Review of X2 (2003) by Movie P — 14 Jun 2014

Well, after seeing the first film, I wasn't exactly excited for the next X-Men movie. Not that it was bad, but it suffered from too many characters, a rushed story, and a disjointed focus. But I was pleasantly surprised when I revisited this film and found that it still holds up remarkably well. Along with First Class and Days of Future Past, this may well be the X-Men's finest portrayal on film.

After the events of the first film, the X-Men and the thousands of other mutants are under threat from humanity. Tensions escalate when Nightcrawler, played by Allan Cumming, is brainwashed and attacks the President. The X-Men discover that the man behind the attack is William Stryker (Brian Cox), a right wing anti-mutant colonel aiming to kill. He kidnaps Xavier and brainwashed him so he can use Cerebro to psychically attack all mutants around the world. The X-Men have to form a unsteady alliance with Magneto and Mystique to save all mutant kind.

The biggest problem with the first film is a lack of focus and clarity. It seemed the writers didn't quite know what to do with all these characters. That and the script seemed really disjointed, trying either to be too dark or two campy. Thankfully, the writing vastly improved here and the story is much tighter. With the introduction now out of the way, the sequel can focus more on the story and action without having as much exposition. There are some lingering plot threats that are unneeded and some characters introduced that could have just been cut. But for the most part it keeps the story simple and direct with a clear focus.

The action noticeably took a big leap in quality. Many of the fight scenes and special effects still look great. The best being the invasion of the Xavier mansion which highlights Wolverine's "talents. Despite being a relatively darker film, the action stays fun.

There are two standout characters in the film. Alan Cumming looks great as Nightcrawler and he really captures the tormented and religious spirit of the character. His best scene is the opening with him teleporting in the white house office. Its still remains one of the best openings in any comic book movie. Bryan Cox is also great as the villain William Stryker. Ian McKellan was always classy and badass as Magneto, but Cox remains the most threatening villain in the series despite having no powers. I loved switching gears and having the human be the villain as opposed to just having another mutant for the sequel.

I'm also a sucker for plots where the villain and the hero have to work together to stop a greater threat. This may be one of the best examples in film. Having Magneto and Mystique interact with the X-Men this time leads to a lot of fun action scenes and many memorable and funny moments. This story arc is used perfectly here and I loved every moment.

There are some flaws though throughout the film. For every character that is used effectively there are many that just seem underused or wasted. Cyclops, who is supposed to be the leader and foil to Wolverine, is gone for 50% of the film. Rogue is almost completely forgotten about for most of it, despite having the most potential for interesting stories and fight scenes. And the writers seem to once again forget that Storm is practically a god who could wipe a town of the face off the map with her pinkie. Its things like these that make it feel like they are wasting their potential.

And don't forget the biggest problem: the ending. Jean Grey dies sacrificing her life to lift the X-Jet out of the upcoming flood. Its a touching and well acted scene that sets up Jean's resurrection as the phoenix perfectly. So whats the problem? IT MAKES NO SENSE. There is no explanation as to why Jean could not just lift the plane from the inside. If its because she is conflicted about her feelings, I highly doubt its worth her giving up her life for no reason. And if its because she was having some problems controlling her powers, I fail to understand how standing outside helps the situation. Plus you have a mutant who can steal her powers and do it for her, a mutant who can teleport, and a mutant who can control the wind and elements! There is no reason for her to die! There were a ton of alternatives for her death if this was the route they wanted to go.

But overall its still a damn good film. Its not the energetic fun of the first Iron Man or the morally gray drama of the Dark Knight. But for the time, it was a great leap forward for comic films.

**** (out of 5).