator; those are scenes etched into memories of fans of this genre.

• I can not wait till Disney reboots the X-Men franchise. The fact everything is under Disney’s wing terrifies me, but I am rooting for that evil empire to create an Avengers universe but with the X-Men.
• Totally forgot that Rogue is played by Anna Paquin. Only ever knew her from True Blood. While adding to it…who knew James Marsden played Cyclops?!
• Mystique looked awesome in this movie. It makes the disgrace of Jennifer Lawrence’s later renditions of Mystique even more disgraceful.
• I am playing through X-Men: Legends on Gamecube, and watching this movie made me fire it up SO fast.

Stanko Rating: B- (3.0/5 Stars)

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