Not bad...except for Phoenix

Rating: 7/10 (2 August 2003)

I liked the first X men. I had my reservations b/c of the little things that we comic fans were griping about, but they did a pretty good job. I didn't think that Halle Berry would be a good storm (too pretty, not regal enough) but I was wrong. I thought that they picked a terrible actress for Jean Grey, and I was right.
Which brings me to the sequel. I can handle the black outfits (they actually look really cool, though a splash of yellow...maybe just the X symbol...wouldn't hurt. I could handle the discrepancies between the film and comic book (accents, origins, and the like...after all, what fun would it be if we knew EXACTLY how it was going to turn out) but I cannot stand the horrible mistake they made in casting Famke as Jean Grey. Not just in relation to her own role...but let's face it: she looks like she's Scott's aunt, not his girlfriend. And she lacks any of the sensual appeal that the character has. Jean Grey is a knockout. Famke is a pretty girl but more of a coutre model: skinny, no curves, that hard non-emotional look. She'd make a great villain though, as seen in Goldeneye. She just seriously stands out against the rest of the cast like a fish out of water.
I didn't complain this badly for the review of the first film, but Jean plays a more important role in this movie so it bothered me more.

Everything else was pretty awesome though. I loved the plot, the rest of the cast were great, and I am really looking forward to seeing who's gonna pop up in the next edition.