X-Men 2000

Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune: What X-Men offers are outrageous makeup and costumes, gaudy overproduction and that bland, dopey dialogue. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: An accomplished piece of work with considerable pulp watchability to it. Read more

Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel: X-cess is the biggest problem with X-Men. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: This is a film that should satisfy fans of the hugely popular comic book and audiences who can't tell one uncanny X-Man from another. Mutants rule. Read more

Susan Stark, Detroit News: It's darker, more complex and far more substantive than anything in the Superman or Batman cinematic series. Read more

Mark Rahner, Seattle Times: X-Men will exceed your expectations. Read more

Philip Wuntch, Dallas Morning News: X-Men crosses its X with a flourish. Read more

Elvis Mitchell, New York Times: Clumsy when it should be light on its feet, the movie takes itself even more seriously than the comic book and its fans do, which is a superheroic achievement. Read more

Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star: Had it simply ignored or abbreviated the inescapably hackneyed origin stuff, the movie might have been in a position to break some ground. Read more

Steve Murray, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: An engaging popcorn movie in a summer that's littered with duds. Read more

Stephen Thompson, AV Club: The script could be a lot snappier, particularly during some virtually unexplained rivalry banter between Marsden and Jackman, but X-Men is a decent start to what will no doubt be an immensely profitable series of negligible but enjoyable summer movies. Read more

Lisa Alspector, Chicago Reader: Exciting mainly because anything can happen and does, the movie drags a bit as it approaches a climax set on top of the Statue of Liberty. But once there it revives. Read more

Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle: It's a film X-Men fans can embrace and action fans in general can appreciate. Read more

Steven Rosen, Denver Post: The direction sometimes lacks vibrancy and occasionally obscures the action and special effects. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: X-Men fights a skewed, rerun version of yesterday's battles. Read more

Jeff Giles, Newsweek: X-Men, it must be said, has only a few truly thrilling moments. This is not a picture that tries to blow you out of your seat. But more than any other big movie this summer, it has a consistently inventive vision. Read more

David Denby, New Yorker: The most beautiful, strange, and exciting comic-book movie since the original Batman. Read more

Peter Rainer, New York Magazine/Vulture: A rarity, a comic-book movie with a satisfying cinematic design and protagonists you want to watch. Read more

Jami Bernard, New York Daily News: The X-Men comic books have spawned a cottage industry of mutant characters, and the movie helps make sense of these legions while offering the established fan base something new to cheer. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: The film is effectively paced with a good balance of exposition, character development, and special effects-enhanced action. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: The events that end the movie are sort of anticlimactic, and the special effects, while energetic, are not as persuasive as they might be. Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: It sucks that this choppily edited film appears rushed and incoherent in ways that cheat the story of its human resonance and the stunts of their anticipated pow. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: A distinctively absorbing entertainment, offering just enough popcorn thrills for mass audiences and just enough chewiness for hardcore sci-fi fans. Read more

Bob Graham, San Francisco Chronicle: This feast of fantasy is worth it. Read more

David Edelstein, Slate: It's a rich, impressive comic-book fantasy. Read more

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. Read more

Trevor Johnston, Time Out: Apart from the brushed metal production design and pin-sharp camerawork, this offers only moderate excitement. Read more

Dennis Harvey, Variety: X-Men plays like a so-so middle chapter of an epic series rather than a fitting kickoff. Read more

J. Hoberman, Village Voice: It ain't saying much but, when it comes to stoopid fun, X-Men could be the summer movie to beat. Read more

Desson Thomson, Washington Post: Visually entertaining. Read more