Critic Reviews
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David Denby, New Yorker
The most beautiful, strange, and exciting comic-book movie since the original Batman.
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Dennis Harvey, Variety
X-Men plays like a so-so middle chapter of an epic series rather than a fitting kickoff.
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Trevor Johnston, Time Out
Apart from the brushed metal production design and pin-sharp camerawork, this offers only moderate excitement.
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David Edelstein, Slate
It's a rich, impressive comic-book fantasy.
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Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
All these characters with their odd powers are inherently absurd and they throw a barrel of wrenches into the machinery of a coherent narrative.
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Peter Rainer, New York Magazine
A rarity, a comic-book movie with a satisfying cinematic design and protagonists you want to watch.
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Robin Clifford, Reeling Reviews
The deft way that Singer and company have transferred the action comics to the big screen reps one of the best efforts since Superman II.
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Josh Larsen, LarsenOnFilm
These are superheroes who largely regret their powers because of the trouble that they bring.
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Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle
Of course, the wide-open ending practically shrieks "sequel," so rest assured this is only the beginning of a new super-franchise. Here's hoping Joel Schumacher doesn't get his hands on it.
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David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
X-Men's myriad of positive attributes generally compensate for its less-than-enthralling stretches.
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James Rocchi, Common Sense Media
Comic-book adaptation has brains, brawn, and style.
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Dragan Antulov, Draxblog Movie Reviews
Good direction and talented ensemble
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Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
A very good comic book adaptation with great performances, true entertainment value, and wonderful direction...
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Bob Grimm, Sacramento News & Review
A superb cast and spotless direction from Bryan Singer make this one a summer must-see, and a film that goes right alongside the first Batman and Superman as genre bests.
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Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
As summer movies go, X-Men is remarkably crisp and economical.
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Joe Lozito, Big Picture Big Sound
Relative newcomer Hugh Jackman is a real find as the brooding Wolverine.
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Mike Barkacs, Bullz-Eye.com
Simply a fluffy, big screen version of a simple comic book -- nothing more, nothing less.
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Jeffrey Overstreet, Looking Closer
What makes this film such a success is its seriousness on the subject of proper and improper responses to oppression, its unique and memorable characters, its cleverness and visual imagination, and its refusal to degenerate into a bloodbath.
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Judith Egerton, Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)
Superior to any Batman except the 1989 movie.
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Scott Nash, Three Movie Buffs
Finally, a movie based on a comic book that actually succeeds.
Read all 20 critic reviews
Featured Audience Ratings
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A strong cast, keen director and uncanny story. X-Men is entertaining in exposing moviegoers to the world of mutants. Bryan Singer's vision of this Marvel adaptation is crisp and simple, but yet terrific in more ways than one. A great summer blockbuster that's tasteful for… More
A strong cast, keen director and uncanny story. X-Men is entertaining in exposing moviegoers to the world of mutants. Bryan Singer's vision of this Marvel adaptation is crisp and simple, but yet terrific in more ways than one. A great summer blockbuster that's tasteful for all audiences. 4/5
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Bryan Singer's film adaptation of one of the greatest and iconic comic books ever created is uneven but thrilling entertainment to sit through.
Singer begins his film with a grim sequence from Poland overrun by Nazis. This prologue is captivating and interesting beginning to a… More
Bryan Singer's film adaptation of one of the greatest and iconic comic books ever created is uneven but thrilling entertainment to sit through.
Singer begins his film with a grim sequence from Poland overrun by Nazis. This prologue is captivating and interesting beginning to a much broader storyline which Singer and his co-writers Tom DeSanto and David Hayter has created. Still Singer and his team cannot make X-Men truly alive as a film and somehow it feels more of an pilot-episode of an TV-show than feature film.
First twenty minutes into this film are pretty damn good filmmaking but after that the film begins to go slowly downhill until it ends with a whimper. I understand that it is supposed to be only beginning of a trilogy but i've seen films that are made into trilogies and they have still worked on their own. That is something that X-Men cannot accomplish, it just does not work on its own and suffers from lacking a any truly memorable set pieces. It is just too average as a film.
There are nice elements here and there. Especially Hugh Jackman's performance as a Wolverine is the films strongest aspect when it comes to acting and veterans like Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen on the opposite side of the mutant teams is delicious aspect also.
Visually one of the films greatest elements is Dr. Xaviers futuristic Cerebro-machine which serves this film its single most amazing moment.
