FYI, the actor who played Toad, (Ray Park) is the actor who was Darth Maul in Star Wars Episode I.

Fun fact: In the comics Captain America and Wolverine fought in the war together. And Wolverine's first appearance was in a Hulk comic.

The reason Sabertooth (the guy who was choking Storm) was fine after getting struck by lightning at the train station, is because he has accelerated healing, just like Wolverine.

Magneto is also originally the father of Wanda and Pietro. In the MCU they had to change it because they didn't had the rights for the mutants at that time. I guess that it was also the reason that they let Pietro die so fast.

25:10 Mystique only copies the physical appearance of the people she becomes. She doesn't duplicate their powers. That's also why Wolverine was able to smell her and know she wasn't the real Storm.

The casting for Professor Xavier, Magneto and Wolverine were amazing. I don't think anyone was really miscast.

Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen are always the wins! Whenever they’re on screen together, they steal the show with the instant believable rivalry.

You are correct about this being Hugh Jackman’s break out film role. And what a revelation he was! Wolverine was a fan favorite character and a lot of us were worried that no actor could do him justice. Hugh was so good, though, that we were all blown away. And now we have trouble imagining anyone else in the role. The casting for this movie was top notch all around. Comic readers had been fan casting Patrick Stewart as Professor X for years. His involvement is probably what made this movie a hit. This movie was such a gift to comic fans in many ways.

Rogue has history with Carol Danvers in the comics. Mystique tricked her into taking Carol's powers. It put Carol in a coma and the powers were permanent. So Rogue can fly and has super strength in the comics.

Sabretooth has the same healing factor Wolverine has... in the comics he's survived decapitation before..

The little boy who smiled at Cyclops was a huge X-Men fan and Cyclops was his favorite character. He didn't know what he was on set to film that day, that smile was his 100% genuine reaction to seeing his hero in the flesh.

To me, one of the best things about the Marvel movies, XMen especially, is that the “villains” are rarely really evil, they are just acting on different perspectives of reality. Magneto sees this movie as the prelude to Genocide of mutants. He lived through that as a Jew in Poland in WW2. And I promise, you will come to really love Mystique. She’s sassy!!!

toad doing his little toad dance will always be one of my favorite parts.

A mutant’s powers don’t typically manifest until puberty, since our bodies are already going crazy at that point, it can be a very difficult time for them, especially since some mutations cause physical appearances to be altered.

The scene Rouge ask logan if they claws hurt when they come out and he says everytime is so real, showing the constant pain he lives with everyday. Da goat fr. And its crazy how this, tobeys spiderman movies ans the blade movies were the movies to first help the marvel brand take off and the the mcu would take it from there

Here's the complete list in release order through 2020, with a few non-spoiler notes: X-Men films (part 1) - X-Men (2000) - X2: X-Men United (2003) - X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) X-Men films (part 2) - X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the X-Men during the 60's. It was a way for them to make social commentary on the Civil Rights struggle without being censored. Professor X is based on Martin Luther King Jr and Magneto is based on Malcolm X. That's why Stan Lee is one of the coolest dudes to ever live.

I really like these X-men movies. Hugh Jackman had people doubting him, both because he was too tall for the character, and was mostly unknown at the time. (He had done a little bit in Australia, but nothing in Hollywood.) He did a great job playing the role though, and some of his best work is yet to come. Really looking forward to joining you in the rest of these movies.

Hugh Jackman was mostly known at the time as an actor for plays, not movies or TV.

Cyclops doesn't shoot lasers from his eyes. It's kinetic force from an alternate dimension. His eyes are portals to said dimension.

Some comments have said this was Hugh Jackman's breakout role. Hugh Jackman did however make movies before this. None were as big, (this is a franchise) but he did find success in the movie Van Helsing.

17:37 "Oh my God! The ceiling just crashed in on all those people!" Yeah. Scott /Cyclops _really_ needs that visor!

I’m so happy you are reacting to XMen, this is the OG superhero franchise!

