Once Upon a Time in (White) Hollywood
Tarantino's alternative history of the 1960's uncritically repeats the era's sexist and racist stereotypes.
X-Men (2000)
Two mutants, Rogue and Wolverine, come to a private academy for their kind whose resident superhero team, the X-Men, must oppose a terrorist organization with similar powers.
2.8 / 5
INCLUVIE SCORE
3.8 / 5
MOVIE SCORE
Representation
Incluvie Movie Reviews
Benjamin Netzorg
August 3, 2021
4 / 5
INCLUVIE SCORE
4 / 5
MOVIE SCORE
Erik Was Right: Revisiting Magneto In a Post-Killmonger World
Well, I guess Marvel is back. After throwing its hat into the television ring with miniseries Wandavision, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki, the superhero media assembly line has returned to the silver screen with Black Widow. So is this a review of the long-overdue solo feature for the only woman in the comic behemoth’s original Avengers cinematic lineup? Of course not, silly. It is a retrospective on one of the first Marvel properties to be immortalized on film, 2000’s X-Men, which set the stage for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (despite being produced by 20th Century Fox, not Marvel Studios).
The X-Men franchise is about mutants, people who have gained superpowers through accelerated genetic mutations. The 2000 movie features a strong ensemble cast: Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Anna Paquin as Rogue, Sir Patrick Stewart as Professor Charles Xavier, Halle Berry as Storm, James Marsden as Cyclops, Famke Janssen as Jean Grey, Shawn Ashmore as Iceman, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, and Sir Ian McKellen as Magneto. The gruff, immortal Wolverine and the anxious young Rogue find themselves in the middle of an ideological battle between Professor X with his school where he teaches mutants to control their powers, and Magneto’s ring of mutants hell-bent on protecting mutants’ rights, by any means possible.
It’s a fairly straightforward premise, but its lasting cultural impact is so much more complicated. The main value of the movie is as an allegory for real-life oppression, with strong parallels between anti-mutant sentiment and actual ableism and homophobia. Professor X is one of the most powerful and well-known wheelchair users in cinema history and Cyclops must wear a visor over his laser eyes. The fear, shame, and secrecy of the mutant community mirror emotions felt by so many queer people discovering their identities, and sometimes the avarice from non-mutants seems referential of the stigma around the AIDS crisis.
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Movie Information
Two mutants, Rogue and Wolverine, come to a private academy for their kind whose resident superhero team, the X-Men, must oppose a terrorist organization with similar powers.
Rating:PG-13
Genre:Adventure, Action, Science Fiction
Directed By:Bryan Singer
Written By:David Hayter
In Theaters:7/14/2000
Box Office:$296,339,527
Runtime:104 minutes
Studio:The Donners' Company, Bad Hat Harry Productions, 20th Century Fox
Cast
Bryan Singer
Director
Bryan Singer
Director
Patrick Stewart
Charles Xavier / Professor X
Hugh Jackman
Logan / Wolverine
Ian McKellen
Eric Lehnsherr / Magneto
Anna Paquin
Anna Marie / Rogue
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