Retro Review: X2: X-Men United
This is a review I wrote of the film X2 for my Journalism class. Unfortunately, this is only the rough draft; the only final draft I have is the actual school paper.
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Hell hath frozen over, and the time of the geek is here.
There has never been a better time to be a sci-fi/comic book geek. With the release of such films as the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Star Wars prequels, the Harry Potter films and, of course, the ever-expanded library of films based on Marvel comics, a geek, specifically this geek, couldn’t be happier. That’s why I felt it was my duty to see the film X2: X-Men United the weekend it came out.
For the uninitiated, X-Men is about a group of humans who have evolved beyond their normal selves to include fantastic new superpowers that vary from mutant to mutant. Professor X is a telepath, Wolverine has near-unlimited healing capacity, Magneto can control metal through magnetic fields, et cetera.
X2 picks up right where X-Men left off, just a few weeks after the battle at Liberty Island. In a spectacular opening sequence that has almost as much action as the whole first film, a mutant makes an assassination attempt on the President of the United States. This re-launches the debate of Mutant Registration, which was begun in the first film. If the bill passes, it will leave mutants exposed and vulnerable. This must not happen, so Professor X (Patrick Stewart) sends Storm (Halle Berry) and Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) to track down the assailant while he and Cyclops (James Marsden) visit their old pal Magneto (Ian McKellan). Still with me? At about that time Wolverine returns from his trek in Canada and is charged with protecting the school of students while the others are away.
Meanwhile, a man named William Stryker (Brian Cox) has prepared a plan to "investigate" the
school. He is decidedly anti-mutant and his plans are more sinister than they seem.
This film is filled with action from start to finish. From the assassination attempt to the assault on the school and beyond, it will keep you watching from start to finish. What is the greatest about these scenes is the fact that the special effects used only help the action, adding to the believability of the story.
X2 takes most of the flaws of the first one and fixes them, making this all the more enjoyable. Instead of a meager hour and a half, the film is a respectable 2 and a half-hours. The first film covered the introductions to these characters; this one concentrates on seeing them in action.
Each of the characters of this film is interesting and unique, and just plain fun to watch. Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) finally cuts loose, going into the berserker rages that the original didn’t allow. Alan Cumming’s Nightcrawler is even better than you could imagine from the comics. Words just don’t describe it. There is finally some romance between Rogue (Anna Paquin) and Bobby Drake (Shawn Ashmore, the only X-kid to return from the original). McKellan is excellent as Magneto, and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos brings new life to the character of Mystique. Cyclops kinda sits this one out, but Storm is given more screen time while losing the annoying accent from the previous film. Jean Grey has some interesting developments, and she even sets up the plot for X-Men 3. For some reason, the capital of Arizona comes to mind…
X2 is a great film from start to finish, and it will entertain even those who aren’t geeks. To paraphrase Comic Book Guy,
"Best. Movie. Ever."
I give X2: X-Men United a 5 out of 5.
X2 is rated PG-13 for sci-fi action/violence, some sexuality and brief language.
___________________________________________________________________
Hell hath frozen over, and the time of the geek is here.
There has never been a better time to be a sci-fi/comic book geek. With the release of such films as the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Star Wars prequels, the Harry Potter films and, of course, the ever-expanded library of films based on Marvel comics, a geek, specifically this geek, couldn’t be happier. That’s why I felt it was my duty to see the film X2: X-Men United the weekend it came out.
For the uninitiated, X-Men is about a group of humans who have evolved beyond their normal selves to include fantastic new superpowers that vary from mutant to mutant. Professor X is a telepath, Wolverine has near-unlimited healing capacity, Magneto can control metal through magnetic fields, et cetera.
X2 picks up right where X-Men left off, just a few weeks after the battle at Liberty Island. In a spectacular opening sequence that has almost as much action as the whole first film, a mutant makes an assassination attempt on the President of the United States. This re-launches the debate of Mutant Registration, which was begun in the first film. If the bill passes, it will leave mutants exposed and vulnerable. This must not happen, so Professor X (Patrick Stewart) sends Storm (Halle Berry) and Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) to track down the assailant while he and Cyclops (James Marsden) visit their old pal Magneto (Ian McKellan). Still with me? At about that time Wolverine returns from his trek in Canada and is charged with protecting the school of students while the others are away.
Meanwhile, a man named William Stryker (Brian Cox) has prepared a plan to "investigate" the
school. He is decidedly anti-mutant and his plans are more sinister than they seem.
This film is filled with action from start to finish. From the assassination attempt to the assault on the school and beyond, it will keep you watching from start to finish. What is the greatest about these scenes is the fact that the special effects used only help the action, adding to the believability of the story.
X2 takes most of the flaws of the first one and fixes them, making this all the more enjoyable. Instead of a meager hour and a half, the film is a respectable 2 and a half-hours. The first film covered the introductions to these characters; this one concentrates on seeing them in action.
Each of the characters of this film is interesting and unique, and just plain fun to watch. Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) finally cuts loose, going into the berserker rages that the original didn’t allow. Alan Cumming’s Nightcrawler is even better than you could imagine from the comics. Words just don’t describe it. There is finally some romance between Rogue (Anna Paquin) and Bobby Drake (Shawn Ashmore, the only X-kid to return from the original). McKellan is excellent as Magneto, and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos brings new life to the character of Mystique. Cyclops kinda sits this one out, but Storm is given more screen time while losing the annoying accent from the previous film. Jean Grey has some interesting developments, and she even sets up the plot for X-Men 3. For some reason, the capital of Arizona comes to mind…
X2 is a great film from start to finish, and it will entertain even those who aren’t geeks. To paraphrase Comic Book Guy,
"Best. Movie. Ever."
I give X2: X-Men United a 5 out of 5.
X2 is rated PG-13 for sci-fi action/violence, some sexuality and brief language.
