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Susan Granger's review of "X-MEN" (20th Century Fox)
Based on the best-selling comic books, this live-action allegory about persecution and tolerance revolves around an awesome team of black leather-clad mutants who become reluctant superheroes. For the X-uninitiated, wheelchair-bound Prof. Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) is the world's greatest telepath who runs a secret school where gifted youngsters are taught by Storm (Halle Berry), Cyclops (James Marsden) and Jean Grey (Famke Janssen). Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and Rogue (Anna Paquin) are the newcomers. The adversarial evil Brotherhood - Sabretooth (Tyler Mane), Mystique (Rebecca Romjin-Stamos), Toad (Ray Park) - is led by the strongest and most powerful mutant ever known, Magneto (Ian McKellen), who captures a conservative U.S. Senator (Bruce Davison) in his determination to get respect by whatever means necessary. Director Bryan Singer ("The Usual Suspects," "Apt Pupil") enjoys dark character studies, keeping the comic-book action taut. And he's obviously been influenced by "Matrix" effects. The Cerebro, a chamber in which Xavier's psychic abilities are enhanced, is fascinating, as is Magneto's Lair and the Map Room, where a six-foot diameter table made of steel pins rises to form a 3-D topographical map of New York City. The Rogue Effect, which drains a person's life-force, is impressive and there's an incredible, high-energy, destructive sequence at the Statue of Liberty. With her scaly blue skin and red hair, Mystique is eye-candy as a shape-shifter, transforming herself, including fingerprints and voice, into anyone with whom she comes in contact. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "X-Men" is a cool, mythic 7. Die-hard Marvel Comic fanatics may quibble with these movie mutants but fans are out there and they will come.
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