Godsend (2004)

A couple agree to have their deceased son cloned, under the supervision of an enigmatic doctor, but bizarre things start to happen several years after his rebirth.

Good premise is rolled out into a cliche-ridden and unmemorable horror tale despite having a capable star cast.

Maltin**1/2: "Good performances and an interesting premise reel us in, but then the filmmakers string us along, teasing us about where the story is headed. It doesn't pay off."

X-Men (2000)

Two mutants come to a private academy for their kind whose resident superhero team must oppose a terrorist organization with similar powers.

OK adaptation of a comics classic is slow-paced,  has good emphasis on atmosphere and style and surprisingly doesn't overdo it with the action sequences.

Halliwell (no star): "Stylish comicbook action movie that is one of the few to suggest that some inteeligence is involved, though its attempt to find a connection between its mutants and the Jewish victims of the concentration camps is ill-judged."

Maltin***: "Long on razzle-dazzle, fun to watch, though some energy is sapped away by the climax."

Rebecca Romijn