X-Men Review

X-Men

Release Date: 13th July 2000 - Australia

Production Companies

20th Century Fox (presents)
Marvel Enterprises (in association with)
Donners' Company
Bad Hat Harry Productions

Springwood Productions (Uncredited)

Genetic Productions (Uncredited)

Distribution 

20th Century Fox Australia

Genre: Action

Rating: M

Runtime: 104 minutes

Budget: $75,000,000

Box Office Gross: $296,339,528 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

In a world where children
are born with extraordinary
superhuman abilities,
which have an unusual X
factor in their genes,
making them mutants as
they have suffered hate
and discrimination by the
human race, forcing them
to resort to desperate
actions. As a telepathic

mutant, Professor Charles

Xavier strives for a peaceful co-existence between the two species and owns a school that will teach mutants how to use their powers for good. However, his old friend and archenemy, Magneto and his supremacist Brotherhood intend to exterminate the human race.

Only the X-Men, a group of

mutant superheroes brought

together by Xavier, can stop

Magneto and his forces from

achieving their goals. Now,

two mutants emerge and

join the fight against

Magneto, including

a young girl named Rogue

and Logan, a powerful and

aggressive mutant with no

memory and past.

Cast

Hugh Jackman - Logan/
Wolverine

Patrick Stewart - Charles
Xavier/Professor X

James Marsden - Scott
Summers/Cyclops

Famke Janssen - Dr. Jean Grey

Halle Berry - Ororo Munroe/
Storm

Ian McKellen - Erik

Lehnsherr/Magneto

Anna Paquin - Marie/Rogue

Rebecca Romjin-Stamos -

Mystique

Tyler Mane - Sabertooth

Bruce Davison - Senator
Robert Kelly

Ray Park - Toad

Shawn Ashmore - Bobby
Drake/Iceman

Matthew Sharp - Henry Gyrich
Brett Morris - Young Magneto

Rhona Shekter - Magneto's Mother

Kenneth McGregor - Magneto's Father

Shawn Roberts - Rogue's Boyfriend

Donna Goodhand - Rogue's Mother

John Nelies - Rogue's Father

George Buza - Trucker

Darren McGuire - Contender

Carson Manning - Waterboy #1

Scott Leva - Waterboy #2

Aron Tager - Emcee

Kevin Rushton - Stu

Doug Lennox - Bartender

Sumela Kay - Kitty Pryde/

Shadowcat (Cameo)
Katrina Florece - Jubilation Lee/

Jubilee (Cameo)
Donald MacKinnon - Peter Rasputin/

Colossus (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Alex Burton - John Allerdyce/Pyro

Matt Weinberg - Tommy

Madison Lanc - Tommy's Sister

Stan Lee - Hot Dog Vendor (Cameo)

Amy Leland - Cerebro (Voice)

Tom DeSanto - Toad Cop (Cameo)

David Hayter - Museum Cop (Cameo)

Crew

Story/Producer/Director - Bryan Singer

Executive Producer/Based on the "X-Men"

Comics - Stan Lee
Based on the "X-Men" Comics - Jack Kirby
Story/Executive Producer - Tom DeSanto
Story - Josh Whedon (Uncredited)
Screenplay - David Hayter

Associate Producers - Kevin Feige,

Scott Nimerfo and Matthew Edelman

Executive Producers - Avi Arad and

Richard Donner
Producers - Lauren Shuler Donner and

Ralph Winter

Co-Producers - Joel Simon and
Bill Todman Jr.

Casting Director - Roger Mussenden

Production Designer - John Myhre

Conceptual Artists - Steve Berg and
Fireball Tim Lawrence

Illustrators - Adam Brockbank,

Bartol Rendulic and Nathan Schroeder

Illustrator/Previsualization Art Director -

Rpin Suwannath

Art Directors - Paul D. Austerberry

and Tamara Deverell

First Assistant Art Directors - Grant Van Der Slagt

and David G. Fremlin

Second Assistant Art Director - Greg Beale

Set Decorator - James Edward Ferrell Jr.

