X-Men 2

X2: X-Men United is a significant escalation from its predecessor, trading the exploratory tone of the first film for a high-octane thriller with profound thematic depth. Director Bryan Singer masterfully expands the X-Men universe while delving deeper into the characters and their complex moral dilemmas.

The film's narrative is driven by a ticking clock, as the X-Men face a formidable new threat in Colonel William Stryker (Brian Cox), a ruthless anti-mutant zealot. This heightened stakes approach elevates the action sequences to a new level of intensity, with the climactic showdown at the Weapon X facility being a particular highlight.

However, X2 is more than just a blockbuster spectacle. It explores mature themes of government surveillance, human experimentation, and the blurred lines between hero and villain. The introduction of Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming) adds a poignant dimension to the story, as his character grapples with questions of faith and belonging.

The ensemble cast delivers outstanding performances. Hugh Jackman's Wolverine continues to evolve, showcasing his character's vulnerability alongside his ferocious fighting style. Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen's dynamic as Professor X and Magneto reaches new heights of complexity. Halle Berry's Storm emerges as a powerful and independent figure, while the additions of Alan Cumming and Shawn Ashmore as Iceman bring fresh energy to the franchise.

One of the film's strengths lies in its character development. Wolverine's backstory is partially unveiled, offering glimpses into his tormented past. This adds layers to his complex character, making him even more compelling. Nightcrawler's introduction brings a refreshing dynamic, his faith-based struggles providing a unique perspective on the mutant experience.

While the film's pacing is occasionally uneven, and some plot points feel rushed, X2 remains a thrilling and thought-provoking entry in the superhero genre. It successfully builds upon the foundation laid by the first film, offering a richer and more complex exploration of the mutant world.

The relationship between Professor X and Magneto continues to be a core element, but their dynamic shifts as they find themselves on the same side, albeit for different reasons. This unexpected alliance adds complexity to their characters and provides opportunities for intriguing character interactions.

After the success of the first movie, Bryan Singer brings the X-Men back to the screen. He has stated X2 is the X-version of The Empire Strikes Back. He's not totally wrong: like Empire, X2 is darker than its predecessor, characters are developed and dealt with in a more mature way, and the foreboding climax is quite shocking indeed (there's even a "I am your father"-style revelation concerning Wolverine's past, which is given more space here than in the first chapter). In fact, the movie could have been named X2: Humanity Strikes Back.

That's right, this time it's the "ordinary" people who are raising hell, in particular William Stryker (Brian Cox), a military scientist who takes advantage of the increasing paranoia surrounding mutants and has the POTUS himself approve his plan to take down the "monsters" once and for all. The war is about to begin, and with Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and Cyclops (James Marsden) gone, the only X-Men left to face Stryker are Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), Storm (Halle Berry) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), with some help from Rogue (Anna Paquin) and Iceman (Shawn Ashmore). They are eventually joined by a former employee of Stryker's, the blue-skinned teleporter Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming), as well as the most unlikely ally around: Magneto (Ian McKellen), who has managed to escape from the plastic prison he was locked up in (the break-out plays like the Marvel version of Hannibal Lecter's escape in The Silence of the Lambs, and yes, that is a compliment).

The plot is loosely based on the famous graphic novel God Loves, Man Kills by X-guru Chris Calremont (the villain and the alliance with Magneto are explicitly taken from that story), but Singer makes it all much more apocalyptic (Stryker was simply a preacher in the comic-book), while also having the time to take a look at some of the first film's subplots: the Wolverine-Jean-Cyclops love triangle is taken to a new, unexpected level and the Canadian mutant's forgotten "origin" starts getting slowly unveiled (Wolverine: "Who are you?"; Stryker: "Don't you remember?"). Jackman is the standout in this movie, as we finally get to see everybody's favorite X-fella lose it and make the bad guys regret they showed up in the first place. Those sequences are a treat for those who have grown up loving Wolverine and his dual, conflicted nature. Another actor who leaves a memorable impression is Cumming with his portrayal of Nightcrawler, one of the mutants people fear the most (he looks like a demon), but also the one who's most willing to forgive mankind for its mistakes.

