The first rule of seeing X-Men: don’t see it at a $2 theater. The second rule of seeing X-Men: by all means do so. I’ve never gotten into the X-Men comics, though I have enough friends who are rabid X-Men fans that I’ve absorbed a bit of the mythos vicariously. I found myself wondering repeatedly through the film whether it would be more fun for one who was already crazy about X-Men or for the tyro. The former get the joys of seeing their beloved characters translated wonderfully well to the big screen. Hugh Jackman is a great Wolverine. Cyclops kicks just as much bum as one would expect. Ray Park (Darth Maul) does a great job as Toad. But for someone who isn’t familiar with the X-Men, the pleasure of entering this complex, very human world await. There is relational depth that one would expect to find in novels, rather than comics. There are interesting characters, who by dint of their very individual powers, are thrust up against each other in intriguing ways. And there are, of course, lots of special effects and Patrick Stewart holding the whole show together. But regardless of which particular pleasures you derive from the film, it’s well worth seeing.