Thrilling and surprising, better than the original

Rating: Null/10 (2 May 2003)

My expectations for summer blockbuster sequels have been virtually destroyed
by recent summers which gave us watered down mush like "MIB II" and the
feeble Star Wars sequels. Besides, the original X-Men was just a good, if not fully realized, superhero movie. I probably would have been happy if the sequel merely lived up to the original.
Within the first 20 minutes "X2" establishes itself as that rarest of beasts: the sequel that surpasses its predecessor on virtually every point of comparison. If anything it's even truer to the comic, as a cigar-chomping Wolverine comes into his own with the kind of brief responses and one-liners his animated counterpart has spat out for years.
The newcomers are engaging, especially Nightcrawler, who opens the film with
an action sequence that is made truly breathtaking with rocket-fast camera work, imaginative editing and cutting-edge special effects. Everything I've read so far makes reference to this sequence and with good reason. There is nothing like
an action movie that grabs you by the throat from frame one.
We learn more about the returning characters from the first film and we get to see them interact in new ways, some not by choice but by necessity. We
understand more about what makes them who they are in a way that is
universal to anyone who's ever felt excluded or outside looking in. This is due mainly to absolutely top-notch acting from almost everyone. It's like nobody has told Brian Cox, Patrick Stewart or Ian McKellan that they're in a comic book
movie and their line readings run the gamut from earnest to grave to brutally funny. I was starting to think Magneto was going to be sidelined for the film but when his moment in the sun arrives, McKellan is so good I actually was
cheering for him.
On that point, I'll just say that my audience was cheering, laughing, and
applauding throughout the film. Seattle audiences are desperately snooty and
we're quick to show our displeasure for cheese or lazy filmmaking (a la Star
Wars 1999-present) and all I can tell you is this film is a true crowd pleaser. Go stand in line! Every moment is worth it!