X-MEN
This is a strange movie now. At the time it helped save the comic book movie but now it feels small scale and like something that would be done on TV. Still that isn't a bad thing, the focus is kept on the characters and the situation and that is done so well that it makes up for the lack of action scenes. The casting is good across the board and apart from that one line the writing is good and solid. I like the dark look of this movie and Wolverine and Rouge work well as POV characters. There is a tension running through this movie that you don't feel in most modern Superhero movies and the problem facing the characters is shown as being so complex that Magneto isn't without a point and you can understand where he is coming from.
While it's small scale and late 90s CGi may not hold up for some people I found that returning to this movie after all these years I was sucked in from minute one and enjoyed every minute, that's pretty good for a popcorn movie this old.
8.0/10.
X-Men 2:X-Men United
This movie ups the ante from the last entry in every way. The characters are taken to a much darker place and the raid on the mansion complete with children being shot is still one of the most intense and disturbing scenes ever put in a PG13 rated comic book movie, i can see how a cut of this movie was rate R. Still unlike a lot of Hollywood films this all serves a purpose and it shows that there are villains on both sides, this reinforces the theme that Mutants are not better then humans and should be treated no differently. The villain from the last movie steps forward as the leader of the team in this movie and it doesn't feel forced or out or character, now that is good writing. There is only one complaint I have and that is that the love triangle feels forced, and since it was never really resolved in this series it just feels pointless. my other problem with these films is that they want us to be invested in the relationship between Scott and Jean and yet we don't get any real scenes between them that show us why they love each other. I don't know if it is a failure of the script or if the scenes were shot and then cut for time but we are given no reason to care about the relationship. Still I do give the actor who plays Scott credit, if you look in the background of a lot of the scenes he is doing a lot of emotional reaction in response to everything Jean says and does and he does it well and all without his eyes, he is clearly trying to give viewers some reason to care but it is not enough and when Jean dies I don't really feel anything because there is nothing at stake that I care about. Still compared to everything this movie does right that is a small price to pay and over all it still holds up today.
8.5/10
X-Men:First Class
I only saw this movie once on opening weekend and I thought it was average at best. I don't know what I was thinking, I must have been in a bad mood or too caught up in the MCU to enjoy this movie at the time. This movie is amazing. it injects the X-Men movies with all new energy and it again does a great job of exploring complex issues. I like the use of the old style suits and the whole thing does a great job of bringing the world of 1960s spy movies to life and I love those things so I can't figure out why I wasn't blown away by it at the time. This is not only one of the most fun Superhero movies of all time but also one of the best and darkest. It really a credit to the writers and the director that all these pieces work together and don't clash, all the characters are rich and have texture to them and you care about them on. Seeing the friendship of Charles and Eric build up only to be destroyed is heartbreaking and it doesn't feel rushed at all. Towards the end of the movie I said "This is what the relationship between Anikin and Obiwan should have been in the prequels." and I still think it's true. I was so invested in it despite knowing that is was doomed and I like Eric a little more then Charles and could completely understand why people would choose to follow him. This movie did more with it's characters in one film that most modern film series do in their whole run, and it still had plenty of action and dealt with a complex problem for which there were now easy answers. If the people behind this movie were put in charge of the Star Trek films I would line up to see the next movie on day one. I can't believe I was so wrong about this film when I first saw it, it is not only one of my favorite Superhero films but one of my favorite action films of all time, great job by all involved and I wish we would get more Xmen prequels with these characters and this setting.
9.5/10