True adaptation
Stephen Saito is a graduate of Burbank High School and will attend the
University of Texas at Austin in the fall.
Bryan Singer, the man behind "X-Men," has made an extremely faithful
and intelligent adaptation of one of the few comic books that has not
received a big screen treatment.
He uses his gifts for seamlessly mixing storylines and exploring
intriguing characters to make this the very best film of this genre since
1989's Batman. However, it may be Singer's ability to separate himself
from the actual material that he's adapting that is the film's greatest
strength.
While all the characters are steeped in background, except for Halle
Berry's Storm, which makes for the weakest performance of the ensemble,
"X-Men" remains remarkably accessible for even the unevolved.
Great special effects
Geoff Nuanes of Tujunga is a sophomore at Providence High School in
Burbank.
When I was 8, my life revolved around two things: the X-Men TV show
and the X-Men trading cards. That's why seeing the "X-Men" movie seven
years later meant so much to me.
The film takes place in the future when some people are slowly
mutating. All mutants have a special power, such as the ability to walk
through walls. Not all of the mutants are good though.
There is a war between Prof. X (who believes mutants and humans will
someday get along) and Magneto (who thinks there's no hope).
Wolverine was played exceptionally well by Hugh Jackman, and the
special effects were incredible. It gets 4 X's out of 5.
Deserves praise
Summer Grindle of La Crescenta is a junior at Los Angeles County High
School for the Arts.
"X-Men" isn't anywhere near Oscar worthy, but it does deserve some
praise. Where potential botchery loomed, none was found. Altough geared
toward a young audience, "X-Men is rated PG-13 for a reason. The language
isn't too harsh, but there is handful of considerably violent scenes.
Die hard "X-Men" fans will cheer. Sporadic viewers, and readers will
be glad they saw it. And the rest, who know nothing about this lionized
group of mutants, should be pleasantly surprised.
Good visuals
Stephen Keyes, 18, lives in La Canada Flintridge and attends Crescenta
Valley High School.
Going into "X-Men," I wasn't expecting much. Most comic series lose a
lot in the transformation from comic book to motion picture, the last two
Batman movies being a good example.
"X-Men" is a rare exception. I feel the movie has the same attitude as
the comic books. The movie overall has good visuals and has some good
action scenes but lacking a decent plot.
The plot takes the tried and true good guy versus bad guy approach and
you feel like you are being cheated out of something better.
I would only recommend this movie to fans of the series.
