Review of X2 (2003) by Halfwelshman — 16 Jun 2011

X2 is the very definition of sequels surpassing their predecessors. Every single aspect of the film improves on the foundations laid by X-Men three years prior. The dialogue is crisp and clever, the story is tight and involving, and every single character is well-developed and believable.

The effects and action scenes too are vastly improved, making what we saw in the previous film look like a child's puppet show. I'd go as far as to say that the opening sequence with Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming) fighting his way though the White House is among the greatest action scenes ever committed to film.

The effects are not only state-of-the art, but are unlike anything seen before. The scene is truly pulse-racing and extremely creative, with John Ottman's epic score maintaining momentum and holding the whole thing together.

The rest of the film is an interesting take on the road-trip movie, with the X-Men narrowly escaping an attack on their mansion base by the vengeful and xenophobic Colonel Stryker (Brian Cox) and attempting to regroup to rescue the kidnapped Professor X (Patrick Stewart).

It's a long movie but never drags, the entire cast keep you invested in the story throughout, with Jackman, McKellen, Paquin and Romijn carrying over their stellar performances from the previous film and newcomers Cox and Cumming also impressing.