X-Men (Film)

X-Men is a 2000 superhero film based upon the fictional characters of the X-Men. The film, which played a major role in the 2000s revival of comic book adaptations, tells the story of mutants: creatures that are the next evolutionary step in the chain of humanity and who have special powers that manifest at puberty. They are almost universally feared and loathed by the rest of humanity. The film explores the ideas of prejudice and discrimination in the United States.

Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), the world's most powerful telepath, takes gifted individuals and teaches them to control their powers for the good of mankind in Xavier's Academy for Gifted Youngsters. Opponents of mutants include United States Senator Robert Kelly (Bruce Davison), a McCarthyesque politician trying to pass legislation crafted to expose the dangers of mutants, and Erik Lehnsherr (also known as Magneto), a mutant who blames humanity for the death of his family during the Holocaust. Believing that humans and mutants can never co-exist peacefully, he builds and tests a machine that turns humans into mutants.

The movie was directed by Bryan Singer, and the screenplay was written by David Hayter (who has a cameo appearance in the film as a police officer in the Statue of Liberty area). A sequel, X2, was released in 2003 and a third film, X-Men: The Last Stand, was released in 2006.

Segments Alluded to:
X-Academy