In the comic books, rogue is so powerful she has fought the entire avengers by herself. The interesting thing is that if she touches two people with super strength the super strength will stack, giving her the ability to easily overpower characters like Thor and hulk. also, there’s not really a limit of how many powers she can collect.

Magneto's powers are the best! Pair that with a structural engineering degree and you're in business my friend. Construction, Demolition, Building Relocation; the world's your Lego set

Imagine the look on Magneto's face if when he smugly pointed to his helmet, Charles had Sabertooth or Toad promptly remove it.

The Xavier School exterior shots were filmed at the former Royal Roads Military College in Canada. It is still used to this day in some movies (As the X-Mansion again in Deadpool) and was also the Luthor mansion in Smallville. Among MANY other things in cinema. This movie was incredible when it came out.

This is a surprisingly good film. It's the thing that proved superhero films could be both well-made AND profitable. I read X-Men comics for many years as a kid, and I was ready for it to be awful, but they got the characters right, and more importantly, their relationships. When filmmakers care enough to get those details right, this genre can be truly great.

Jax, the truck driver that gives Anna Marie (Rogue) a ride is George Buza. Buza voiced Dr. Hank McCoy aka Beast in the acclaimed 1990's X-Men: The Animated Series. He will be voicing Beast again in the new X-Men '97 cartoon on Disney Plus starting March 20, 2024.

The parallels of the X-men and politics today is what makes X-men relatable but it’s going to be hard for the MCU to do with today’s audiences. Magneto has always been my favorite and it’s always interesting to see how he and Charles’ ideas play off each other. PS: X2 and DFP are some of the best showcases of X-men stories/characters, First Class is a welcome surprise as a soft reboot.

I love Toad. In the comics, he was always used and abused by Magneto and the other members of the Brotherhood, but its been shown later on that hes not really evil, he was always treated as a freak and just wanted to be part of something.

Fun fact with these movies, they're mostly filmed in BC, Canada. The school set has been used for Lex Luther's mansion and the Queen Mansion in Arrow, and the next movie has a setting I have visited many times over the years.

I’m so excited you’re jumping into these !

In the comics: Wanda & Pietro from the MCU are Magneto's children. Storm and Black Panther were married for years. "House of M" a comic storyline involving The Avengers & The XMEN thematically influenced Wandavision. So watching WandaVision alongside the XMen movies is pretty cool.

"I swear I would only use this power for good" - Jax, 15 minutes before becoming a supervillain

"I'll give you 50 bucks right now if you turn into a filing cabinet." Nick Fury

Captain America was Weapon I, Wolverine was Weapon X. The same program that gace Steve his powers took notice of mutants, particularly Logan as new supersoldiers, and gave him the Adamantium. Logan's natural powers are above Steve's but below Spider-Man's.

