The X-Men were pretty well known through the comic books, and they reached a whole new audience with the classic nineties animated series, but they didn't break through into mainstream popularity until the first of Bryan Singer's blockbuster films the first of which basically kickstarted the current superhero movie cycle. 2000's X-Men is an okay film. Singer hasn't quite got the handle on the big budget spectacle, but the cast is good, and manage to save what's a pretty weak and plot-hole-filled origin story. The second was an improvement, and the third was a total mess. Nobody expects high cinema from superhero films, but you expect some level of quality control. Especially in comparison to the current spate of Marvel movies, the X-Men films just seem a bit...naff. They're relatively humourless, poorly written and acted, and don't get started on the Juggernaut (b*tch).
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
