...it's done with such remarkable visual style, you might not notice its want of substance.
From the outset, the film creates and maintains a dark tone, as though director Bryon Singer (who handled groups so well in "The Usual Suspects") were trying hard to duplicate the ambiance of the first "Batman" and "Terminator" entries, with a bow to "The Matrix" along the way. Humor doesn't help, either; it's present but minimal, mostly a few one-liners by Logan after he joins the professor's team. Nevertheless, the movie's sets, fights, costumes, and computer graphics are up to par for this kind of sci-fi/fantasy adventure, with the possible exception of the X-Jet, which looks for all the world like the cartoon creation it is.
Video:
The picture, mastered to THX standards, is presented in a wide, anamorphic Panavision ratio measuring approximately 2.13:1 across a normal television screen. Its visual qualities are as outstanding as ever, equivalent to Fox's best DVD releases. Dark tone or not, details are almost always clearly visible, with particulars illuminated even at night or in deep shadow. Colors are realistic, digital artifacts are kept in check, grain is at a minimum, and lines are mostly straight and true. My only criticism, minor as it may be, is that delineation did not always seem to me razor sharp; maybe it was a hint of color bleed-through making things appear a touch soft around the edges. Nothing, really; it's an excellent transfer.
Audio:
Likewise, the sound, mastered to THX standards, is first rate. The audio choices are Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS 5.1 in English or Dolby Surround in French and Spanish. In the DD 5.1 mode I listened to, we get irreproachable directionality, strong transients, wide dynamics, deep bass, and a broad front-channel stereo spread. It's exemplary, modern audio reproduction.
Extras:
Disc one contains the widescreen presentation of the film, with its accompanying Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, and Dolby Surround soundtracks. It also contains two major bonus items: The first is an audio commentary with Bryan Singer, the director of "X-Men," and Brian Peck, who introduces himself as "not the director of 'X-Men'"; fact is, I'm not sure who he is. The second major bonus on the disc is an "Enhanced Viewing Mode," a special branching version of the movie with added footage. This latter mode allows one to watch six deleted scenes (non-anamorphic) within the context of the film, the deleted scenes marked with a special on-screen symbol. Also, there are seventeen places where you can jump to behind-the-scenes material when you see yet a different symbol. The deleted scenes may be played with or without director commentary. After that, there are THX Optimizer audiovisual tests; a most generous forty scene selections; spoken languages in English, French, and Spanish; and subtitles in English and Spanish.
Disc two begins with an introduction by director Bryan Singer, who seems a bit apologetic for issuing this second set of "X-Men," and then the Main Menu kicks in with the choice of an eight-minute Sneak Preview of "X-Men 2" or a two-minute teaser for "Daredevil." Make no mistake about the promotional purposes of this new edition. The main attraction, though, is the documentary "Evolution X." It may be viewed all at once, or it's divided into six major chapters that can be accessed separately. Within the documentary, there are further behind-the-scenes branches that may be accessed via on-screen icons. The first section is a "Production Documentary Scrapbook" that contains several multi-angle segments: "Train Splitting," "Fight on Liberty's Torch," etc. The second section is called "The Uncanny Suspects," which includes Hugh Jackman's first reading and screen test, plus a picture gallery of characters from the movie. The third section is the "X Factor," which covers costume and makeup tests and yet another image gallery. The fourth section is on the "Special Effects of the X-Men," and it provides closer looks at the making of five different scenes. The fifth section is "Marketing the X-Men," containing three widescreen trailers for the movie, nine TV spots, and twelve Internet interstitials. The final section is "Reflection of the X-Men," documenting the film's opening nights in various locations.
In addition to the many new extras, the two discs now sport attractive new menus. Unlike the old edition's beautiful but time-consuming animations, the new menus are quick and easy to navigate. Because there's so much to get around in, I appreciated the new design. Finally, each Special Edition set of "X-Men 1.5" contains a coupon worth up to $12.00 for admission to "Daredevil," starring Ben Affleck, or "X-Men 2." Clearly, this new set is intended as a major studio promotion.
Parting Shots:
In any case, getting back to the movie, where in its tone, atmosphere, and particularly its fight scenes "X-Men" aspires to be another "Matrix." Which isn't all that bad an idea, but when I mentioned it the first time in print, I was taken to task by a reader who insisted that the film was exactly like the comic books so shouldn't be criticized and that it was unjust to compare it to "The Matrix." Fair enough. But I have never read the comic books and can only judge the film on its own merits. And as far as "The Matrix" is concerned, despite its own flaws, I found in that film a protagonist I cared more about.