Property Master - Christopher Geggie

Co-Property Master - Deryck Blake

Weapons Handler - John 'Frenchie' Berger

Costume Designer - Louise Mingenbach

Costume Consultant - Bob Ringwood

Special Makeup Designer - Gordon J. Smith

Chief Makeup Artist - Ann Brodie

Special Makeup Keys - Evan Penny,

Jay McClennen, Donna Gliddon, Rick Silver

and Gary Archer,

Key Hair Stylist - Jennifer Bower O'Halloran

Director of Photography - Newton Thomas Siegel

Directors of Photography: Second Unit -

Mike Benson and Paul Sarossy

"B" Camera/Steadicam Operators -

Klemens Becker and Tim Merkel

Spacecam Operator - Hans Bjerno

Location Managers - John Hutchinson and

Byron A. Martin

Unit Production Manager - Ross Fanger

Production Manager - Dara Weintraub

First Assistant Director - Lee Cleary

Key Second Assistant Director - Simon Board

Action/Second Unit Director: Fight

Sequence - Corey Yuen

Second Unit Directors - Conrad E. Palmisano

and Phillip C. Pfeiffer

Stunt Coordinators - Rick Forsayeth and
Gary Jensen

Assistant Fight Coordinators: Second Unit -

Chi Wah Ling and Ke Huy Quan

Special Effects Coordinator - Colin Chilvers

Special Effects Keys - Tony Kenny,
Kaz Kobielski and Tim Lidstone

Visual Effects Supervisor - Michael L. Fink
Visual Effects Supervisor: Cinesite - Michael J. McAlister
Visual Effects Supervisor: Hammerhead

Productions - Theresa Ellis Rygiel

Visual Effects Supervisor: POP Film -

David Sosalla
Visual Effects Supervisor: Matte World Digital -
Craig Barron
Visual Effects Producer - Denise Davis

Visual Effects Producer: Digital Domain -

Amy Hollywood Wixson

Visual Effects Producer: Cinesite - Kevin Elam

Visual Effects Executive Producer: Digital

Domain - Nancy Bernstein

Visual Effects Director of Photography - David Stump

Digital Effects Supervisor: Cinesite -

Kevin Lingenfelser

Creative Advisor: Kleiser-Walczak - Jeffrey Kleiser

Computer Graphics Supervisor: Digital Domain -

David Prescott
Animation Supervisor: C.O.R.E. Digital

Pictures - John Mariella
Animation Supervisor: Cinesite - John T. Van Vilet

Director of Photography: Miniature

Photography - Derek Vanlint

Digital Team Leads: Digital Domain -

Sean C. Cunningham, Swen Gillberg,

Douglas J. Sieden, Branden Smith,

Zachary Tucker, Andy Wilkoff and Keiji Yamaguchi

Digital Compositing Supervisor: Digital Domain -

Jonathan Egstad

Lead Digital Compositor: Digital Domain - Claas Henke

Technical Supervisor: Hammerhead

Productions - Thad Beier

Effects Supervisor/Compositor: Asylum -

Nathan McGuinness

Editors - Steven Rosenblum, Kevin Stitt

and John Wright

Additional Editor - Todd Busch

Supervising Sound Editor - John A. Larsen

Sound Designers - Steve Boeddeker and

Craig Berkey

Sound Design Consultant - Gary Rydstrom

Sound Effects Editors - Richard Burton,

David C. Hughes, Ethan Van der Ryan and

Jay Wilkinson

Supervising ADR Editor - R.J. Kizer

Sound Mixer - David Lee

Re-Recording Mixers - Anna Behlmer

and Andy Nelson

Additional Re-Recording Mixer - James Bolt

Foley Artists - Alicia Stevenson

and Dawn Fintor

Music - Michael Kamen

Sampling and Programming - James Seymour

Brett and Michael Price

Additional Electronic Percussion - Klaus Badelt

Review

I have watched two known animated series and read a few comics of Marvel's favourite hero team, X-MEN. I have recently watched the film series' first instalment and found the film to be very satisfying and imposing. This film has reached an element of surprise from director Bryan Singer, making it a blueprint for future movies in this genre. One of the film's weaknesses was the cheesiness of a few one-liners, but I was impressed with the casting choices.

Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen were suitable for their roles as leaders of both sides of the mutants, Xavier and Magneto. Halle Berry was okay as Storm, and Rebecca Romijn earned her star-making role as Mystique. The best actor stealing the show is Hugh Jackman for portraying Wolverine convincingly. The character is supposed to be true to the comics, and Jackman does so effectively, and it launched his stardom in Hollywood.

X-MEN is the most explosive beginning to the movie franchise and is so good that it's one of those known movies that catapulted the superhero flick genre by its re-invention. I recommend you watch it before the next instalment.

Star rating: (4/5) Good Movie

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