X-Men

Hailed not only as a great comic book movie but also as a pretty good movie in its own right, this film successfully combines heroic action with a solid story.

For those unfamiliar with the source material, the X-Men are mutants (humans with unusual powers) who fight in the name of justice for the good of mankind.

Telepathic mutant Professor Charles Xavier (Stewart) has dedicated his life to helping others learn to cope with their unusual powers at his School for Gifted Youngsters, he believes that humans and mutants can live together in harmony.

The director wisely limits his focus to a small number of characters: team leader Cyclops (Marsden), telekinetic Jean Grey (Janssen) and weather manipulator Storm (Berry).

Proving wiser still, he focuses primarily on the retractable claw-wielding Wolverine (Jackman) and his relationship with the fragile, frightened Rogue (Paquin, Oscar winner for The Piano), who absorbs the life force of anyone she touches.

This gives the story an emotional anchor and allows plenty of screen time for Wolverine, X-Men's most intriguing character and easily its best performance.

Apart from his prodigious pupils, Xavier also has a powerful adversary in Magneto (McKellen), who sees mutants as destined for superiority, and who believes the mass of humanity fears and hates mutant-kind.

Aided by his Brotherhood of Mutants, including shape-shifter Mystique (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos), tongue-flicker Toad (Ray Park, formerly Darth Maul of The Phantom Menace) and bone-crusher Sabretooth (Tyler Mane), Magneto concocts a plan to mutate all of humanity.

Obviously this sets the scene for the sensational final battle which, when it's over, leaves you gasping for more.

What's refreshing is that Magneto is not portrayed as a stereotypical super-villain obsessed by world domination.

With the help of clever direction, McKellan creates a more complex and conflicted villain than one might normally expect in this sort of movie.

And the film as a whole will not disappoint as it explodes onto the screen with some of the best special effects-enhanced action ever seen.

Dominic Bloch