The "X-Men" film ("1" or "1.5") is a series of episodes about people I found hard to get interested in, possibly because I wasn't already an admirer of the comic-book characters. However, I have no doubt everything will make perfect sense to "X-Men" fans, and they will be happy as clams. Taken with a grain of salt, the movie can be great fun. If that isn't enough, you can settle for enjoying the film's special effects and clicking through the set's new and extensive bonus list.
Video:
The picture, mastered to THX standards, is presented in a wide, anamorphic Panavision ratio measuring approximately 2.13:1 across a normal television screen. Its visual qualities are as outstanding as ever, equivalent to Fox's best DVD releases. Dark tone or not, details are almost always clearly visible, with particulars illuminated even at night or in deep shadow. Colors are realistic, digital artifacts are kept in check, grain is at a minimum, and lines are mostly straight and true. My only criticism, minor as it may be, is that delineation did not always seem to me razor sharp; maybe it was a hint of color bleed-through making things appear a touch soft around the edges. Nothing, really; it's an excellent transfer.
Audio:
Likewise, the sound, mastered to THX standards, is first rate. The audio choices are Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS 5.1 in English or Dolby Surround in French and Spanish. In the DD 5.1 mode I listened to, we get irreproachable directionality, strong transients, wide dynamics, deep bass, and a broad front-channel stereo spread. It's exemplary, modern audio reproduction.
Extras:
Disc one contains the widescreen presentation of the film, with its accompanying Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, and Dolby Surround soundtracks. It also contains two major bonus items: The first is an audio commentary with Bryan Singer, the director of "X-Men," and Brian Peck, who introduces himself as "not the director of 'X-Men'"; fact is, I'm not sure who he is. The second major bonus on the disc is an "Enhanced Viewing Mode," a special branching version of the movie with added footage. This latter mode allows one to watch six deleted scenes (non-anamorphic) within the context of the film, the deleted scenes marked with a special on-screen symbol. Also, there are seventeen places where you can jump to behind-the-scenes material when you see yet a different symbol. The deleted scenes may be played with or without director commentary. After that, there are THX Optimizer audiovisual tests; a most generous forty scene selections; spoken languages in English, French, and Spanish; and subtitles in English and Spanish.
Disc two begins with an introduction by director Bryan Singer, who seems a bit apologetic for issuing this second set of "X-Men," and then the Main Menu kicks in with the choice of an eight-minute Sneak Preview of "X-Men 2" or a two-minute teaser for "Daredevil." Make no mistake about the promotional purposes of this new edition. The main attraction, though, is the documentary "Evolution X." It may be viewed all at once, or it's divided into six major chapters that can be accessed separately. Within the documentary, there are further behind-the-scenes branches that may be accessed via on-screen icons. The first section is a "Production Documentary Scrapbook" that contains several multi-angle segments: "Train Splitting," "Fight on Liberty's Torch," etc. The second section is called "The Uncanny Suspects," which includes Hugh Jackman's first reading and screen test, plus a picture gallery of characters from the movie. The third section is the "X Factor," which covers costume and makeup tests and yet another image gallery. The fourth section is on the "Special Effects of the X-Men," and it provides closer looks at the making of five different scenes. The fifth section is "Marketing the X-Men," containing three widescreen trailers for the movie, nine TV spots, and twelve Internet interstitials. The final section is "Reflection of the X-Men," documenting the film's opening nights in various locations.
In addition to the many new extras, the two discs now sport attractive new menus. Unlike the old edition's beautiful but time-consuming animations, the new menus are quick and easy to navigate. Because there's so much to get around in, I appreciated the new design. Finally, each Special Edition set of "X-Men 1.5" contains a coupon worth up to $12.00 for admission to "Daredevil," starring Ben Affleck, or "X-Men 2." Clearly, this new set is intended as a major studio promotion.
Parting Shots:
In any case, getting back to the movie, where in its tone, atmosphere, and particularly its fight scenes "X-Men" aspires to be another "Matrix." Which isn't all that bad an idea, but when I mentioned it the first time in print, I was taken to task by a reader who insisted that the film was exactly like the comic books so shouldn't be criticized and that it was unjust to compare it to "The Matrix." Fair enough. But I have never read the comic books and can only judge the film on its own merits. And as far as "The Matrix" is concerned, despite its own flaws, I found in that film a protagonist I cared more about.
The "X-Men" film ("1" or "1.5") is a series of episodes about people I found hard to get interested in, possibly because I wasn't already an admirer of the comic-book characters. However, I have no doubt everything will make perfect sense to "X-Men" fans, and they will be happy as clams. Taken with a grain of salt, the movie can be great fun. If that isn't enough, you can settle for enjoying the film's special effects and clicking through the set's new and extensive bonus list.
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]10644[/release]