Comic book characters, because they're generally written by different people at different times, tend to have convoluted back stories. But the X-Men are a whole different level of complicated. The primary architect of the X-Men stories was writer Chris Claremont, who wrote the main X-Men comic for 16 years, and just loved to leave plot threads dangling, and often would go back years later and pick them up again. It could be frustrating, but it made for very rewarding reading, because if you were a regular reader, you knew the backstories, and so where these plot threads might not make as much sense to casual readers, you understood them all. And the X-Men ("Sworn to protect a world that hates and fears them.") have long been seen as super-powered stand-ins representing hated minority communities, such as Blacks, Gays, LGBTQ, and many others. Sabertooth and Wolverine (Logan) are perhaps best described as frenemies. They've known each other for close to a hundred years (their healing factor makes them long-lived. Logan was actually born in the late 18th century.) They fought in many wars together, and made a great team (they were essentially indestructible), until Logan became fed up with Sabertooth's blood-thirsty nature, and they became enemies. Wolverine's catch phrase is "I'm the best there is at what I do, but what I do isn't very nice." He's made his way in the world as a soldier for a long time, but with the X-Men he's trying to reform. Logan was taken by the Weapon X program, which took advantage of his healing factor, which allowed him to survive having his skeleton bonded with adamantium, and his claws implanted. Professor X (Dr. Charles Xavier) and Magneto (Erik Lenscherr) can also best be described as frenemies. In the early years they were fast friends, and Magneto help Charles build not only his School For Gifted Youngsters (Now the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, or just the X-Mansion) but also Cerebro, the helmet device Charles uses to locate Rogue (Marie). Erik is a Holocaust survivor, as we got a glimpse of at the beginning of this movie. (It gets explored in more recent films.) But as a survivor, Erik knows how horrible men can be to men, and so believes mutants must seize their future, so regular men and women don't put them in gas chambers and concentration camps as the Nazis did to the Jews. Charles believes in a future of cooperation. As you could see, they are still friends, but now they're wary of each other. At one point in the X-Men's convoluted history, Erik ran the school for Charles while he was away. Oh, and the X-Mansion gets blown up about once per movie. Rogue temporarily takes someone's personality when she touches them. If they're also a mutant, she takes their powers. The degree to which she absorbs from a person generally depends on how long she's in physical contact with them. The longer she touches them, the more of them and their powers she takes. She's since learned to control her powers, but early on she permanently absorbed Ms. Marvel's powers, and gained flight, super-strength, and several other abilities. Storm grew up as an orphaned pickpocket on the streets of Cairo. As he did with most of the X-Men, Professor X found her and offered her a place on the team. Her powers are what you'd expect from her code name, weather control, but mostly she just calls down lightning or wind. She has led the X-Men for at least one period in their history. Phoenix (Jean Grey) is one of the X-Men's more confusing characters. Her powers are telekinesis, and some telepathy. But she's immensely more powerful that she appears at first. Partly it's because Professor X put psychic "blocks" in her mind, without her knowledge, to prevent her from accessing her full potential. But later, after she died, she was resurrected, and gifted with much greater power by the Phoenix Force. (To give you some idea of her new powers, she flew to another star and consumed it, wiping out the D'Bari race in the process.) Her actions caught the attention of the galaxy-ruling Shi'ar Star Empire, who decided she was too dangerous to remain alive, and sent an attack force to Earth to kill her. In the end, she despaired at what she had done, and her apparent inability to resist her destructive tendencies. She took her own life, and died in the arms of Cyclops, her lover at that time. She's been involved with (and in love with) both Cyclops and Logan at various times (different writers). Oh, and she's been "resurrected" again since her "death". Other characters will come and go throughout the movies, as Professor X is always looking for new mutants to raise and train, but these X-Men will tend to re-appear again and again.

Rogue is potentially one of the most powerful mutants out there. The comics version is also super-strong and able to fly. In this mini-saga (I believe it was "Second Coming") she had to stall an overpowered enemy in order to let the other ones escape, so she borrowed all of their powers in once (Angel, Colossus, Wolverine) and showed what she could really do. Alas that enemy was able to adapt but that's another story 😁

To me, Magneto is one of the gold standards for creating a villain with realistic motivation. He's a concentration camp survivor, capture, tortured, and nearly killed for being different than the people in power. He carries that injustice with him permanently, like a tattoo on his soul. As a result, he believes that it's human nature to (a) repeat the past and (b) persecute people who are different. The reality is, that if his back story happened to most people and you believed it could happen to you again.....No. No way would you let that happen. You'd start fighting EARLY and often. You'd be vigilant and prepare. He's going one better: he's building an ARMY this time. They're not caging Magneto again: not without a fight. Not without a war. Additionally, Charles understands Magneto's POV and also understands that it's LEGITIMATE. In fact, if humanity decides to repeat itself, Charles will NEED Magneto: as a resource and a leader. To me the best line in the movie to illustrate this is before Magneto turns to cops guns around : Eric: "Let them pass that law and you'll have a number burned into yoru forehead." Charles: "It wont be that way." Eric: "They why dont you kill me. And find out." The fact that Charles did NOT kill Magneto could in some way mean that he's being prudent. If there IS a war.....He'll NEED Eric, as an ally.

