I have to disagree with the majority of the posters in this thread. I went back and recently rewatched both of the first two X-movies, and X1 disappoints in a number of ways.
Basically, too much of the story just does not make sense.
First, regarding the scene in Canada where Sabretooth attacks Wolverine and Rogue: How does Magneto even know that Rogue exists, what her powers are, and where she is? That is never explained. It is also a stretch that Xavier would know about Sabretooth's attack on Wolverine and Rogue, although I presume that Xavier used Cerebro to track Sabretooth.
The scene where Jean Grey addresses the US Senate on mutation: The set there looks so ridiculously fake. Why would there be a big picture of the Capitol Building behind Jean? There is no such thing in a Senate hearing room. It would have been very easy and inexpensive to make a set that did resemble a real committee hearing room - a witness table where Jean would be seated (not standing) and then the committee members seated around that in a semicircle. Behind Jean and on the floor in front of her would be reporters, photographers, spectators, etc.
The scene where Wolverine accidently stabs Rogue in the middle of the night is completely unbelievable. Wolverine is having a bad dream, which just so happens to wake up Rogue and compel her to walk into Wolverine's room, and then Wolverine just so happens to wake up and stab his claws right where Rogue just so hapens to be standing. Sorry, but I just don't believe it. Watching it now makes me cringe. It is a very lame way of explaining Rogue's ability to temporarily gain the power of a mutant that touches her.
The scene where Senator Kelly escapes from Magneto and Co.: Again, very unbelievable. First, if Kelly is so important to Magneto's plans, why is he not monitored very closely? Then Kelly manages to stretch past the bars of his cell and slip through Sabretooth's grip... ok, fine. Yet Kelly somehow survives the fall all the way down to the water? Then Kelly, despite all his fear and confusion, is somehow able to navigate and survive his way all the way back to shore? Then in his weakened and confused state, he is somehow able to find the mansion and wander all the way to it? This seems like it was made part of the story in order to enable the X-men to learn of Magneto's plan and that his machine ultimately kills humans. Yet it comes off as way too sloppy, forced, and contrived.
Then, during the few action scenes, a recurring theme throughout them is the basic powerlessness of Jean Grey.
When Storm and Cyclops go to the train station to look for Rogue, why is Jean not with them? Her powers would have been useful in fending off Sabretooth and Toad. Then we find out that Jean is just sitting in a car with Xavier doing nothing. When the police confront Magneto, Sabretooth, and Toad (with Rogue on Toad's back), Xavier controls the minds of Sabretooth and Toad in an effort to stop Magneto. Xavier makes Sabretooth grab Magneto's neck. Why not have Sabretooth rip Magneto's telepathy-blocking helmet off of his head? Why not use Sabretooth to physically attack Magneto and/or Toad? Why can't Jean use her telekinesis to pull Rogue away from Toad? When Magneto points all the cops' guns back at them, why can't Jean point them away? When Mystique approaches with the helicopter to pick up her comrades, why can't Jean use her power to shove the helicopter away? Also, where is Storm? Cyclops is presumably not of much use with his visor ripped off by Toad, but Storm could have used wind/coldness/lightning to disrupt the Brotherhood's escape. Again, the storywriters *needed* the Brotherhood to succeed here, so that was just forced to happen even though the X-Men could have done more.
Then the final fight scene at the Statue of Liberty: When Magneto uses the scraps of metal to trap all the X-Men against the wall of the statue, why doesn't Jean do anything? She could use her power to remove the restraints, and while Magneto might be able to move them back, the back and forth battle between them could have distracted Magneto long enough for at least one X-Man to escape and attack Magneto. Then during the Wolverine vs. Sabretooth battle, Jean could have used her power to wisk Sabretooth away. Storm also could have done something if not with lightning, then with wind against both Magneto and Sabretooth.
Then of course Mystique inexplicably survives being stabbed right in the gut by Wolverine...
When this film first came out, I was excited at just being able to see my childhood heroes on the big screen. But now going back and analyzing it, much of the story comes across as sloppy and not thought out well at all.
