X Men Film Analysis

The 1960 was an era of war, conflict, music, innovation, and social change; when one thinks of the 1960s, one of the first things that come to mind is the civil rights movement that peaked during this decade. The civil rights movement was a series of social movements that attempted to end racial segregation, discrimination, and all racial injustices. Non-white Americans, mainly African Americans at this time, used civil resistance and civil disobedience in order to change the government policies that discriminated against them such as segregation laws, Jim Crow laws, and the inability to vote for their nations leaders. There were two prominent leaders who had different ideas on how to obtain the same goal. Martin Luther King Jr. believed that the only way to gain equality was through peaceful demonstrations; on the other hand, Malcolm X believed that he had a right to defend himself, even if it led to violence. In 1963, at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, a comic book was released about a group of mutants that tried to keep peace between their people and the humans. Thirty-seven year later a Hollywood film was made based on the comic book series. X-Men (Bryan Singer, 2000) was a box office hit that earned $157,299,717 in theaters; this movie entered the lives of thousands of Americans and people worldwide. On the surface the film is a sci-fi action story, but beneath the surface it tell the story of America’s fight for equality and justice. This modern day portrayal of X-Men is an ode to our Nation’s past struggles of equality. This is evident through the portrayal of the mutant’s struggle and experiences of injustice, the two mutant leaders, and through the laws that congress attempts to pass against them.

This film dep...

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...splayed on the big screen “come from our own experiences of overcoming adversity” (387). X-men is a story about a team of heroes who fight to protect the mutant and human relationship while advocating for mutant rights and equality. This movie is a metaphor for the African American Civil Rights Movement that peaked in the 1960s, signifying America overcoming adversity. X-Men can not only be applied to America, it is a metaphor that can be applied to the world. The film references to the Holocaust, another historical and racial occurrence. The film speak to not only the nation but the world by reminding its audience of the struggles people have faced in order to be where they are today. It is a lesson that can always be applied to current events, such as gay rights. It is a reminder that all, no matter their differences, deserve justice, equality, and happiness.