The Wasteland Reviewer

Outside the Wasteland: X-Men (2000)

Film can mean so much more than just entertainment on a screen, right? Outside the Wasteland is my new avenue to express my thoughts on films that have truly made an impact on my life. This is not about how great the films are or even how much I love them. This is an expression of how these films have made a direct impact on my life including my love of film, my personality, my world view, and just an overall lasting impression that deeply affected me.  This is a doorway into The Wasteland Reviewer through the films that have shaped me.

X-Men (2000)

Are you still on the comic book movie train? This trend has been one of the most interesting films over the last 25 years. There have been comic book adaptations popping up over the decades with Superman: The Movie and Batman but it wasn’t until the turn of the century that comic book/superhero movies became such a big piece of the cinematic landscape. But for 25 years, these types of films have dominated the box office and taken up most of the screens at theaters when they are released. Post-Endgame, the disastrous Sony villain films,and the fall of the DCEU, many people have jumped off the train. But for me, I will always love comic book movie adaptations.

But where did this love for them start? Back in 2000, X-Men was released. I remember getting a VHS tape of the film and I wore that out. I fell in love with this strange band of heroes with their different powers and how they came together to fight for the world. They made this team feel so important as they navigated the complex landscape of mutant rights and the differing perspectives on how to fight for said rights. With so many characters, you could keep exploring this world of X-Men for films to come (and Fox certainly did for years). I remember seeing X2 in theaters and that was a film that I was so excited to see. There was one birthday where three different people bought me X-Men: The Last Stand on DVD. One of my favorite midnight premieres I ever went to was X-Men: Days of Future Past. When the opening credits began to roll and the iconic X-Men movie theme began to play, goosebumps covered my arms and deliver such an impactful feeling for me. One of the few films I have ever cried on in a theater was Logan.

Why was Logan such an emotional experience for me? Wolverine has been a pack of my identity for such a large part of my life. I am not Wolverine personality wise. Honestly, I have always been much more of a Beast type person and have identified with him. But the look and the actor connected with me so much. Hugh Jackman quickly became one of the favorite actors. I jumped on the Van Helsing train quickly and fell in love with that movie at the time as well. Every time I see Hugh Jackman is going to be in a film, I get that much more excited about it. I still believe Jackman should have won an Oscar for Prisoners because he was just that good at it. Jackman has also won or been nominated for my The Wasteland Reviewer Awards plenty of times over the years. I freaked out when I found out that Jackman was returning as Wolverine in Deadpool & Wolverine which certainly delivered. But during Logan, they are shown watching the film, Shane. I am named after that film. I think my life came full circle at that moment in how oddly these two elements came together.

But what about the look? As long as I have been able to grow in my facial hair (took a little later into high school for that to happen), I have been displaying those Wolverine mutton chops. At full force, I have worked on the Wolverine style mutton chops that take up most of my face. I spent most of my college experience in undergrad with that facial hair. This was such a significant thing for me to the point of people calling me “The Campus Wolverine” (which was wild hearing to my face for the first time). I even insisted on having them for my undergraduate commencement…which my mom wasn’t the biggest fan of. I have plenty of stories about these mutton chops to the point where I could probably fill out multiple pages in an article (I will refrain though). Even though they haven’t been full-blown chops like Wolverine, mutton chops have been present on my face almost every single day for 13 years. They are my trademark. I have been called “Cool Sideburns Guy” by students at work and receive endless compliments from other men aimed at them. There was even a time at a Shoprite were a couple argued over if I looked like Elvis or Johnny Cash. Without X-Men and Wolverine, I am not sure if I would have even had them in the first place.

What is another hobby I have gotten into because of X-Men? Reading graphic novels. I never had too much interest in comics until I fell in love with X-Men. I have read famous runs like Days of Future Past and own a whole collection of iconic Wolverine comics as well. I read the whole insane Old Man Logan arc as well which is certainly one of the more unhinged and inventive. I am much more of a one-off story kind of person, so I mostly focus on them. The amount of Batman books I have read is by far the largest including The Killing Joke, The Long Halloween, The Dark Knight Returns, Under the Red Hood, and Hush. I have tackled some other iconic books like Maus, Watchman, From Hell, and V for Vendetta. I am always looking for recommendations of great graphic novels and I must give thanks to X-Men for this whole interest in the first place.

Am I still that big of an X-Men fan? I sure am. I watched the whole 90s run of the animated series and was raring to go when X-Men ’97 dropped on Disney+. I anxiously await the beginning of the X-Men arc in the MCU. That will be coming sooner rather than later. I love Wolverine so much, but I am even more excited to see what they can do with characters like Cyclops, Gambit, Beast, Nightcrawler, Bishop, Mister Sinister, and so many more. But it is more than just the X-Men. Bring on the new Daredevil: Born Again series. I am ready to finally see The Fantastic Four work on the big screen. I have faith in James Gunn’s new DCU (I enjoyed the heck out of Creature Commandos). Comic book adaptations will always have a special place in my heart because there are infinite possibilities and so many amazing characters to explore.