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X-Men (film)

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Information-silk
Information-silk Title
X-Men
Information-silk Universe
Film Details
Information-silk Directors
Bryan Singer
Information-silk Producers
Bill Todman Jr., Ralph Winter, Avi Arad, Bryan Singer, Joel Simon
Information-silk Comic Book Writers
Information-silk Story Writers
Information-silk Screenplay Writers
Information-silk Musicians
Information-silk Cinematographers
Newton Thomas Sigel
Information-silk Editors
Steven Rosenblum, Kevin Sitt, John Wright
Information-silk Distributors
Twentieth Century Fox
Information-silk Running Time
1 hr. 44 min.
Information-silk Rating
PG-13
Information-silk Budget
$75 million
Information-silk Release Date
July 14, 2000
Associated Websites
Previous Film
Next Film

—
X2
(May 2, 2003)
Quote1 Join the Evolution. Quote2

Contents

Appearances

Supporting Characters:

Villains:

Other Characters:

Locations:

Items:

Vehicles:

Plot

Mutants (Homo sapiens superior) are the next evolutionary step in the chain of humanity. Some children are born with an X-Factor (a unique genetic mutation). These usually manifest themselves at puberty and grant individuals special powers. These mutants are almost universally feared and loathed by rest of mankind.

In Congress, Senator Robert Kelly attempts to pass a "Mutant Registration Act", which would force mutants to publicly reveal their identities and abilities. Magneto begins his plans to level the playing field between mutants and humans. Meanwhile, a girl named Marie (alias Rogue) runs away from her home in Meridian, Mississippi. She meets Logan (alias Wolverine) in Canada. Suddenly, both of them are attacked by Sabretooth, a mutant and associate of Magneto. Cyclops and Storm arrive and save Wolverine and Rogue and bring them to the X-Mansion. Professor Charles Xavier runs the facility, and leads a group of mutants who are trying to seek peace with the human race, educate young mutants in the responsible use of their powers, and stop Magneto from starting a war with humanity.

Abducted by Mystique and Toad, Senator Kelly is brought to Magneto, who tests a machine on him that artificially induces mutation though Kelly manages to escape imprisonment with his new abilities. After an accident causes Rogue to use her powers on Wolverine, she is convinced by Mystique (disguised as Bobby Drake) that Xavier is angry with her and that she should leave the school. Xavier uses Cerebro to locate Rogue at a train station. Mystique infiltrates Cerebro and sabotages the machine. At the train station, Wolverine convinces Rogue to stay with Xavier but a fight ensues when Magneto, Toad and Sabretooth arrive to take Rogue. Arriving at Xavier's school Kelly dissolves into a puddle of water when his mutation becomes unstable.

The X-Men learn that Magneto intends to use Rogue's ability on himself to power his machine. Xavier attempts to use Cerebro to locate Rogue but falls into a coma. Jean Grey fixes it and uses Cerebro to find Magneto's machine on Liberty Island, which Magneto intends to use on the world leaders who are meeting for a summit on nearby Ellis Island. Just as the group arrives at the top of the statue and kill Toad, Magneto and Sabretooth incapacitate the group and continue with their plans. Magneto transfers his powers to Rogue who is forced to use them to start the machine. Wolverine breaks free and initiates a fight with Sabretooth but is thrown over the side of the statue.

Wolverine returns, and Cyclops, with Jean's help, blasts Sabretooth out of the statue. With Jean stabilizing him, Storm uses her abilities to send Wolverine to the top of Magneto's machine. With time running out, Wolverine attempts to stop the machine and save Rogue, but Magneto, now having regained some of his strength, halts Wolverine's claws. Cyclops manages to find a clean shot, wounding Magneto and allowing Wolverine to destroy the machine. Placing his hand to her face, Wolverine succeeds in transferring his regenerative abilities to a dying Rogue. Professor Xavier recovers from his coma and the group learns that Mystique is still alive (after Wolverine stabbed her at Liberty Island) when they see her impersonating Senator Kelly on a news broadcast. In an attempt to help Wolverine learn more about his past, Xavier sends him to a military base near Alkali Lake. Xavier visits Magneto in his plastic prison cell, and the two play chess. Magneto warns his friend that he will continue his fight, to which Xavier promises that he (and the X-Men) will always be there to stop him.