After X men.. .Ghost rider 1&2 .Blade movie .Fantastic 4 movies .Sony Spiderman 1,2,3(Tobey maguire) .The Amazing Spiderman 1&2(Andrew Garfield) .Venom 1&2 . Spiderman into spiderverse .Spiderman across the spiderverse .Netflix shows like Daredevil,Punisher,Defender,ironfist,etc. .Deadpool 1&2 Then Only Continue MCU phase 4

Rouge in the movies is really powered down in the comics she can fly, she is super strong, And very awesome

Once again, Jax, you're in for a wild ride. Days of Future Past is my favourite in the whole series.

10:07 - In the comics, Wolverine's adamantium was made by the same scientist who created Captain America's shield.

I never read the comics as a kid so its hard for me to have an opinion on the acting. These actors however, are the reason I'm crazy about Marvel today. Jackman as Wolverine, Maguire as Spider-Man, Snipes as Blade(highly recommend by the way!) Are in my opinion, some of the best casting choices in the entire Marvel universe. One thing about Marvel movies/series is they very rarely made a bad casting choice, everybody seems to fit their roles so perfectly. Wolverine is my favourite in this and his healing ability would really come in handy.😂

great reaction, keep going>! its a joy watching u

I remember when I saw this movie 24 years ago. I was 19 and went on a double date to watch it at 8 pm. They said that show was sold out and to come back at 11. That was the first time we had ever experienced that. Going to a movie and not being able to get a ticket. Now thats commonplace for movies in the Sci Fi/Action-Adventure/Fantasy genre(s). I remember at about 10 minutes before the showing they announced over the P. A. system for us to get in line. People were so excited it was akin to being at an amusement park in line for the best ride! They were yelling & cheering before we were even seated. Awesome experience. Wolverine and his power has always been a favorite. I would love the healing factor and heightened senses, but not the pain that comes with an extended (seemingly) immortal life span. As well, who wouldn’t love Mystique’s abilities, but hate the blue skinned side effects.

Kevin Feige was a production assistant in this film. He slipped comic books for cast to help get in their roles, as studio didn't want actors have anything to do with comics, as comics were considered for children.

For a long time in the comics, Wanda was Erik's daughter. They retconned that though. Logan's first comic appearance was fighting the Hulk.

This is an incredible journey you are starting by the end this will be the most unforgettable franchise you have ever seen

Glad you have started these movies. X-Men was a commentary on racism during the civil rights era and the different approaches to bridge it. Professor Xavier represented Dr Martin Luther King, while Magneto represented Malcolm X.

23:53 For THIS film, they used contacts for Storm's eyes, but in future films, they were added in post-production.

This was the role that put Hugh Jackmam on the map and made him a household name. He's done most of the Xmen movies, The Prestige(which features several other superhero actors and one you should definitely watch if you haven't already), Real Steel(another one you should definitely check out), and many others over the years but Wolverine will always be what he's best known for. Also, Cyclops asking Logan if he would prefer yellow spandex is a reference to Wolverine's iconic yellow suit from the comics(which we're getting in Deadpool 3!) That hot dog vendor on the beach when Senator Kelley comes out of the water looks familiar doesn't he?

I’m so excited to see you through this amazing team

The girl who can walk through walls is Kitty Pryde in the comics also known as Sprite, Ariel and finally Shadowcat after some ninja training. She also can disrupt computers/electronics by phasing through them. 😂 As far as wanting an X-Men power... I would go with Colossus. He can transform his body into organic steel. It makes him very strong and virtually indestructible while in that form, but he can still change back and pass as a human being looks wise. Best of both worlds. 😂 "You shall not pass... those exams.". - Magneto Hugh Jackman was too tall to play a comic book accurate Wolverine as Hugh is 6" 3'. And Wolverine is supposed to be 5" 3'. That being said I can forgive that due to what he brought to the role. There is no better choice for Wolverine than Hugh. Same for Ryan Reynolds for Deadpool. 😂 Wolverine's mutations are his extreme regeneration - "healing factor" his enhanced senses and his claws. The Adamantium in his body was added later. Rogue can access multiple powers simultaneously up to a point. Too many causes mental overload. But she has accessed the powers of Colossus, Cyclops, Storm and a couple more all at the same time. 😮 Having Rogue use Mystique's powers of transformation to escape is a huge plot hole...like Big enough to drive a convoy of semi- trucks through it. Yet, I had never conceived of that issue. Well done!!! 😂 Halle Berry had to wear opaque contact lenses which are hard lenses...not soft like for an eye color change. Similar type contacts were worn by Bill Bixby and Lou Ferigno in the 70's Incredible Hulk show albeit in their case the lenses were green. Now a days they would use CGI for that. Lol

