X-Men

In the not-too-distant future, a small number of humans have spontaneously developed a genetic mutation causing them to manifest random types of powerful abilities. These "mutants," despite being an infinitesimal minority within the human population, are viewed by much of mankind as a dangerous threat. US Senator Robert Kelly has created the Mutant Registration Act, which will force mutants to expose themselves to the public—thereby exposing themselves to the entire world's dangerous hatred. It seems that a war between humans and mutants is inevitable, and many are already arming for war. Some mutants, such as the villainous Magneto, have chosen to use their powers to preemptively strike against humanity, while other mutants—the X-Men, led by Professor Charles Xavier—have chosen to fight against violent mutants to protect the very humans who hate and fear them.

X-Men is rather unique among comic book films. At the time of its release in 2000, no other superhero film had truly attempted this level of grounded realism before. Some might point to 1998's Blade in that regard, but Blade has the advantage of being a horror fantasy film moreso than an obvious superhero movie. X-Men, on the other hand, presented an entirely new way of viewing the world of super-powered humans.

The character of Logan/Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman, owns this film. He feels genuinely tough, believably rough-edged, yet very human. His cynical and disbelieving reactions to the somewhat outlandish circumstances surrounding the X-Men and their bizarre world allow for a certain degree of plausibility in what would otherwise seem like a silly story.

Magneto is one of the best comic book villains of all time, and he's played wonderfully here. He comes off not as a mustache-twirling evil-for-the-sake-of-evil villain, but rather someone with understandable motivations. Magneto is not entirely wrong in his beliefs—indeed, mutantkind is an oppressed minority that desperately needs support. However, the fact that he chooses to act through violence ironically makes him every bit as hateful and cruel as any human.

While Magneto is a greatly-realized character, all of the other villains in the movie are useless. The shape-shifting Mystique is mildly interesting and appears to have some type of character, but Toad and Sabretooth have no bearing on the story whatsoever. They are literally there just so the heroes have someone to fight, and they end up being more annoying than interesting.

The production values, overall, are very uneven. The directing, acting, and cinematography, especially in the film's first half, are excellent. However, the special effects are a little bit dodgy. The CGI is painfully 90s-esque, to the point why one wonders why they even decided to use CGI if it was going to look that bad. It doesn't diminish the overall film too badly, but it is a problem. Similarly, there's some bizarre bits of the film that seem incredibly cartoonish and out of step with the rest of the movie's dark tone.

It's truly remarkable how reverent to the source material this film is. For a fan of the X-Men books, watching this movie feels a little like stepping into a strange place where dreams become real. On the other hand, there are several major moments in the film—notably involving the silly-looking CGI and cheap stuntwork—that take it into a more cartoonish and less compelling area.

In the end, X-Men is a mostly well-done first attempt with the X-Men franchise, and sets a certain standard of grounded reality for superhero films to follow. It's not particularly epic or jaw-dropping, but it simply works.

6/10

Aladdin

Most of the Disney Renaissance films hold up surprisingly well in retrospect.  Aladdin is not one of them.  Aladdin is by no means a bad film; it's very good.  Certain shortcomings, however, keep it from achieving "masterpiece" status.

Aladdin continues Beauty and the Beast's tradition of diving deep into the culture of the tale.  The Islamic culture of the Middle-East is represented here, complete with multiple mentions of "Allah" and direct references to the oft-harsh laws of the Middle-East.  It doesn't feel quite natural, though, especially since the heroes all speak in an American accent and use American mannerisms, while most of the other characters (including the "evil" ones) have Arab accents and mannerisms. While Disney's intentions were undoubtedly honest and good, they ended up getting themselves into trouble.

One highly noticeable change from the previous film is that the fictional world represented by Aladdin is slightly anachronistic.  Characters make many references to modern pop culture, allowing for numerous jokes at the expense of the film's artistic integrity.

Indeed, Aladdin seems to be focused on being a "thrillride" more than anything else.  Adventure--and the pursuit thereof--seems to be at the heart of the film's message.  While this is certainly a universal human theme, it may not necessarily be a good one.  Whereas The Little Mermaid centered on the pursuit of dreams, and Beauty and the Beast depicted "the most beautiful love story ever told," Aladdin seems to focus on the alleviation of boredom.  As with nearly all Disney films of this type, there are strong themes of romance and dream-chasing, but the "adventure" theme is at Aladdin's forefront.  This, unfortunately, makes the entire film seem somewhat shallow.