Cast

Production

Development

Drawing of an ape-man wearing trunks. He has huge, muscular arms that hang down past his knees. Concept art for Beast (before the character was deleted from subsequent scripts) by Industrial Light & Magic

Throughout 1989 and 1990, Stan Lee and Chris Claremont were in discussions with James Cameron and Carolco Pictures for an X-Men film adaptation. The deal fell apart when Cameron went to work on Spider-Man, Carolco went bankrupt, and the film rights reverted to Marvel Studios. In December 1992, Marvel discussed selling the property to Columbia Pictures to no avail. Meanwhile, Avi Arad produced the animated X-Men TV series for Fox Kids. 20th Century Fox was impressed by the success of the TV show, and producer Lauren Shuler Donner purchased the film rights for them in 1994.

Andrew Kevin Walker was hired to write the script in early 1994. Walker's draft involved Professor Xavier hiring Wolverine into the X-Men, which consists of Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Beast, and Angel. The Brotherhood of Mutants, which consisted of Magneto, Sabretooth, Toad, and the Blob, try to conquer New York City, while Henry Peter Gyrich and Bolivar Trask attack the X-Men with three eight-feet (2.4 m) tall Sentinels. The script focused on the rivalry between Wolverine and Cyclops, as well as the latter's self-doubt as a field leader. Part of the backstory invented for Magneto made him the cause of the Chernobyl disaster. The script also featured the X-Copter and the Danger Room. Walker turned in his second draft in June 1994.

More scripts were written by John Logan, James Schamus, and Joss Whedon. Whedon claimed his script was rejected because of its "quick-witted pop culture-referencing tone". Only two dialogue exchanges from his draft appeared in the finished film. One of these scripts kept the idea of Magneto turning Manhattan into a "mutant homeland", while another hinged on a romance between Wolverine and Storm. In 1996, Fox approached Michael Chabon to write a script. Chabon's six-page film treatment focused heavily on character development between Wolverine and Jubilee. It also included Professor X, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Nightcrawler, Beast, Iceman, and Storm. Under Chabon's plan, the villains would not have been introduced until the second film.

Robert Rodriguez was approached to direct, but turned down the offer. Bryan Singer was looking to do a science fiction film after the release of The Usual Suspects. Fox approached Singer for Alien Resurrection, but producer Tom DeSanto felt X-Men would be a better opportunity as he was impressed with how Singer directed an ensemble cast in The Usual Suspects. Singer turned down the offer, believing that comic books were unintelligent literature. By July 1996, Singer had further turned down the film another two times, and finally accepted after reading the comics and watching the animated series. The themes of prejudice in the comic resonated with Singer.

By December 1996, Singer was in the director's position, while Ed Solomon was hired to write the script in April 1997, and Singer went to film Apt Pupil. Fox then announced a Christmas 1998 release date. In late 1997, the budget was projected at $60 million. In late 1998, Singer and DeSanto sent a treatment to Fox, which they believed was "perfect" because it took "seriously" the themes and the comparisons between Xavier and Magneto and Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, unlike the other scripts. They made Rogue an important character because Singer recognized that her mutation, which renders her unable to touch anyone, was the most symbolic of alienation. Singer merged attributes of Kitty Pryde and Jubilee into the film's depiction of Rogue. Magneto's plot to mutate the world leaders into accepting his people is reminiscent of how Constantine I's conversion to Christianity ended the persecution of early Christians in the Roman Empire; the analogy was emphasized in a deleted scene in which Storm teaches history. Senator Kelly's claim that he has a list of mutants living in the United States recalls Joseph McCarthy's similar claim regarding communists.

