Search - X-Men [UMD for PSP] on UMD for PSP

X-Men 1.5 rooked me too

adead_poet@hotmail.com | Beaumont, tx USA | 04/09/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"First I have to say I love X-Men the movie, and this is a great dvd. But I cannot give it the five stars I would like to (or that I gave the first X-Men dvd) because I feel that they have cheated the fans. Much like the comic books themselves, they've devised a way to take more money from the fans. Why wasn't all these extras on the original dvd? Even Bryan Singer himself says in the introduction to the dvd that he hates to do it, and that he hopes a group of people are sitting around watching the 1 dvd they bought (then why did you do it Bryan? whay didn't you just put all this good stuff on the original dvd?)First of all, the menus aren't as cool as the original dvd. Sort of cheesy in fact. Now, both the original and 1.5 come in slipcover cases, but the original has a nice design, with a metallic type sheen to it--very x-meny. 1.5 has much less of the sheen, horrid red letters, and instead of a small tasteful cover art, a large picture of Wolverine, flanked by Mystique and Storm. It looks all right, if you haven't seen the original slip case design. And inside is almost good. it has a nice red and black design (not the vulgar read of the outer cover, but a more tasteful and subdued red), and only loses it when you see a cast lineup. From a design perspective, 1.5 is definitely weaker.Disc One
The X-Men movie is on this disc. I won't go into a review of the movie, because I already did that in my review of X-Men. I will say that it is a great movie, Singer does a great job, and the casting is inspired. There is a commentary track on this dvd, something that was missng from the original. Singer does a great job talking about the film and the filmmaking process. I just have to ask, why wasn't this on the original dvd? There is also an Enhanced Viewing Mode on this cd. It contains extended/deleted scenes, where they would have been placed in the film (also on the original dvd). The problem is that you can't go to them seperately, you can only access them in their place in the Enhanced Viewing Mode (a definite weakness, and not a problem on the original dvd). The Enhanced Viewing Mode also has 17 different behind the scenes footage, at various locations in the film (these you also can only access through this mode and not in a seperate menu. a minus). Disc Two
Here is where Singer's introduction and apology is located. "It's not my nature to be putting out multiple dvds of a film" --then why Bryan, why did you do it? But the orchestra is nice (you'll see what I mean). There are two menus here. One is X-Men 2, which has a Daredevil teaser (there's a movie I won't go see) and has an X-Men 2 sneak preview (I understand why this isn't on the original dvd, and it is a great addition, but not worth buying a whole new dvd). The other menu is titled Evolution X. Under it you'll find all sorts of goodies, which can all be played in sequence, or accessed one at a time (which I recommend), and there is branching her as well, but I'm not sure if you have to go at it all together or not, but I suspect you can only get it if you choose the 'Play All With Branching' option, which really isn't such a bad way to go. There's a 'Production Documentary Scrapbook' where you can watch the train sequence from all different camera angles, and without the post-production and multi-angle fight rehearsals. 'X-Factor' which contains costume tests, toad's makeup test, and an image gallery. 'The Uncanny Suspects' (my that's witty) which has a character gallery and Hugh Jackman's first reading and screen test. 'Special Effects of the X-Men' contains all sorts of effects featurettes and extras. 'Marketing the X-Men' which has trailers, tv spots, and internet spots. And finally 'Reflection of the X-Men" which has footage from the Ellis Island Premier and premier's around the world. And don't forget all the xtras found in the branching option. Overall you do get a lot of good stuff that you won't find on the original dvd. But what you will find on the original dvd that you won't find on 1.5 is the easter egg Spider-Man gag, which is great (but you will get something similar where a Wolverine appears in the original yellow costume), nor will you find the Fox Special "The Mutant Watch", which isn't esential to the film (actually, it doesn't fit great continuity-wise), but it is entertaining, and should be on the 1.5. Now, should you buy X-Men 1.5? I did, but that's because I'm a huge fan of the X-Men (in film, cartoon, comics, toys, and fiction), and the huge X-Fans will end up doing this. Also, I'm a student of film theory and criticism, and this dvd has things I couldn't pass up. But if you have the original dvd, then I'd either rent 1.5 or borrow it from a friend. If you don't have either, I'd say go ahead and pick up 1.5 (borrow the original dvd from a friend, you've got to see the Spider-Man gag). 1.5 does give you the better value, it's just that this stuff should have been on the original dvd. Instead, in the grand Marvel tradition, we screw the true fans."

Okay, how about an actual review...

CitiB | Texas | 07/17/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's a shame we had to wait until summer was half over to get to the REAL blockbuster. This is easily the most entertaining movie of the summer season (with Gladiator being the BEST, but best & most entertaining can be different things). It's fun, it's action packed (take that MI:2) and the performances are all on point. Hugh Jackman delivers as Wolverine, he's splendid. We all know what Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan are capable of. The other performances are perfect as well. I'm a fan of the comic book, which to some may make it seem like I'm biased, but quite the contrary. That just means I'm more likely to hate a movie if it just takes whatever creative liberties it wants with pre-established characters and storylines (as much as I love Batman, it still urks me that everyone now thinks that the Joker killed Bruce Wayne's parents). Thankfully, X Men holds true to characters and storyline touches. Even little things like Mystique's manipulation of Rogue are handled subtley. They obviously can't go into the depth of 30 years of continuity provided in the Marvel comics, but they do a MARVEL-(pun intended)-ous job at putting what they can into an hour and a half of screen time. It's funny, it's tense, it's exciting, it's serious, it's not campy or absurd. It's just awesome, and I WILL be buying this the minute it hits video stores."

Two years ago this DVD would have gotten 5 stars!

Daniel Sweeney | Los Angeles, CA | 02/11/2003

(1 out of 5 stars)

"The fact that this DVD even exists is testament to the extent movie studios will go to make extra profit. X-Men 1.5 has THE EXACT SAME MOVIE that was released on the original X-Men DVD two years ago (a great film, by the way). The difference is that -- in a ... attempt to ... additional coin from all of the hard-core fans out there (myself included) -- this version includes additional bells and whistles such as director's commentary, deleted scenes and featurettes not included before (including a sneak peek at the sequel). So I'm giving this five-star movie one star because it's two years too late!Studios should only be allowed to release a film on DVD once...that way, they'll get it right the first time! Fox dropped the ball when they came out with the first DVD by including very few extras, and now they're trying to make up for it by releasing a version that includes all of stuff the first disc lacked!This disturbing rerelease trend is happening with increased regularity (SEE ALSO: The Mummy Ultimate Edition, Lord of the Rings) as the DVD phenomenon continues to explode. Now, I can understand a rerelease for a movie that originally came out a long time ago when deleted scenes and similar extras were relatively rare...but, c'mon, X-Men is a recent movie! So the fans are ... yet again...while Fox laughs all the way to the bank!"

What the Batman franchise should have been.

toonstuff | 11/02/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"X-Men, the first REAL attempt at bringing a Marvel Comic to life on the silver screen, succeeds on several levels. First, it is well written, leaving just enough cheese and in-jokes for fans of the comics--but it doesn't ignore the newbie, either. Each important plot point is explained, and we are saved from watching the "origin" of every character.Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Patrick Stewart as Professor X, and Ian McKellan as Magneto really steal the show. They've embodied their characters, and work well together. The message of discrimination is never played heavy-handed, but it comes across. All in all, a solid performance.Michael Kamen's music is wonderful and fitting. Just the right amount of adrenaline and somberness. (I recommend you by the CD as well as the DVD!)In short, X-Men is a rewarding superhero flick. People with children however, should be warned that there is an amount of violence, but it is not gory. All in all, and excellent movie."