The animation is slightly more simplified here than in previous films.  While Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid had a more detailed approach, Aladdin has a much more fluid style.  Additionally, the brief CG elements that were seen in past films have now been applied much more heavily.  While it allows for more movement-based "camera angles," it doesn't look all that great.  Certain elements look just fine--like the tiger-head of the Cave of Wonders--but others look obvious and out-of-place.

It seems that while Disney was attempting to make their previous two films into high art, their approach for Aladdin was to have a compelling joyride.  That doesn't mean that Aladdin isn't good, or that it doesn't fit in with the pantheon of Disney animated films; it just means that it's not amazing.

Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast was a film that I saw only a few times as a child. I enjoyed it to an extent, but was too young to appreciate the surprisingly nuanced tale.

A few months ago, I watched the final scene from B&B as a school assignment to compare the Disney film with earlier versions of the story. I was completely shocked at just how much powerful emotion was contained within the tale that I thought I knew so well. As I and the rest of my Literature classmates examined the details of the different versions of B&B, one fact became clear: this was perhaps the only example of a Disney film that far surpassed the original version of the tale, as well as nearly every other story of its kind.

Disney's Beauty and the Beast has many levels of irony and conflict that do not appear in the original story. While the characters in Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont's well-known "original" version of the tale are straightforward and mostly unwavering, this film's characters are deeper and go through realistic development. Unlike The Little Mermaid, in which the primary relationship was based on a simple crush (although seemingly fated), Beauty and the Beast strives to create a real relationship that grows from mutual resentment to selfless love. There is perhaps no better example in the vast Disney Classics library of a deep, growing relationship. That's quite an impressive feat, considering that nearly all of those films are reliant upon a love story.

From a technical perspective, this film is amazing. This is the first Disney animated film to be produced entirely using CAPS, and it shows. Unlike The Little Mermaid, which was filled with film grain and other visual problems, Beauty and the Beast is visually clean and sharp, standing up even to today's visual standards. The computer-generated effects that are used in the film blend perfectly with the hand-drawn animation style, never diverting the audience's attention.

The music in B&B is among Disney's finest. Every song in the film is both enjoyable and important, revealing and reinforcing important character traits. There are even specific musical cues that, when taken in context with each other across the plot of the film, reveal hidden details of the characters' inner thoughts.

Every single aspect of Beauty and the Beast is of the highest quality. Visually, it is amazing. Musically, it is astounding. In its entirety, it is animated mastery.
Anyone and everyone should see this film at some point in their life.

The Rocketeer

The Rocketeer is adapted from the comic book of the same name, which was heavily inspired by the science fiction adventure stories of the 1930s and 40s.

The plot is simple: In 1938, an experimental rocket jet pack accidentally falls into the hands of a young stunt pilot named Cliff.  With the aid of the rocket pack, Cliff publicly saves someone's life, quickly gaining fame as the anonymous "Rocketeer." Eventually, Cliff's loved ones are threatened by Nazi agents who want the rocket's technology, and Cliff must find a way to save the ones he loves while keeping the rocket out of the hands of evil.

The film's special effects are perhaps slightly crude by today's standards, but still work to a great degree.  They're quite notable in that they replicate much of the style of early television sci-fi adventure serials, with jet flames that crackle and pop.

The film's art style is also notable in that it replicates much of the art deco style of the original comic book without feeling completely unrealistic or outlandish.  The Rocketeer's helmet is the most obviously surreal visual element of the film, but it still works within the narrative.

Above any and all visual elements, however, The Rocketeer's real strength is in its storytelling style.  The characters and plot echo the most classic of adventure films, and keep an uplifting vibe that simply feels good.

Perhaps the film's biggest flaw, however, is the fact that, while the film is certainly enjoyable, it is not amazing.  There is no truly "thrilling" quality to it, only an "adequately exciting" quality.

In the end, however, this is one of rare few films of its type, and has a level of originality despite its obvious derivative concept.

7/10