I _love_ how many questions you're asking while watching. "Why am I having empathy for him, he's the villain." Because he's a well-written villain with his own morals and ideology.

18:46 YES.

25:07 Mystique has her own healing abilities and at least as old as professor Xavier, or may be older. In comics she had multiple children(one of them was from Wolverine), bc she lived a LONG life.

Logan's big brother relationship with Rouge was just so sweet! I'd love to have Logan's powers-- his senses are incredible!

LMAO when you question Lamby if hes is who he claims he is...omg I got tears from LOLing

Healing and curing are two different things. The healing factor that Wolverine has is regenerating tissue to extremes. Cancer isn't damage to tissue but a growth of cells. Wade Wilson (Deadpool) had cancer. He was infused with Wolfie's mutant DNA. We all know how that turned out.

The one that got the ball rolling and probably with the perfect casting for all the characters.

glad your starting Xmen and Wandavision around the same time, hope things are going to make sense in some way

Loved this when it came out! You comment on the fact that it has a huge cast. I personally think that is one of the things that held this series back compared to the success of the MCU which focused most of their movies on one hero at a time before forming a team. Wolverine gets a few solo movies but none of the other X-Men get nearly enough screen time.

Another reaction knocked out of the park. hey, hey... Hey! 😂😂 Love it.

He can read everyone's mind but chooses not to for privacy and I'm a X-Men fan and I love the casting and the second one answers a few questions u have( 21:32 fun fact that gave me nightmares when I first watched this movie

I’m loving this route by you Jax I’m here for it

24 years ago this movie aired and despite that it still holds up well. Effects were decent for the turn of the century and the story about the mutants vs humans, Xavier’s ideology vs Magneto’s ideology, have more weight even today. Funny enough at the time they didn’t believe Hugh Jackman in the role of Wolverine since he wasn’t that physically fit at the time but now he is the iconic actor for the role in the sense RDJ was to Iron Man or Chris Evans was to Captain America. When I was a kid I didn’t care for Cyclops but now knowing what I know about Scott Summers as a character from comics and other media I feel these movies were a lost opportunity for him.

12:26 Did you just say "Holy mother of the Hulk"? That's it, permanent subscribed, that's the single best line I've heard from any reactor.

OMGGGGG. I’m so excited for this!!

In the comics Rogue does end up with a more permanent set of powers outside of absorbing others.... She grabs ahold of Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers) for long enough that she retains her powers permanently, gaining flight, photonic blasts and enhanced strength & durability (she's nearly invulnerable). Carol Danvers was put into a coma for quite some time... a decision that was made partly due to the lack of popularity of Carol Danvers. Rogue also has a side effect of absorbing memories and even the personality of people she touches. One of the more common (and comedic) interactions is when Rogue absorbs Deadpool's powers. The reason it's safer on mutants is because they all have something related to their mutation gene called an "x-factor" which generally makes them stronger, more durable, and enhances natural recovery, mutants may also even live longer. So what could kill a "regular" person may not kill a mutant, especially if they have an absolutely wild x-factor like wolverine.