So, with all the great acting, good writing and clever direction, no wonder X2 was voted the greatest comic-book movie ever before Spider-Man 2 and Batman Begins were released. This is one superhero opus you won't want to miss.

9,5/10

X2: X-MEN UNITED (2003) ***1/2 Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Brian Cox, Alan Cumming, Bruce Davison, Anna Paquin, Kelly Hu, Aaron Stanford, Shawn Ashmore, Cotter Smith. Superlative sequel and a boost of hyperactive energy in the franchise's arm in the second chapter of the Marvel Comics' cult classic this time with good mutants teaming with bad to stop a bent human military advisor (hissable Cox) out to wipe out both types at any cost. Far-out special effects, new characters (particularly winning is Cumming as the blue-skinned Night Crawler) and non-stop action packaged with kinetic infectious giddiness. Jackman continues to amaze as the tormented Wolverine, Berry is given more to do as the tempestuous Storm, Janssen's Jane Grey is perhaps the most nuanced in her suddenly advance telekinetic skills and McKellen is well…magnetic as Magneto. Fun tongue-in-cheek screenplay by Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris (w/ David Hayter, Zak Penn and director Bryan Singer getting story credits) keeps up with the multi-layered storyline encompassing class welfare, social strata and in general to accept one for who they are and not what they are. Well done!

A lot has been said about this movie, as is the case with many recent Hollywood comics adaptations. While I truly respect everyone's opinion, I really don't see the point in some criticisms brought up against this movie.

(Definitely NO spoilers ahead.)

First of all, we must realize that X-men comics have been around for decades. They existed before many of you were born. Still, the producers had to assume that the average audience had little or no idea about the mutant phenomenon, but Bryan singer did a very good job (as always) in the first film, and introduced the audience. Besides, adapting such a story with so many characters to the screen is no easy job, and is also risky, considering it's Hollywood and it must return all those millions. So the mutant phenomenon was well explained, the characters and their abilities introduced, and the plot (which actually had a story, unlike many action flicks) was carried out smoothly. All in the running time of one film. good job.

The second film, however, had to concentrate (naturally) on more characters and a more thorough story. This is why I object (in the title) to people criticising this film for "lack of character development" etc. Many of the characters WERE developed in the first film. If you never read x-men comics, and did not even see the first movie, and see this one right away and still expect the director/writer to spell things out for you, well, you'll be disappointed. "Where did Colossus take the kids during the attack?" someone asked. To hide them somewhere, THAT'S where he took them. I don't think people would like to see the director spell out everything, such as Colossus' inner voice saying, "Well, let me take these kids somewhere beneath this multimillion dollar facility, to hide them from the bad guys."

And the newly-introduced characters were introduced well enough. You see their abilities, you see whose side they're on, you even learn more about their personalities as the movie progresses. What else do you need to learn? Which team he supports?

The highlight of the film was definitely Mystique's transformation scenes, very well done.

The movie had many shortcomings, of course, the pace slowed down more than once, some main characters, especially Cyclops, were almost lost, but the plusses were way more than minuses. Especially Nightcrawler, who almost stole the lead from Wolverine. I must also add that Wolverine is much more violent in this film than the first, much more like the original comic character.

As for the people who complain about the abundance of characters. Well, bad news for you. X-men is not a story of a couple of guys and their girlfriends. There are much more characters, hopefully to be seen in the next sequel(s). Jubilee, Pyro and Colossus were all hinted in this one. Though I'm eager to see Gambit also, I can't wait to see how they will do the Beast. Of course, I can see the "no character development" people asking each other, "Who is Beast?"

In short, this movie does what it's supposed to do: Gives us entertainment, and shows us our favorite characters on screen.

This movie was great--much better than the original film, which was pretty standard as far as summer blockbusters go. X-2 skipped all the awkward and unnecessary attempts at a backstory (and I'm speaking as someone who knew next to nothing about the XMen when I saw the film) and went straight for an intelligent route. The characters were fascinating and the special effects were truly pretty good--and that's saying something, since I'm usually bored out of my mind by that kind of thing.Some of the acting was absolutely wonderful. Rebecca Romijn Stamos, Ian McKellen, Alan Cummings, Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, and Anna Paquin more than made up for the mediocre attempts of Halle Berry and Famke Janssen.