X-Men
Dir: Bryan Singer
2000
***
We really do have Bryan Singer's first X-Men film to thank for the influx of successful superhero/comic book films made since 2000. The 1970s Superman showed that a superhero comic character could have success at the cinema and that the film could be serious, without campy comedy or a silly story. Batman had his turn in the 90s but unfortunately both franchises lost their ways. X-Men brought the magic back, showed how to do it right again and also introduced the world to some of Marvel's superheros for a change. By this point many of the characters were well known and much loved, I don't think the risks were as high as they were with better known and more popular characters, like Superman and Batman, but Singer still had to get the balance right and thankfully he did (shame he couldn't repeat it later on in his Superman stint). I've only given it three stars because I think that is what the overall film deserves, I'm more grateful for the door it opened than I am in awe of what it is. The casting is perfect, that I think is at the heart of what makes it work and why people love the franchise. The effects, story and action are all great, maybe not by the standards of films made 10 years later but they certainly had the right impact at the time and paved the way for the rest.