This retro adventure watch along is wonderful, Jax!! Sometimes we dig the pins and needles on discovering new current film zeitgeist cinematic events, and then sometimes you get unexpected, chill almost nostalgic throwbacks when escape movies didn't test your nerves with awesome but also nerve wracking anticipation and hype! Enjoyed these early films and most especially the Wolverine solo outings! And can't wait for after WandaVision, for reasons! And the X-Men trilogy as it stands are solid throughline! Then it gets crazy! Hope that says very little! Yes! I LOVE the complexity of friendship and opposition between Erik and Charles!! 🎉 🌌

Great reaction Jax! So many reactors fake their reactions but yours were 100% genuine

Hearing what you said in the intro makes me happy :D

Hi Jax! I’m so glad you started your journey into The X Men franchise! I was captivated by your reactions to the MCU franchise, and now I get to experience that excitement all over again. Its a tough call deciding which mutant’s powers I would like to have, but after thinking it over, I’d have to go with Mystique’s powers of being able to mimic anyone. Mostly for the mere fact that it could be a lot of fun, and the least likely power that could lead to loneliness or isolation. If you think about, the powers of most mutants can be more of a burden than a benefit, making it very difficult to sustain relationships. But it all comes down to being able to control the powers that you have, and use them for the right reasons. Like Uncle Ben said to Peter Parker, “With great power comes great responsibility”. That was a fun inquiry you posed. Oh, and by the way, you matter more to your subscribers than just a smidge 😊

Great reaction! I had fun watching this can't wait for the next one

It’s very difficult to say this, without sounding creepy. Logan has an incredible way of helping the innocent children. This is a characteristic in the comics as well. He has a soft spot for wanting to care for kids especially. Through all the horrors, he has experienced, he’s always amazing with kids.

4:51 this scene when I was little boy when I saw a actor play Wolverine until now he's perfect being a wolverine😊

The girl who was mentioned that can walk through wall is most likely Kitty Pryde, aka Shadowcat. If I have to choose, I kinda want her power. Imagine not having to bring your keys anywhere anymore. That, or Mystique's power also pretty good.

What up Jax. At the time, X-Men was the no.1 superhero team/comic book series. But the success would 'evolve' even further with becoming Marvel's 2nd franchise on film. The original longest running, shared universe with it's first major, superhero team. Although they were around for over 30 years at this point, their meteoric rise through multimedia made them unstoppable (animated series, toys video games, etc). From their further rising, came this 'ultimate' first installment. Hyper-realistic with social commentary and a few other things in between without being a overly 'comic-book' movie. The late Richard Donner and his wife, Lauren-Shuler Donner were executive producers (The Donners' Company) of the film series. Great cast, good writing, bold direction and treatment of the characters. Patrick Stewart as Professor X and Hugh Jackman (his film debut) as Wolverine would become seminal to this saga. Over 20 years on film and most of it succeeded more than failed. If you wish to journey onward, prepare for a real evolution.

This was great when it came out. We hadn't had any good superhero movies since Batman Returns in 1992. This one still holds up 24 years later. Amazing and fun film. The second one is even better.

Funny how in the beginning they're talking about their fear of strong mutants in that council room with Jean of all people standing before them. Possibly one of if not the most powerful mutants out there. Talking about power on the scale to shred planets apart. At least in the comics I think.

I absolutely love watching your reactions to movies, especially when you smile with your eyes 👀

The casting for most of this movie was absolutely spot on! And to answer a question yes Rogue can take mutants powers. In the comic she eventually had super strength and flight powers permanently. She also learns how to turn her power on and off in the comics although it takes a very long time as her power is usually actively on at all times. Technically she is an overpowered mutant in my opinion as she can literally have any power she wants if she is willing to just take it. Also this isnt a spoiler because i only speak for the comics. I won't tell you how the movies handle her power.

Hugh Jackman, Sir Captain Xavier and Sir Magneto The Grey were perfectly cast.