Fox, who had projected the budget at $75 million, rejected the treatment, which they estimated it would have cost $5 million more. Beast, Nightcrawler, Pyro, and the Danger Room had to be deleted before the studio greenlighted X-Men. Fox head Thomas Rothman argued that this would enhance the story, and Singer concurred that removing the Danger Room allowed him to focus on other scenes he preferred. Elements of Beast, particularly his medical expertise, were transferred to Jean Grey. Singer and DeSanto brought Christopher McQuarrie from The Usual Suspects, and together did another rewrite. David Hayter simultaneously rewrote the screenplay, receiving solo screenplay credit from the Writers Guild of America, while Singer and DeSanto were given story credit. The WGA offered McQuarrie a credit, but he voluntarily took his name off when the final version was more in line with Hayter's script than his.

Casting

Bryan Singer's first choice to play Wolverine was Russell Crowe, but he turned it down when he was denied a higher fee. Although it is said that he turned down the role as he was exhausted after shooting Gladiator. Mel Gibson, Aaron Eckhart, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Viggo Mortensen and Edward Norton were considered for the role (Eckhart and Norton would appear in 2008 unrelated superhero films). Van Damme was almost cast in the role. Keanu Reeves and Gary Sinise were the studio's preferred choices for the role. Dougray Scott was cast, but he had to drop out due to schedule conflicts with Mission: Impossible II (2000). Finally a relatively unknown actor, Hugh Jackman, was cast as Wolverine. Musician Glenn Danzig, whose muscular physique and height (5'4") almost perfectly matched the Wolverine character portrayed in the comic books, was interviewed for the role of Wolverine. A common myth has it that he was offered a part in the movie, but this confusion occurs largely because Danzig was actually offered the role some ten years earlier - when Carolco held the rights to an X-Men film and was considering a low-budget production. However, due to the high-budget and status of the 2000 production, as well as Danzig's age and relative lack of acting experience, and the requirement that the Wolverine actor be signed to a multi-picture deal spanning several years, it is highly unlikely that Danzig could have won the role in Bryan Singer's film. Regardless, a scheduling conflict prevented him from any subsequent pursuit of the role. Patrick Stewart was the first and only choice for the role of Professor X since his debut in Star Trek: The Next Generation in the early 1990's. He was the first actor cast in the film.

Terence Stamp, David Hemblen and Sir Christopher Lee were considered for the role of Magneto. Ultimately Bryan Singer chose Sir Ian McKellen for the role.

For the Cyclops, DB Sweeney, Thomas Jane, Owen Wilson, James Purefoy, Edward Norton, Eric Mabius' and Vince Vaughn, Gary Daniels, Johnny Lee Miller, Robert Carlyle, Edward Burns and Jude Law were in the running for the part. James Caviezel was cast as Cyclops, but he had to drop out due to schedule conflicts with Frequency (2000) and was finally replaced with James Marsden. Michael Biehn was in the running for the role back in 1989 when James Cameron was developing the film.

Angela Bassett, Janet Jackson, Rachel Luttrell and Jada Pinkett Smith were considered for the role of Storm. WWE wrestler Kevin Nash was offered the role of Sabretooth, but he turned it down due to schedule conflicts. Jeri Ryan was originally in the running for the role of Mystique.

Sarah Michelle Gellar, Katherine Isabelle, Natalie Portman and Christina Ricci were considered for the role of Rogue. In the Movie Ginger Snaps which Isabelle was starring in, you will notice she has streaks of white hair. This is because she was auditioning for the role of Rogue during production of Ginger Snaps.

Both Maria Bello, Minnie Driver, Selma Blair and Lucy Lawless were considered for the role of Jean Grey.

