Review of X2 (2003) by Kyle T — 19 Apr 2016

I enjoyed but wasn't particularly impressed by the first entry in the "X-Men" franchise. Fortunately, its first sequel takes it up several notches and remains one of my favorite films in the series.

All of the X-Men from the first film return, along with a couple of new additions. Wolverine continues to impress as he's presented with more people to slash and a further investigation into his origins that takes its place as one of the main plot lines of the movie. Professor X once again remains primarily behind the scenes since he's taken captive by Stryker, but he still has a prominent role. Jean Grey's role is increased as her powers begin to act up and she shares a love triangle with Logan and Cyclops. Rogue's role diminishes substantially as she's no longer the focal point of the plot, but at least her romance with Bobby is explored. The two new characters are Nightcrawler and Colossus, along with a guy named John (AKA "Pyro") who had an extremely brief appearance in the first "X-Men." Nightcrawler shines as a teleporting blue mutant with angelic symbols tattooed on his body and a devilish tail; his character is calm and optimistic compared to most of the other characters, and I'm glad he's finally returning in "X-Men: Apocalypse" after such a long absence from the series. Colossus has a significantly smaller role as a student whose skin can turn to metal, but his role expands in the next film. Pyro takes the role of an antihero as he explores the limits of his fire-manipulation abilities and is tempted by Magneto to use his gifts against humans.

Speaking of Magneto, I'd like to touch on him now. As my second-favorite character in the franchise, I love how his character is explored in this movie. He's no longer the flat-out enemy of the X-Men; instead, he forges a shaky alliance with them as they work together to stop Stryker from destroying all mutants. From watching him break out of prison to ruining Stryker's plans, Magneto cements himself as a force to be reckoned with and one of the most interesting characters in the series by far. Mystique makes her return as his accomplice, and the way she manipulates those around her and defies the option of trying to hide from human prejudice is fascinating. Stryker takes the cake as the true villain of this movie, though. He remains one of the best villains of the series, having made Wolverine the man he is today and almost managing to kill every mutant on the planet. Even without having special abilities, Stryker is almost a match for the X-Men.

The action in this movie is significantly better than what we were served in the first film. The characters have more people to fight and more inventive ways of doing it, from Nightcrawler's great White House debut at the beginning of the movie to Wolverine's duel with his female counterpart.

The story of this film is far more complex and interesting than the plot of the first one. Wolverine tries to remember his roots as Stryker tries to manipulate him into working alongside him by promising him answers. Simultaneously, the issue of prejudice against people who are different is further explored, and the different ways the different mutants respond to that prejudice is engaging and realistic.

In conclusion, I'm giving this movie 4 stars out of 5--with a better story, better action, and some interesting new characters along with a further understanding of the ones we already know, "X2" crushes its predecessor under its feet as it provides us with a more exciting and satisfying superhero film.