BeeDub57

It was the very nature of the original "X-Men" that kept it from being the no-holds-barred action movie we all wanted. This was for a number of reasons:

1) None of the principal characters could be killed, as they were needed for the sequel(s). So nothing was really resolved at the end of the first movie.

2) Any significant twist of plot or revelations had to be saved for later installments to give them more weight.

3) Exposition, exposition, exposition.

Now comes the sequel, more of the type of movie we wanted from the first one. The pieces are all in place to give us a deeper, faster, higher-octane entertainment. Freed from the bounds of having to explain all the backstory, we move rapidly forward in each character's development (though some characters' day is still clearly to come).

However, this movie again ends with the feeling that the REAL war between humans and mutants is still in the future. The logistical problem with this is, How long is this cast going to stick with the series?

Every so often, I see a movie that isn't content to entertain me. It doesn't want to be a passing bit of fluff that I'll forget within a week. No, it wants to crawl inside my head and stir up images, words, and concepts that I never knew were there. It wants me to think, and think hard. It wants to challenge those things I hold as ultimate virtues. "Spirited Away" is such a movie.

Fifteen minutes into the movie, I knew I was watching something unforgettable. A half hour in, I was completely lost in this world, completely enchanted by the things I was seeing. After the film was over, I staggered out of the theater in a daze, my mind trying to sort out the experience I'd just been through. It wasn't easy. There was so much symbolism and detail that I knew this was going to be one of my favorite films of all time. Rarely had I been as challenged by any film, animated or otherwise, as I was by this one.

I won't recap the plot, since doing so is a gross oversimplification, and the film's power isn't in the storyline anyway. It's in the mood, the tone, the feelings that you have as you watch Chihiro discover hidden virtues within herself.

For those who still haven't seen this movie, be forewarned that while this movie is indeed a masterpiece, it requires concentration and an open mind to fully grasp its power. But is the personal effort worth it? A hundred times over, yes.

Yes, I've only seen the drastically cut MST3K version of this movie. But you know what? Each time I see it, the more I think, "You know, this could have been a really good movie with a few tweaks." The elements are in place for a better movie than this turned out to be. The whole drug-bust plot could have been more interesting with more development of what was at stake for each party involved. The Mitchell-hooker relationship also could have been intriguing as a love-hate kind of deal.

Which is not to say that this is a great, or even good, movie. But it must be said, it's nowhere near as bad as some comments on this board make it out to be.