Marvel Comics' popular mutant superheroes jumped to the big screen to become one of the most successful series of comic book films. Under the leadership of Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), a group of mutant outcasts with amazing powers known as the X-Men, protect the humans who fear and hate them from their rival Magneto (Ian McKellen). This exciting trilogy also stars Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn, Shawn Ashmore and Anna Paquin. Both "X-Men" (2000) and X2: X-Men United" (2003) were directed by Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects). "X-Men" well introduces the characters and the conflict between Xavier and Magneto. The solid storyline and some realistic human tension set this movie higher than previous campy superhero action films. "X2" is a big improvement over the original and certainly the best of the trilogy. The sequel has a complex but well-structured storyline and strong emotional subplots. The action sequences and visual effects are outstanding. "X-Men: The Last Stand" (2006) was directed by Brett Ratner (Rush Hour 1, 2 & 3). Though the second sequel lacks the strong emotive mood and rich character development of the first two films, "The Last Stand" does features some cool eye-popping visual effects, terrific action sequences and many new characters.
With the big theatrical release of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" a few days away, 20th Century Fox delivers the blockbuster comic book trilogy on Blu-Ray and gives it the full "Five Star" treatment to become one of the must-have Blu-Ray box sets available. The entire trilogy is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen format. The picture falls short of reference quality but all three movies look really great. The 5.1 DTS-HD audio is excellent. The entire trilogy box set comes fully loaded with special features including audio commentaries by the films' directors and production crew, behind-the-scenes footage, special effects featurettes, picture galleries, animatics, theatrical trailers, TV spots and deleted and extended scenes with optional audio commentary track. Overall, "X-Men Trilogy" scores an "A".