I gotta give my props to Brian Singer. Man, what a fantastic job he did in bringing my favorite mutant superhero team to the big screen. The X-men comics have decades of established treasured mythology and this film does it justice almost perfectly. Some story elements have been altered here and there but it never undermined the finished product significantly as to throw off die-hard fans, although I was disappointed that Gambit wasn't included. But the film superbly makes up for that with action, special effects (and what MARVELOUS EFFECTS they are!!!) and a plot that's intellectually stimulating actually. It's a shame that most action films today don't have that kind of pizazz and gravitas to keep it from being mindlessly entertaining. Not so here as X-Men challenges its viewers to ponder the nature of acceptance , fear, and prejudice. My one main complaint is that the villains such as Sabertooth wasn't fleshed out more and similar to his vicious comic book counterpart. I will purchase the director's cut for any bells and whistles not in the theatrical cut but for the most part "X-Men" is an exciting and exhilarating experience with something more beneath the surface even more so than action films today and I can say with all authority it embodies the spirit of the comics nearly spot on.<br /><br />Great film.