Filming

The original start date was mid-1999,[33] with the release date set for Christmas 2000, but Fox moved X-Men to June. Steven Spielberg had been scheduled to film Minority Report for release in June 2000, but he had chosen to film A.I. Artificial Intelligence, and Fox needed a film to fill the void.[34] This meant that Singer had to finish X-Men six months ahead of schedule, although filming had been pushed back.[35] The release date was then moved to July 14.[36]

Filming took place from September 22, 1999 to March 3, 2000 in Toronto and in Hamilton, Ontario.[37][38] Locations included Central Commerce Collegiate, Distillery District and Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. Casa Loma, Roy Thomson Hall and Metro Hall were used for X-Mansion interiors, while Parkwood Estate (located in Oshawa, east of Toronto) was chosen for exteriors. For the train station scenes, Toronto Union Station and Hamilton GO Centre were set. Spencer Smith Park (in Burlington, Ontario) doubled for Liberty Island. A scale model was used for the Statue of Liberty.[39]

Design and effects

The filmmakers decided not to replicate the X-Men costumes as seen in the comic book. Stan Lee and Chris Claremont supported this decision. Claremont joked, "you can do that on a drawing, but when you put it on people it's disturbing!" Producer/co-writer Tom DeSanto had been supportive of using the blue and yellow color scheme of the comics,[1] but once he saw tests of them, he declared, "No, that just doesn't work." Despite receiving positive feedback from various associates at Marvel Comics for the black costume design, fans on the internet still had negative emotions when X-Men was filming.[40] To acknowledge the fan complaints, Singer added Cyclops' line "What would you prefer, yellow spandex?" – when Wolverine complains about wearing their uniforms – during filming. Singer noted that durable black leather made more sense for the X-Men to wear as protective clothing.[1]

Wolverine's claws required a full silicone cast of Hugh Jackman's arm, and 700 versions for Jackman and his stunt doubles.[41] It took nine hours to apply Rebecca Romijn's prosthetic makeup.[42] She could not drink wine, use skin creams, or fly the day before filming, because it could have caused her body chemistry to change slightly, causing the 110 prosthetics applied to her skin fall off.[7] Between takes, the makeup department kept Romijn isolated in a windowless room to ensure secrecy. Romijn reflected, "I had almost no contact with the rest of the cast; it was like I was making a different movie from everyone else. It was hell."[7]

In the late 1990s, computer-generated imagery was becoming more commonly used. Singer visited the sets of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and Titanic to understand practical and digital effects.[2] Filming had started without a special effects company hired. Digital Domain, Cinesite, Kleiser-Walczak Construction, Hammerhead Production, Matte World Digital, CORE and POP were all hired in December 1999.[43] Visual effects supervisor Mike Fink admitted to have been dissatisfied with his work on X-Men in 2003, despite nearly being nominated for an Academy Award.[44]

Digital Domain's technical director Sean C. Cunningham and lead compositor Claas Henke morphed Bruce Davison into a liquid figure for Kelly's mutation scene. Cunningham said, "There were many digital layers: water without refraction, water with murkiness, skin with and without highlights, skin with goo in it. When rendered together, it took 39 hours per frame."[45] They considered showing Kelly's internal organs during the transformation, "but that seemed too gruesome", according to Cunningham.[45] [edit] Music

Singer approached John Williams to compose the film score, but Williams turned down the offer because of scheduling conflicts.[46] John Ottman was originally set as composer.[47] Michael Kamen was eventually hired.

Release

Promotion and gross

On June 1, 2000, Marvel published a comic book prequel to X-Men, entitled X-Men: Beginnings, revealing the backstories of Magneto, Rogue and Wolverine.[48] There was also a comic book adaptation based on the film.[49] Marvel Studios was depending on X-Men's success to ignite other franchise properties (Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Hulk and Daredevil).[50] X-Men was released in 3,025 theaters in North America on July 14, 2000, earning $54,471,475 in its opening weekend. The film eventually grossed $157,299,717 and made $139,039,810 in other countries, coming to a worldwide total of $296,339,527.[51] X-Men was the ninth highest-grossing film of 2000.[52] The film made over $50 million in home video sales.[2]

