Terrific action

Rating: 8/10 (29 April 2003)

Having not seen the first X-MEN, I wondered if I could make sense of the story in here, since the first film was especially about introducing the characters. I must say I haven't had any major problems getting "in" the story, though some things asked for some explanation. Now, the film started out terrific: opening credits, first scene involving the new character of Nightcrawler (incredible, though I would have liked to see more of him), the escape from the ice cage, the raid on the mansion,.... I admired the fact that Bryan Singer didn't choose to copy THE MATRIX (like so many other films), and thought he did a great job here. I also liked how all of these characters used their specific "qualities" (there are some amazing ones in this film). However, the second half of the film wasn't up to par with the first half. It wasn't bad, but the story just had too many lulls, especially near the end. A pity, given the terrific start. Nevertheless, watch this one for the excellent action scenes. Some of it will get your heart pumping. 8/10