X-Men

Slate David Edelstein

It's a rich, impressive comic-book fantasy -- easily the summer's best "blockbuster."

Mr. Showbiz Cody Clark

The best kind of summer blockbuster -- the kind that makes you immediately crave a sequel.

LA Weekly Manohla Dargis

The film's strength and its entertainment lie in John Myhre's production design, its generally appealing cast...and, perhaps most importantly, a canny degree of self-parody.

Newsweek Jeff Giles

For diehard fans, X-Men is full of in jokes and sly references -- For everybody else, there's the thrill of the unknown.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

Balances brains, brawn and heart in ideal proportions. The actors - some first-rate, all enjoyable - never get overshadowed by the special effects, which dazzle us without gory excess.

TNT RoughCut J. Rentilly

One of this year's most dazzling entertainments, not to mention one of the best comic-book movies ever made.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

Singer deftly crafts a sleek, unusually tight film that balances comic-book adventure, pulp opera and the fear of being different.

Village Voice J. Hoberman

When it comes to stoopid fun, X-Men could be the summer movie to beat.

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

While X-Men doesn't take your breath away wire-to-wire the way "The Matrix" did, it's an accomplished piece of work with considerable pulp watchability to it.

Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector

Exciting mainly because anything can happen and does, the movie drags a bit as it approaches a climax set atop the Statue of Liberty.

Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir

A distinctively absorbing entertainment, offering just enough popcorn thrills for mass audiences and just enough chewiness for hardcore sci-fi fans.

New York Post Jonathan Foreman

Spectacular special effects and sets.

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

Doesn't match up against the new millennium martial artistry of "The Matrix," nor do the special effects - but he knows how to establish characters and relationships.

San Francisco Chronicle Bob Graham

This feast of fantasy is worth it.

Baltimore Sun Ann Hornaday

X-Men flies to the rescue with superheroes who have real substance.

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

Loaded with fine performances, traffics in audacious images and generally comports itself with a great deal more grace and gravitas than most movies with roots in fantastic themes.

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

A solid action story with inventive battles (one on the Statue of Liberty) and satisfyingly gooey special effects.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

The most enjoyable piece of pop fantasy of the summer; sleek, elegant, exciting and wildly, outrageously imaginative.

Film.com Robert Horton

Nearly the perfect balance between straight-faced pulp action and amused wonder at the outlandish world of comic books.

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

The film's greatest strength lies in its ability to view itself as a modern moral fable of sorts.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

I started out liking this movie, while waiting for something really interesting to happen. When nothing did, I still didn't dislike it; I assume the X-Men will further develop their personalities if there is a sequel.

Boston Globe Jay Carr

Recedes to a string of mere action exploits. These are proficiently executed but, for all their visual authority, not much more than routine.

San Francisco Examiner Wesley Morris

A mixed bag with the promise of a better sequel.

TV Guide Steve Simels

Stylish, exciting and an occasionally poignant sci-fi adventure spectacle.

Variety Dennis Harvey

Plays like a so-so middle chapter of an epic series rather than a fitting kickoff.

USA Today Andy Seiler

Missing are well-choreographed action scenes, likable characters and involving plot twists.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

The mood is awfully dark for an escapist fantasy, though, and the high-tech mayhem gets repetitious.

Film.com Ernest Hardy

A very odd cinematic creature.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

When the film version isn't assaulting you with gizmos, it's an awkward, depersonalized piece of hackwork.

The New York Times A.O. Scott

Clumsy when it should be light on its feet, the movie takes itself even more seriously than the comic book and its fans do, which is a superheroic achievement.

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

Superhero comic book movie with a script so feeble it might have been written with crayons.

Dallas Observer Robert Wilonsky

An ambitious, frustrating drag.

Washington Post Stephen Hunter

Isn't juvenile, it isn't even infantile. It's prenatal!