So overall there are things that does work and then there are things which just doesn't. It is better than most of the comic book adaptations but it falls short on being amongst the best of them.
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It does carry the feeling that's it's been rushed a little but otherwise the introduction into the X-Men world is an entertaining one. It's edgy and has good intentions to not be too formulaic… More
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It does carry the feeling that's it's been rushed a little but otherwise the introduction into the X-Men world is an entertaining one. It's edgy and has good intentions to not be too formulaic like other Marvel films. The direction and story is sometimes flimsy but the actors especially Jackman, Stewart and McKellen are perfect for their roles. It has some good action sequences, style and is overall not a bad start to the franchise. By no means perfect, but a faithful adaption.
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Mutants and humans can't live together. There's always prejudices.
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This is exacly what it should be....maybe not rogue...
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X-MEN was a huge thrill ride of a motion picture. During the first ten minutes, I wasn't too sure about it, and I wasn't sure how I was liking the idea of hatred and near-brutal disrespect toward "mutants" (one of whom is a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust, as… More
X-MEN was a huge thrill ride of a motion picture. During the first ten minutes, I wasn't too sure about it, and I wasn't sure how I was liking the idea of hatred and near-brutal disrespect toward "mutants" (one of whom is a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust, as shown in the beginning, another exploit of hatefulness that angered me), but by the beginning of the second half, I was at the definite conclusion that X-MEN (beyond the discrimination it portrays) is a fantastic feature that has a lot to offer: action, great acting; a well-explained plot full of twists, turns, humorous and clever steaks, and even emotions such as sorrow, love, hatred (see above), revenge, betrayal...you name it, I guarantee you you'll find what you want in X-MEN, especially if you're looking for an action/sci-fi flick that isn't quite the cheesy "superhero" tale.
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This movie is boss. If you don't like it, go get checked.
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Cheesy at times but always entertaining. Overall, a solid start to a now classic series. Without Hugh Jackman though, there wouldn't be much here.
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The movie that started the new wave of Marvel films, long before SpiderMan, actually didn't age all that well. It's biggest assets are still an outstanding cast, with Hugh Jackman turning out to be the perfect Wolverine, and a rather serious, almost dramatic approach to the… More
The movie that started the new wave of Marvel films, long before SpiderMan, actually didn't age all that well. It's biggest assets are still an outstanding cast, with Hugh Jackman turning out to be the perfect Wolverine, and a rather serious, almost dramatic approach to the superhero and especially the mutant theme. Bryan Singer portrayed those powers as more of a curse than a gift and delivered a rather dark film, where character development is more important than action, taking its characters seriously, not delivering a puppet show like Schumacher's Batman films. Still a brave effort 11 years later, but of course overtaken by later films.
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Director Bryan Singer gives audiences a good introduction to the X-men universe. The film does a good job in presenting the world of X-men in a way that is believable and seemingly realistic. The movie provides plenty of thrilling action while at the same time providing a story that… More
Director Bryan Singer gives audiences a good introduction to the X-men universe. The film does a good job in presenting the world of X-men in a way that is believable and seemingly realistic. The movie provides plenty of thrilling action while at the same time providing a story that is intriguing but nothing special. The only big flaw with the story is that Wolverine is given too much focus, robbing other characters of screen time. The cast is very well rounded, everybody seems to fit their part well. Hugh Jackman was born to play Wolverine. Despite the flaws, X-men amounts to a very good superhero movie.
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It was very cool when it first came out as the original X-men film. I enjoyed it a lot. Big range of characters, lots of action, best team of super heroes movie marvel has ever made. Well worth watching.
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Growing up an X-Men fan I always wanted to see a movie based on them. I can't remember another movie(maybe "Freddy vs Jason") I was more excited to see. At first I was a little disappointed because they changed so much around and excluded quite a few of my favorite… More
Growing up an X-Men fan I always wanted to see a movie based on them. I can't remember another movie(maybe "Freddy vs Jason") I was more excited to see. At first I was a little disappointed because they changed so much around and excluded quite a few of my favorite mutants. But time has been kind to this movie, as eleven years later it remains a very solid beginning for the film franchise. Hell, it kicked off the career of Hugh Jackman(who is the perfect Wolverine), and really kick started the whole comic book movie trend. The effects are sometimes a little cheesy, but they hold up quite well. I really love the Professor X/Magneto relationship. Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen brought those two characters to life better than I could have ever imagined. While number two is the best of all the X-Men movies(haven't seen "First Class" yet though), this is still a very good and highly entertaining movie.