1. Magneto is not completely evil, he's a character with a heavy past making him somewhat evil.🤓 2. Rogue would probably be able to pet coated animals, credit she doesn't break the fur / feathers and touch the skin.🤔

As to your question whether we would rather be one of the X-Men or an Avenger, it’s possible to be both. As far back as the 1970’s, Henry “Hank” McCoy, also known as Beast (you’ll see him in X-Men 3) was in both teams. He was one of the first 5 members of the X-Men in the 1960’s, but also was a regular member of the Avengers for some of the 70’s and 80’s. Wolverine wasn’t a regular Avenger, but did team with them sometimes through the years. Wanda (Scarlet Witch) and Pietro (Quicksilver) Maximoff were originally villains, later heroes, occasionally anti-heroes, and on both teams (as well as members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, under Magneto, originally).

Hey Jax I am so happy you finally got to the X-Men movies. More Marvel content for you and yes, at that time Marvel was only beginning on the movies and the rights for the characters were all over the place unfortunately. Also, Wanda and Pietro were originally mutants in the comics and their names can be seen in X2 from a computer file as "Maximoff 2" if you pay close attention. Lots of Easter eggs But don't worry, in MCU in a non distant future, some X-Men characters will appear next phases accordingly to some sources and negotiations, like Deadpool is confirmed at least and will be the first MCU movie for adults only in history! Some fun fact: Chris Evans who portrayed Captain America was playing another Marvel character in the past long before MCU, he was part of a group called The Fantastic 4. The end credit scenes are present in future X-Men movies, I believe after the X2. It's gonna be a wild ride ma'am.

Hey Jax, luv ur reaction channel, u have the most beautiful smile on youtube..so cool ur watching X-Men, great franchise with so many movies...hope u enjoy..loved this film when i was a little kid..😊

I've always thought it would have been great to have a movie about Wolverine and Roghe traveling in that trailer across the country Love your reaction

My jaw dropped when I saw that this was posted! I love the X-Men so much and I can't wait to see you take this journey!

As excited as I was to see that you were starting this journey, I wish I could fast forward to the Deadpool and Logan reactions!

This is worth watching before Deadpool, but you need not watch all of the X-Men movies before Deadpool. You should watch Logan before Deadpool 2, though.

Some fun trivia about Fox and Marvel: these movies aren't part of the MCU. Back in the 90's when Marvel was struggling economically, they sold off the movie rights for the X-Men to Fox, so Fox had been doing their own thing separate from the MCU (starting with this movie). Then Disney bought Fox a couple of years ago so now mutants might pop in the MCU in the future. Who knows? But there are probably 10 or so movies about the X-Men that are not part of the MCU in any way. It's all pretty similar to how Marvel sold off the rights to all-things Spider-Man to Sony at the same time and for the same reasons. Marvel haven't bought Sony since, but they did strike a deal with Sony where they could use Spider-Man in the MCU. Which is why we had Spider-Man: Homecoming etc. Also, there are some characters that both Marvel and Fox had the rights to. I don't remember if Fox ever had the rights to Wanda but they absolutely had the rights to her (in the MCU) short-lived brother Quicksilver. Those two are also the children of Magneto in the comics but since different studios hold the rights to different parts of that family, it's been hilariously difficult to have a proper family team-up. I like the casting of all of the heroes in this movie but I don't really enjoy Sabretooth and Toad. Sabretooth because he gets recast in a later movie, where he is played by Liev Schreiber, who I love and think did a far better job than the guy playing him up until then. Meanwhile, I just don't like Toad as a character. I have no problem with the actor but I just find Toad and his entire power set fairly disgusting. However, Magneto and Mystique are both incredible. Overall, I think the X-Men movies are wildly uneven, but when they're good, they're amazing. I still think that one movie in particular is among the best superhero movies ever made, but that's a discussion for another day. 😉

Super reaction. Thanks.

