X-MEN

Free Web Hosting Provider - Web Hosting - E-commerce - High Speed Internet - Free Web Page

US RELEASE DATE: 14 July 2000

Director :- Bryan Singer

Screenwriter :- Tom DeSanto, Christopher McQuarrie

Actors
Patrick Stewart - Professor Charles Xavier
Super Power: Psionic powers, which include telepathy and astral projections.
History: Used to be an adventurer and soldier, before spinal injury restricted him to a wheel chair. Formed the X-Men, a group of mutants with special powers, based at his Salem mansion.

Ian McKellen - Magnus Lehnsherr/Magneto
Super Power: Master of Magnetism, giving him complete contol over anything magnetic
History: Used to be an adventurer and voluntary orderly, before a series of events altered his perspective and he became a revolutionary, hell bent on conquering the world, as mutants were being persecuted.

Halle Berry - Ororo Munroe/Storm
Super Power: Complete control over the weather, as well as having the ability to fly.
History: Was a thief in the streets of Cairo under the tutelage of master thief Achmed el-Gibar, before being recruited by Xavier. Joined the X-Men, and is one of Xavier's confidantes and sometime leader of the X-Men.

Anna Paquin - Rogue
Super Power: Ability to absorb memories and strength on touch.
History: After running away from home, Rogue was "adopted" by the evil Mystique, who led her through a life of crime. Capturing Ms Marvel's powers permantenly led her to join the X-Men, where she is a valued member of the team.

James Marsden - Scott Summers/Cyclops
Super Power: Ability to project a beam of concussive force from his eyes.
History: Separated from both his parents and brother, he went into orphanges, until he grew into a young man. He was recruited by Xavier, and is sometime leader of the X-Men. Has a complicated relationship with Jean Grey.

Famke Janssen - Jean Grey
Super Power: Psionic powers, which include telepathy and telekinesis.
History: At a young age she was monitored by Xavier, before he finally joined the X-Men. Has had a complicated relationship with Cyclops, not helped when she took on the mantle of the Phoenix, an all powerful cosmic being.

Hugh Jackman - Logan/Wolverine
Super Power: Enhanced "hunting" skills, healing factor and retractable (� adamantium) claws.
History: Logan possesses memories of being a Samurai in Japan, a mercenary operative for the CIA, and a "wild man" in the Canadian wilderness. The extremely mysterious Wolverine was recruited by Xavier to be an X-Man.

Bruce Davison - Senator Robert Kelly
Rebecca Romijn-Stamos - Raven Darkholme/Mystique
Ray Park - Mortimer Toynbee/Toad
Tyler Mane - Victor Creed/Sabretooth

The story will center around Logan (Jackman), a loner mutant whose bone structure contains a rare element known as adamantium. Seeking to harness the unique properties of adamantium, the villainous mutant Magento (McKellen) dispatches minions to capture Logan, but is thwarted by members of Professor Charles Xavier's (Stewart) rival mutant team the X-Men. Taken unwillingly into the X-Men's custody, Logan resists bonding with the harmonious good guy group. Meanwhile human-hating Magneto crafts a diabolical plot aimed not only at recapturing Logan, but at bringing the leaders of the world around to his way of seeing things ... in a rather uncomfortable fashion, of course.

For me the most eargerly anticipated movie of the year has to be this one. Being a huge Marvel Comics� fan for the last few years has also meant that I sure as hell do not want the X-Men movie to become farcical like the last Batman movie. However the presence of a top class director like Bryan Singer and an equally adept screenwriter (Oscar-winning Chris Mqarrie) has suggested that this movie will concentrate more on plot development, rather than overblown special fx. The trouble with the last Batman movie was the fact that there was too much star power. Looking at the cast of this movie, it is evident that this is not the case here. Suffice to say some may be worried by the lack of even one proven box office megastar. The biggest box office star seems to be Patrick Stewart, but Star Trek is more of an ensemble cast. Bryan Singer is no stranger to ensembles, having grouped together five criminals and one DA officer in the critical smash, the Usual Suspects. Similarly the tale of the X-Men is such that no one X-Man should stand out, greater than the others (although some argue Wolverine is the main focus). Overall I think the casting went well, although currently I do have some doubts whether the casting agent knows how the comic character looks like (McKellen (all due respect) is not a Magneto). Anyway expect the X-Men to be one of the dominant forces of 2K.