X2: X-Men United

Rating

Director

Bryan Singer

Screenplay

Daniel P. Harris, David Hayter, Zak Penn, Bryan Singer (Comic: Stan Lee)

Length

133 min.

Starring

Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Brian Cox, Alan Cumming, Bruce Davison, Anna Paquin, Kelly Hu, Aaron Stanford, Shawn Ashmore, Cotter Smith

MPAA Rating

PG-13 (For sci-fi action/violence, some sexuality and brief language)

Review

The forces of evil are no match for the machinations of a man whose hatred for mutants is unparalleled. The sequel to the popular comic book movie X-Men is here and this time it’s even better.

Back for a second dose of X-Men action, Hugh Jackman leads the all-star cast as troubled mutant Wolverine. After discovering in the first film that he was created at a secret research facility, he begins X2 trekking through the wilderness to the facility only to find the building crumbled to the ground. Dejected, he returns to Professor Xavier’s (Patrick Stewart) mutant school. There he finds his romantic interest Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) has fallen in love with rival mutant Cyclops (James Marsden). Also along for the ride is weather-controlling Storm (Oscar winner Halle Berry) and power-stealing Rogue (Anna Paquin). Appearing in the first film briefly, but playing a larger part here are Bobby Drake (Shawn Ashmore) as Rogue’s boyfriend and their malcontent classmate Pyro (Aaron Stanford).

Returning prisoner Magneto (Oscar nominee Sir Ian McKellen) remains in his plastic cell while chameleon Mystique (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) searches for a way to get her compatriot out of prison, impersonating Senator Robert Kelly (Bruce Davison) whose death in the first movie lead to an interesting set-up for this sequel. With characters Sabretooth and Toad killed off in the first film, the villainous side of the cast seems disheartened. Not to worry, a more evil character is about to make life hell for the mutants at Xavier’s school. General William Stryker played excellently by Brian Cox has come up with a plan to brainwash other mutants into serving his nefarious goals including a raid on Xavier’s school where he plans to capture any mutants he can and take control of the professor’s powerful Cerebro device used to locate mutants around the world and so powerful that Xavier’s extreme concentration could kill anyone he desires.

In this instance, we are introduced to two new mutants not seen in previous films. One plays the part of Stryker’s personal assistant Yuriko Oyama, but whose true nature is revealed much later in the film. The other is a God-fearing teleporter whose mind and abilities are used in a well-choreographed opening sequence where he assaults the white house, nearly killing the President with a knife carrying a slogan requesting the freedom of mutants. This piteous creature finds his way back to his home where he eventually gains the audience of Storm and Jean Grey. Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming) is the name he has given himself and his powers are marvelous and Cumming’s performance fits him all the better.

Where the original X-Men succeeds, X2: X-Men United improves. With an amazing cast (with few exceptions), a complex and intriguing plot and a terrific directing job by Bryan Singer, X2 is not only better than the original, it’s better than any Marvel comic book movie to date and second only to Tim Burton’s brilliantly dark Batman. Jackman wears Wolverine’s skin like the comic book had been written around Jackman. His gruff expressionism and indelible passion make him a sympathetic and outstanding anti-hero. Stewart, likewise, takes Professor Xavier to a level that only he could, blending his talents with everyone around him. Cumming is absolutely brilliant, giving one of his best performances to date and Cox plays his role so satisfactorily that you truly despise him by the film’s conclusion.

The remainder of the cast does an admirable job, but a few notable exceptions need to be mentioned. Paquin whose Oscar-winning turn in 1993’s The Piano was a breakthrough role, but she has never been worse than in the two X-Men films. That being said, the truly worst performance in the film comes from Marsden whose wooden romantic interest shows nary an emotion and forces the audience to wonder what Dr. Grey sees in him.

Screenwriters Daniel P. Harris, David Hayter, Zak Penn and Singer have created a more rewarding and intelligent plot than the original. With the necessary character development disposed of in X-Men , X2 has the opportunity to use minimal exposition and get directly to the story, taking integral character stories and intertwining them in the narrative of the film. While we learn some of what Nightcrawler is in the first few scenes of the film, we learn nothing of his true being until later in the film. Likewise, we learn much of Stryker’s personal history in the latter half of the film when we can finally understand why this wretched person has gone to such great lengths to destroy mutant-kind.

X2 is a true gem casting its light into an otherwise bleary film season. Audiences will certainly enjoy the heart-pounding, edge of your seat excitement Singer and company deliver. They will become emotionally attached to the people on the screen, celebrate the ultimate conclusion and drown in the sorrowful aftermath. With another brilliant setup for the third installment, audiences will barely be able to control their anticipation for X3.

Review Written

May 13, 2003