I don't think this film really gets enough credit for two reasons. Up until this film was released the big money and major movies went to DC characters like Superman and Batman. Marvel was always the poor relation, making do with cheap TV series like "The Incredible Hulk" and "The Amazing Spider-Man". This was the first big budget Marvel movie that showed that Marvel characters could be a success on the big screen. Secondly the tone of this film was perfect and has been the template for most superhero films ever since certainly in the MCU. Very different from Christopher Reeves Superman and Michael Keatons Batman. (Not that they aren't great films, just tonally different). The sucess of this series paved the way for Tobe Maguires Spider-Man and then the creation of the MCU. I look forward to seeing you react to the second film, at the time i thought it was the best superhero film ever. Patrick Stewart and Ian Mckellen are great friends in real life. They are a joy to watch together, weather acting on screen or as themselves. Oh and I'm British and we say Gala the way you do. X 👍

As for powers you would want... Storm's would be awesome (especially back when I had my convertible), and it's really the only one that doesn't come with any real downside. Jean's also don't seem to have any major downside and would also be pretty awesome. Xavier's have got to be the strongest and most useful in real life... and the only real downside for him was that he can't really "turn it off" to speak... he's constantly aware of what everyone around him is thinking and feeling... which was scary at first... but he learned to focus. However, the ability to know what everyone is thinking and even control their thoughts, even crowds of people all at once, and project that power all over the planet, is so so OP and you could use it in more than just a narrow band of situations. Bobby's (Iceman) powers would be neat and also don't seem to have much downside, but ultimately not very useful in most situations. and I hate the cold. Magneto's are cool but limited, and I guess also don't come with any real downside. Only downside for Magneto was that he was discovered, tortured, experimented on, because of them.. but... if you weren't living in Nazi Europe you'd probably be alright. However, next to Jean's power, this would be limited and impractical unless you want to be a supervillain destroying buildings and curving bullets and such... day to day would be one of the less useful powers. Mystique's would be awesome and extremely useful. Major downside to her power is that she looks like a freak most of the time unless she's using her powers and concentration to look like something else, but, seems pretty effortless for her, so, I guess once you got used to it this would become a top contender for best power. Though still not nearly as good as Xavier's. She's also got increased longevity but... that in its own way can be a curse... for many of us, one lifetime is already too long. Wolverine... has the downside Mystique has of living too long but taken even further. But... you don't really age, never get sick, can heal from anything, never get hung over... that would be cool. On the other hand, the depression that goes along with living a super long time and ending up alone also couldn't be cured with drugs or drunkenness. He can also smell really well... could be good or bad, depending. Mostly bad, I think. In the comics, Wolverine's amnesia comes from his healing factor, too... his mind healing over memories of traumatic events... could also be good and bad. and one more major downside they never delve into in the movies... apparently without the poisonous adamantium implanted in is body siphoning off a big portion of his powers... he starts to become more feral and beast-like, similar to Sabretooth... that would kind of suck. So... overall... can see the upsides... but would probably have to take a pass. Sabretooth.. like Wolverine but worse... pass. Toad's powers... not useful enough to balance out being gross all the time. Pass. Rogue's powers... awful. Near bottom of the barrel. But not quite. Unless you were evil and there were other mutants in the world and you just went around permanently stealing all of their powers, which she can do, except then you have a piece of their mind permanently stuck in your head, too, and that could start to suck after a while. Cyclop's powers, especially since ruby quartz sunglasses don't actually exist, would be completely awful. Probably the worst of everyone's. Imagine waking up in the morning and opening your eyes only to kill your cat or blow up your house. Hard pass. Overall I think Xavier's powers have to be #1 best and the easy choice if you really think about it. But Storm, Mystique and Jean are strong runners-up... and I can see the appeal of Wolverine's, especially the whole not getting older thing... but not for me.

Fun Fact: because of Wolverine’s adamantium skeleton he weighs heavier than he looks, so that punch in the cage fight would really mess up that guys arm. Also Wolverine and Deadpool’s healing factors make them really cool fighters, with Deadpool having a faster/better healing than Wolverine’s but it’s going to make their upcoming movie amazing.

33:47 wait until you see more of Magneto’s backstory in later films…

"Welcome to reacts with Jax, I'm Jax" gets me every time, every other channel just says their channel name, she goes the extra step to make it formal like a news anchor. Like "this is Channel 8 News, I'm Jax".