X-Men (2000)

Here's a genuine question: where does the modern superhero film actually begin? Not the MCU, not the Sam Raimi Spider-Man. It begins here, in the year 2000, with a group of leather-clad mutants and Bryan Singer making the case that comic book cinema deserved to be taken seriously. X-Men kicked the door open, and just about everything that followed walked through it.

I still think this is the best of the lot. I know that's a take that raises eyebrows given what the franchise produced afterwards, and yes, I've got real affection for X2 and what it did with the groundwork laid here. But there's something about this first film that none of the sequels quite managed to replicate. It has a scrappiness to it, a genuine sense of stakes, and a tone that feels grounded without being joyless. It was making an argument: that these stories matter, that they're worth your time, that a bloke with metal claws and a bad attitude can carry a blockbuster.

That bloke, of course, is Hugh Jackman's Wolverine. He's instantly iconic in a way that's genuinely hard to explain if you weren't watching it happen in real time. The gruffness, the snarl, the odd warmth underneath it all. It's a star-making performance, and the fact that he's played the role for twenty-five years now (and done it brilliantly right up to Logan) tells you everything about how perfectly he fit the part from the very first scene.

But for my money, the real heart of the film is the dynamic between Patrick Stewart's Charles Xavier and Ian McKellen's Magneto. The casting is perfect, full stop. These are two actors who understand that their characters aren't really enemies so much as old friends who arrived at very different conclusions about the same problem. Every scene they share crackles with that history, that mutual respect shot through with genuine ideological conflict. Xavier believes in coexistence. Magneto, a Holocaust survivor who has seen what humans do to those they fear, doesn't. It gives the whole thing a moral weight that most blockbusters of the era weren't even trying for.

The story itself is fairly lean. There's no sprawling mythology being set up across seventeen films, no post-credits teases demanding you buy a ticket to something else next summer. It just tells its story, builds its world, and gets out. The ensemble is strong even if some characters get shortchanged. Cyclops in particular gets a rough deal, reduced mostly to standing around looking put-upon while Jackman gets all the best moments. Fair enough, really, given that Jackman's magnetism is undeniable, but it does feel a bit unkind to Scott Summers.

Does it look dated? In places, absolutely. Some of the effects haven't aged gracefully, and the leather suits, which felt so cool and grounded at the time, now read as a very specific kind of early-2000s aesthetic decision. A bit Y2K superhero. But honestly, that's part of the charm now. It's a film that wears its era proudly, and there's a real nostalgia hit in watching it that I can't fully separate from the viewing experience.

What I can say objectively is that the craft holds up better than people remember. The pacing is tight, the action sequences are inventive without being overwhelming, and Singer keeps the focus on character even when the set-pieces are demanding attention. The Statue of Liberty climax is a bit wobbly in execution, but the showdown between Xavier and Magneto that underpins it still has genuine tension.

The franchise went on to produce some brilliant work and some genuinely baffling misfires. I've sat through enough of both to have opinions, trust me. But when I come back to this one, I'm reminded of why it all felt so exciting to begin with. It was the right film at the right time, made by people who believed in the material without being precious about it.

Cheesy in places, sure. A bit rough around the edges. But bold, confident, and still a proper watch. Four stars.

Rating: ★★★  | Year: 2000  | Watched: 2025-04-07

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Where to watch

Watch in the UK
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Sky Store
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi

Watch in the US
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US

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Related on Movies With Macca

More from Bryan Singer: X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) · X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) · X2 (2003)
More with Hugh Jackman: Logan (2017) · Van Helsing (2004) · X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) · X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
More from the 2000s: Kirikou and the Wild Beasts (2005) · Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) · Daredevil (2003) · Apocalypto (2006)
More adventure: Alice in Wonderland (1951) · The Eagle (1925) · Louisiana Story (1948) · The General (1926)
More action: A Better Tomorrow (1986) · The General (1926) · Hand of Death (1976) · Daredevil (2003)