The long awaited movie for Marvel comic book fans arrived with splash and fanfare and pretty good story. Of course every fan wanted to know who was going to play the stud Wolverine and Australian unknown Hugh Jackman captured the role and was quite impressive. Overall, the movie was pretty good, but a little depressing.

The story revolves around the human race trying to decide what to do with its mutant population that is unknown to them and afraid. Two mutants, Rogue, played by Anna Paquin (The Piano,) and Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman (Van Helsing,) are welcomed into Professor Xavier's school for the gifted, a cover for kids and people who are mutants. Xavier's, played by Patrick Stewart (Star Trek,) nemesis Magneto, played by Ian McKellen (Lord of the Rings,) creates a weapon that can turn any human into a mutant and needs Rogue's power to enlarge the capability of the weapon in order to attack the world leaders gathered at a conference in New York.

I enjoyed this movie even though I am not a big X-Men fan. I though Jackman did a great job as tough guy Logan/Wolverine. He treated the character with a quiet anger at not knowing where he comes from and understanding his ability. Plus he also has a great relationship with James Marsden (The Notebook) who plays Cyclops, as the both argue over the woman that they are attracted, Jean Grey, played by hottie Famke Janssen (The House on Haunted Hill.)

Marsden and Jackman's bickering was one of the bright spots in a script that was not funny which is a key element missing in the movie. X-Men is not very funny. That doesn't mean it is not good, but it was missing the element that Jack Nicholson brought as the Joker in Batman, the humor to a serious character or story. The story was serious because it really is about intolerance as shown in the opening scene of the movie where we see Magneto's family being taken to a concentration camp in Poland at the end of the war. So the story of the mutants is really about racism, and because of that it is a little depressing.

But the action is quite entertaining and other that Paquin's annoying screaming every now and then, the actors did a fine job. Although I will say that this is the second movie that Ray Park, as Toad, had almost no lines. I feel bad for the guy because in Star Wars Episode I, as Darth Maul, he had a voice over actor. Is his voice that bad? Also Rebecca Romijn-Stamos was the wonderful eye candy that the movie needed, even though she was in blue paint. I would personally like to be the assistant who helps clean that stuff off.

If you are a fan of X-Men and the comic book, then this movie will make you very happy, and it is good, I just wish it had a little more humor in it. It is a nice introduction Hugh Jackman who is a fine actor.

Brian - the Naked Gun