Stars: Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, James Marsden, Alan Cumming

Director: Bryan Singer

Summary: Two features. 'X-Men' is based on the long-running Marvel comic book series, and takes place in the near future, as certain humans are evolving into mutants with special powers. In the Canadian wilderness, a young runaway mutant named Rogue (Anna Paquin) and a bad-tempered, quick-healing mutant with retractable metal claws called Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) are suddenly attacked by the powerful Magneto (Ian McKellen) and his lackeys. Fortunately, Cyclops (James Marsden) and Storm (Halle Berry), students of the compassionate Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), interfere and bring them back to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Here Wolverine and Rogue learn more about the conflict between Xavier and the militant Magneto, who wants to power a device that will genetically alter humans, with possibly deadly results. Only Xavier's students can stop Magneto's plans. Director Bryan Singer (THE USUAL SUSPECTS) displays his expertise with an ensemble cast, accomplishing a feat by making the first live-action film about an entire group of superheroes. Hugh Jackman's portrayal of the ill-tempered Wolverine is dead-on, while Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen are ideally matched in their Martin Luther King, Jr.- and Malcolm X-like roles. Smart and well-paced, X-MEN towers above most comic book movies. Also includes 'X-Men 2'.

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A welcome bringing together of the first and finest two films in the franchise, this X-Men double pack--released to coincide with the cinematic release of the undercooked third in the series--offers two of the most interesting blockbuster movies of recent times.

The series got off to a strong start with the original X-Men. If you can forgive the fact that the film is a little cluttered with introductions, it sets the scene well, basing its story around Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine as he discovers his mutant powers for the first time. He finds himself introduced to the secret world of the mutants, both good and bad, and aligns himself with Patrick Stewart’s Professor X, rather than his nemesis, Ian McKellen’s Magneto. It’s surprising just how much business, in retrospect, the original movie gets through, and it’s a strong indictment of the skills of director Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects, Superman Returns) that it all makes sense and gels so well.

Singer excels himself though with X-Men 2, arguably one of the finest films to originate from a comic book source. His trick is to ground the film in its characters, and to never lose that focus. Singer then successfully weaves them into a story that puts Professor X’s mutants under profound threat, kicking off with an attempted Presidential assassination and ratcheting the action up from there. And while there are a couple of minor flaws here and there, the film itself is a raging success, and properly considered as the high point of the series.

Whatever your thoughts may be on X-Men: The Last Stand, these two films that started the franchise off have eminent rewatch and entertainment value, and make ideal viewing companions. And that makes this double pack a very worthwhile purchase indeed.--Jon Foster

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Year:	2000
Release Date:	May 8, 2006
Runtime:	228 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	2504101000
Keywords:	Men, Two, Box, General, Fiction, Set, Science, X, Horror, Discs, Sci, Fi
Genre:	Science Fiction