Review of X2 (2003) by Akash S — 23 Apr 2014

After their long separation, Professor X and Magneto join forces against a common enemy. Though the 1st part gave a good start to the franchise, this one trumps the first one in every aspect - plot, character development, twists, action, and emotional depth (especially). The opening scene with the White House attack by the new character 'Nightcrawler' is spectacular, and sets the movie forward in the right direction.

The franchise as an allegory on the homosexual community is much more conspicuous in this part, with the exploration of many more aspects relating to it. The most brilliant and intelligently comic scene among all is the one in which Bobby Drake (Iceman) comes out to his family as a Mutant and they're weirded out by it, and his mom casually asks, "Have you ever tried Not being a Mutant?"; it's priceless.

Mystique's transformation scenes were carried out amazingly in this part, and the actors playing their characters, as disguised by Mystique, did a convincing job. Nightcrawler and Mystique stand side-by-side and share a conversation, but there's no mention of her being his mother. And throughout the three parts, they don't mention her being the adoptive mother of Rogue even once. I don't know whether these were just omitted, or re-written for convenience; either way, it's a disappointment.

Overall, it's quite entertaining and intriguing throughout. Before Nolan's Batman franchise rolled out in 2005, this part might have been the most well-written comic book adaptation till then.