X2 (2003) Review

X2 (2003) Review

X2 is, in many ways, a perfect sequel. It expands the universe, develops characters, provides more spectacle and has a reason to exist. It is also, in similar ways, a perfect movie.

X2 is the follow-up to the wildly successful X-Men (which I reviewed yesterday and will presume you have seen) and continues the story of the X-Men, a group of mutants who protect the human race despite the other side rejecting them. A new threat emerges in the shape of William Stryker , an excellent Bryan Cox (the actor not the annoying scientist on BBC 2), who plans to wipe out all of mutant-kind. This means Wolverine and co. must team up with Magneto for the common good.

Forcing the opposing sides to join together is a stroke of absolute genius. It adds a palpable level of tension to every scene. You never know if and when either side will turn against each other. This also allows those characters largely ignored in the first film to take bigger, more important roles. Mystique is revealed to be more than a drone following Magneto's every order. By temporarily making Cyclops a bad guy, Bryan Singer gives his and Jean's relationship a little room to breathe. Storm, however, is still largely ignored.

The new characters are worthy contributions. Stryker is a terrible, cruel man, but is believable enough to work. Thankfully, he's actually given a reason to hate mutants other than being a [insert expletive]. Nightcrawler is probably my favourite character in the X-Men universe, and fits right in here. His power is what makes him cool, his personality is what makes him great. He really is an everyman. Kind, thoughtful and funny yet scared and lonely. Stryker's bodyguard, Yuriko, is the only one who fails to make much of an impression. She is very cool and serpentine, but is given next to no time to become an actual character.

Something notable about X2 is just how slow it is in comparison to the original. It's never boring, though. The time between the action is well spent. As well as the aforementioned character development, we get some interesting moral discussion. A great example is the brief sequence at student Bobby Drake's house (a pre-Smallville Shawn Ashmore), whose parents have only just found out about his mutation. Whereas X-Men drew inspiration from the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, X2 shifts focus to gay rights. "Have you tried not being...", genetics vs experience, prejudiced families. These are things millions of young gays experience on a daily basis. You have to hand it to Singer, he really knows how to discuss big topics in a subtle, intelligent way.

 X2 is truly magnificent. It may suffer similar problems to the original i.e. a few characters aren't given a fair share of growth and sometimes trying to cram too much in for it's own good. But, as an thoroughly entertaining and intelligent ride, you can't beat the darkest, most ambitious and (in my opinion) best X-Men film to date...

Five Word Verdict: Empire Strikes Back with mutants

Score: 4½/5

What do you make of X2? Am I just a naive fanboy? Let me know in the comments below. My next review will be of Need For Speed, coming next weekend. The Last Stand review will be up in a couple of weeks, whenever I have a break in schedule for new movies. See you next time!