"I love the first two X-Men movies because I thought that Bryan Singer did such a great job. He elevated that whole genre. He's a very talented director"

Famke Janssen’s words convey admiration rooted in firsthand experience. She credits Bryan Singer with lifting the X-Men films beyond comic-book spectacle into layered, character-driven cinema. “Elevated” signals a shift in tone and ambition at a time when superhero movies were often campy or purely effects-led. Under Singer, the first two entries became grounded allegories about alienation, identity, and prejudice, mutant powers functioning as metaphors for social otherness. That thematic seriousness, paired with restrained visual style and tight pacing, gave audiences something emotionally resonant in addition to action.

Her praise also speaks to craft. Singer’s approach emphasized performances, moral complexity, and world-building that felt lived-in. He balanced an ensemble of strong personalities, Xavier and Magneto’s philosophical conflict, Wolverine’s vulnerability, Rogue’s isolation, while ensuring smaller moments mattered. As Jean Grey, Janssen benefited from this attention to interiority; the films planted seeds of power, desire, and control that made her arc believable. Set pieces served story: tension built through silence and staging, then exploded in crisp, coherent action, as seen in the second film’s political thriller momentum.

There’s an implied historical perspective as well. These movies helped legitimize the genre for broader audiences and critics, demonstrating that a superhero narrative could carry gravitas without losing entertainment value. The chilly color palette, practical sets, and subtly stylized realism created a tone others later imitated. The success of that blend opened doors for more ambitious comic-book adaptations and set expectations for serialized character development long before shared universes dominated screens.

Calling Singer “a very talented director” acknowledges the alchemy required: translating dense lore into accessible cinema, guiding an ensemble, and shaping a unified mood that turns archetypes into people. Janssen’s appreciation underscores how directorial vision can transform pulp into prestige, leaving a lasting imprint on a genre and on the performers inside it.