Wonderful Escapist Fare

Rating: 9/10 (8 July 2003)

Years ago, when I first heard that X-Men was being brought to the screen I cringed. How could they translate the numbers and complexity of characters within a movie's short time span? Well, Mr. Singer did a good job of it, but had to spend much valuable screen time establishing his characters and their universe. Not so in the sequel, and the previous work pays dividends, allowing him to better develop the plot and probe deeper into the character's personalities. Also, and this may be a result of having so many subjects to work with, Mr. Singer is not afraid to kill off his main characters, from any of the three conflicting camps. This heightens the tension, so often missing from comic-book movies. The result is that X2 surpasses the original across the board.