Reception

Based on 153 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, 82% were positive, with the consensus that the "story [is] faithful to the comic books and, while the movie may be too Wolverine-centered, it packs a freaky punch that is sure to excite the average summer moviegoer".[53] 59% of 32 selected popular reviewers gave it positive reviews.[54] By comparison Metacritic collected an average score of 64/100 from 33 reviews.[55]

Kenneth Turan found "so much is happening you feel the immediate need of a sequel just as a reward for absorbing it all. While X-Men doesn't take your breath away wire-to-wire the way The Matrix did, it's an accomplished piece of work with considerable pulp watchability to it."[56] ReelReviews.net's James Berardinelli, an X-Men comic book fan, believed, "the film is effectively paced with a good balance of exposition, character development, and special effects-enhanced action. Neither the plot nor the character relationships are difficult to follow, and the movie avoids the trap of spending too much time explaining things that don't need to be explained. X-Men fandom is likely to be divided over whether the picture is a success or a failure".[57] Desson Thomson of The Washington Post commented, "[T]he movie's enjoyable on the surface, but I suspect many people, even die-hards, will be less enthusiastic about what lies, or doesn't, underneath".[58]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times said he "started out liking this movie, while waiting for something really interesting to happen. When nothing did, I still didn't dislike it; I assume the X-Men will further develop their personalities if there is a sequel, and maybe find time to get involved in a story. No doubt fans of the comics will understand subtle allusions and fine points of behavior; they should linger in the lobby after each screening to answer questions."[59] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone noted, "Since it's Wolverine's movie, any X-Men or Women who don't hinge directly on his story get short shrift. As Storm, Halle Berry can do neat tricks with weather, but her role is gone with the wind. It sucks that Stewart and McKellen, two superb actors, are underused."[60] [edit] Awards

The film was nominated the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, but lost to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.[61] X-Men was successful at the Saturn Awards. It won categories for Best Science Fiction Film, direction (Singer), writing, costume design, Best Actor (Hugh Jackman) and Supporting Actress (Rebecca Romijn). Nominations included Performance by a Younger Actor (Anna Paquin), Supporting Actor (Patrick Stewart), Special Effects and Make-up.[62] Empire readers voted Singer Best Director.[1]

A sequel, X2: X-Men United, was released in 2003, and a third film, X-Men: The Last Stand, was released in 2006.

Reactions and box office

Some fans were not entirely pleased with the first large scale adaptation of the X-Men. Many fans complained about the change in costumes and the overall depiction of Rogue as frightened, naive, and defenseless - even with her powers. Another overall complaint was that the other X-Men, featured so prominently in the comic books, were relegated to playing second fiddle against Wolverine. Many fans felt that Cyclops in particular, the field leader of the X-Men, and his long-term romance with Jean Grey were minimalized to emphasize Wolverine's role in the group, and Wolverine's infatuation with Jean.

However, many critics praised the film for sharp storytelling and slick style [citation needed], while other comic book fans as a whole embraced and accepted it as a more serious approach to their genre, and the film went on to become one of the biggest hits of the summer of 2000. The film is also considered to be the patriarch of the current "Comic Book Movie Age" that Hollywood is experiencing, as this film's box office success helped such films as Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2, Daredevil, Fantastic Four, The Punisher, Constantine, Batman Begins, V for Vendetta, The Hulk, Superman Returns, Ghost Rider, and of course the X-Men sequels, X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand.

Notes

  • No special notes.

Trivia

Other Taglines:

  • Change is coming. The evolution begins July 14th.
  • Protecting Those Who Fear Them.
  • The time is coming when all that we are afraid of will be all that can save us.
  • Trust a few. Fear the rest.
  • We're Not What You Think.
  • The future is here.

Character Credit Gallery


See Also


Links and References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 First and only known appearance to date besides flashbacks

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