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I think they could have doen a little more, but it is a classic superhero flick in my eyes! I love how much they tried and succeeded with this great film. One of the best attempts of bringing a team of superheroes to life on the big screen. I enjoyed every bit of this film and I was… More
I think they could have doen a little more, but it is a classic superhero flick in my eyes! I love how much they tried and succeeded with this great film. One of the best attempts of bringing a team of superheroes to life on the big screen. I enjoyed every bit of this film and I was left wanting so much more. The action sequences are great, the plot is quite intriguing, it's funny, engaging and just an awesome flick all around. Now this is what you call an entertaining film. Great movie!
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An amazing film. You get a lot of action, a simple story, and some great acting. Hugh Jackman was born to play this role. I loved this movie.
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The problem here is that X-men is phenomenal source material, there are many ideas that you can come up with plot-wise to really bring out the authenticity and drama of it's setting.
So what kind of ridiculous machine that only Magneto can use changes people into mutants? He can… More
The problem here is that X-men is phenomenal source material, there are many ideas that you can come up with plot-wise to really bring out the authenticity and drama of it's setting.
So what kind of ridiculous machine that only Magneto can use changes people into mutants? He can just control metal, I'm not convinced that these powers can't be replicated in a machine that's suppose to activate the "mutant gene"
Let's assume it's very complicated, then how would Rogue know how to do it just by having his powers?
See? Fucking stupid. Ruined the whole movie for me which is a shame because there were a lot of good things happening with the film as well.
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The first X-Men based on the comics of the same name is a fairly impressive superhero film. However it's not without it's flaws. Compared to the second film, I thought that this film had a fairly thin story line to it that wasn't that great. The story was good, but it… More
The first X-Men based on the comics of the same name is a fairly impressive superhero film. However it's not without it's flaws. Compared to the second film, I thought that this film had a fairly thin story line to it that wasn't that great. The story was good, but it wasn't anything special. I thought that the plot could have used a bit more development and maybe a rewrite. But the overall idea is interesting and it leaves a lot for improvement, improvement that was accomplished with the sequel. I've never read the comics so I don't know if they captured all the elements which made the comic popular, but I know a bit of the comic and they kept the ideas fairly intact. But of course the filmmakers will take a few creative liberties to try and make a good film. X-Men certainly delivers, but lacks a bit at times. The film delivers good action and the cast do a good job, this film definitely is a solid first entry, but they built up on the formula of this film and crafted a more confident film with the second. The actors chosen to play the roles are well picked and deliver good performance. X-Men is an interesting film with good action a good story and good acting. But after you've seen it, you realize something is missing, that something could have been done better. But for what it's worth this is still an entertaining actioner despite the flaws, and this one that does thrill despite its somewhat simplistic formula.
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After having watched it again, I gotta say this was a great introduction into the world of X-men. The characters were beautifully portrayed and faithful to the original X-men. Although the Wolverine storyline it took never really appealed to me, it's not enough to make me stop… More
After having watched it again, I gotta say this was a great introduction into the world of X-men. The characters were beautifully portrayed and faithful to the original X-men. Although the Wolverine storyline it took never really appealed to me, it's not enough to make me stop loving the whole mutant gang itself.
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For Marvel Studios' first major film, this was a huge hit. A great first film not only for Marvel, but for the X-Men trilogy also. Filled with great action, a good story, a brilliant cast, and awesome special effects, this film delivers on all levels! A great superhero movie.
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Looking back at X-Men, it really is an amazing movie any way you spin it. There was enough of the source material dealt in to the story as well as a more realistic take on the idea of a mutant superhero team. Obviously, the standout in the movie is the Australian Superstar known as… More
Looking back at X-Men, it really is an amazing movie any way you spin it. There was enough of the source material dealt in to the story as well as a more realistic take on the idea of a mutant superhero team. Obviously, the standout in the movie is the Australian Superstar known as Hugh Jackman. From the moment he appears onscreen, he has you hooked. He is the complete embodiment of Wolverine and i'm glad that the character was given a central role for the first time. I really liked what they did with the rest of the cast of characters, all got a good amount of screen time and justice. Bryan Singer made comic book movies cool again and for that, he should be praised.
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Finally, a movie based on a comic book that actually succeeds.
Read all 20 featured audience ratings
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