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X-Men
DVD Review by Yanman |
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"You're a mutant. The whole world out there is full of people who hate and fear you and you're wasting your time trying to protect them?" Sometime in the not so distance future man has again started to evolve. A new breed of human has started to emerge, a group of people known as mutants. Due to mutated genes these people have inherited great powers from the ability to control men's minds, move objects, walk through walls, to the ability to control the Earth's basic elements. But like anything different that humanity experiences that is different from itself, instead of celebrating these differences, most people fear them. When two mutants, who have survived persecution since the days of World War II and Nazi Germany, take up different approaches to fighting the growing intolerance, toward their kind. You see Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) believes that if mutants learn to master their powers, and use them for good, that mankind would eventually accept them into society. The evil Magneto (Ian McKellen) on the other hand fears that humans and mutants can never co-exist, and unveils his ominous plan for the future. Both sides must prepare for the battle of a lifetime. The professor enlists such powerful mutants as Cyclops, Storm (Halle Berry), Wolverine, Rogue, and Dr. Jean Grey. Magneto enlists such bad guys as Sabertooth, Toad, and of course the lovely Mystique (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) dressed in a lovely shade of blue. The problem in this war however is that the unseen enemy (prejudice, hate, and injustice), is the one that may be impossible for either side to defeat. 20th Century Fox has made great strides in its DVD offerings, and this x-men offering is right up there with some of there other premier offerings like Independence Day and the Abyss. Unlike these other offerings however, X-men is only one disc and is offered in a rather unique cardboard sleeve type package. Both audio and video quality are both of the highest quality here. The video is presented in Anamorphic Widescreen (Aspect Ratio of 2.35.1). While there are slightly better pictures out there, this one still gets a five star rating. The only pictures that we have seen that are better are the ones, like a Bugs Life SE and Toy Story, that were transferred directly form a digital source. Some day (soon we hope) all films may get this treatment, until then this is as good as it gets. Sound is what makes a blockbuster summer hit come to life and the X-Men DVD is no, exception. There was a time in the not so distant past where this THX certified Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack would have received our highest rating for sure. But in these times of Dolby Digital EX, DTS, DTS ES, and THX EX, it has gotten much harder to receive this honor. Don't let the four and a half stars fool you though this one sounds great! While there are a few extras here (and being only one disc we didn't expect much), this one falls at just average on our scale. There is an interview with the director Byan Singer, a FOX special on the characters in the form of a "Special News Bulletin", Hugh Jackman's screen-test, and some 10 minutes deleted scenes that can be watched either separately or in line where they belong in the film. Many a die-hard fan of the X-Men have been waiting a long time to have their heroes immortalized on the big screen. Die-hard fan and newcomers alike will surely not be disappointed. This is a fun movie with a great plot and even a better underlying theme; that judging anyone without all of the facts is wrong. You haven't seen anything like this…
This DVD was reviewed on Yanman.com's Reference Theater #1, using a Toshiba SD-5109 DVD player, Toshiba TW56X81, and M&K 750 THX Speakers. Panamax protects all systems at Yanman.com. |
X-Men A new breed of human has started to emerge Staring: Patrick Stewart Directed By: Bryan Singer Running time: 104 Mins
Bonus Materials
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