When a spike-tailed blue mutant with mind-boggling speed attacks the President of the United States, the world takes exception. Former army commander, William Stryker (Brian Cox), leads a movement against the mutant population, a unique group of individuals born with extraordinary powers that originate in their genes. Stryker begins his assault on the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters. This unusual academy was founded by Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) to act as both a safe house and school where mutant kids are trained to use their powers and protect humanity. Housed inside the school is a device called Cerebro that enables Xavier, a wheelchair bound telepath, to track all of the mutants. Stryker intends to overtake this mind-powered machine and use it to annihilate the mutant species. Since there’s nothing like the threat of Xtinction to force enemies together against a common cause, X-Men Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Jean Gray (Famke Janssen), Cyclops (James Marsden) and Storm (Halle Berry) find themselves in an unlikely alliance with the evil Magneto (Ian McKellen) and his shape-shifting sidekick Mystique (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos). Joining the fight is Rogue (Anna Paquin), her new boyfriend Iceman (Shawn Ashmore), their problematic pal Pyro (Aaron Stanford) and Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming), a religious teleporter with a heavy German accent. In an epic fight to survive, mutants good and bad unite, but their greatest threat may come from one of their own.
X2: X-Men United does what few sequels can… it surpasses its predecessor. The first film is heavy on back story. With the exposition out of the way, the second instalment focuses on xcitement. And boy does it deliver! From the opening White House sequence to the xhilarating ending, X2 is action packed. Amazing as it may seem, director Bryan Singer manages to deliver a pumped-up popcorn flick with a profound message about prejudice. You have to love Marvels with morals.
The real appeal of X2 is its characters. Wolverine remains haunted by his mysterious past and is startled to learn he’s connected to Stryker. Jean Gray continues to find her heart tugged in two directions by Cyclops and Wolverine. And Storm still has bad bombshell hair, though her new wig is an improvement. The best addition to the creature cast is Nightcrawler. Not only does Cumming give a vulnerable, versatile performance, but the quick-flash way his character transports himself is super fun. During the school raid, one of the film’s best scenes, we get to see a number of Xtras, including Shadowcat (passes through walls), Collossus (transforms to steel) and Siryn (sonic scream). The film also introduces us to the sharp talent of Kelly Hu as Lady Deathstrike.
If there’s one drawback to X2 it’s that you can’t get enough. It’s impossible to give equal opportunity to each character, so some are short shifted and there’s no time or room for in-depth exploration. However, X2 does lay down some character groundwork for the future, so it’ll be interesting to see where the series goes in the planned third instalment. Thanks to ample action, a stellar cast, amazing effects and a storyline that’s solid without being convoluted, X2: X-Men United is Xcellent entertainment.
Thanks to ample action, a stellar cast, amazing effects and a storyline that’s solid without being convoluted, it’s Xcellent entertainment.- Terri Clark
