Better than the first

Rating: 9/10 (6 May 2003)

I have to say that I have seen this movie twice already and I loved it both times as a fanboy and as a movie buff. There is a sense of character overload, but how is that any different from the loads of characters in war films like "Saving Private Ryan" or "The Dirty Dozen?" In fact, I was a bit disappointed that we didn't get to see more of Shadowcat, Jubilee, Colossus, and Siryn although all of them make an appearance in the film. I am sure we'll see plenty of them in bonus hours on the DVD.
The first film was a bit muddled with so many new characters, to the non-fanboy populace, and in plot details. Although the film was a massive success, it was difficult for many moviegoers uninitiated in the X-Men saga. But in "X2: X-Men United," there's a greater degree of cohesiveness. We have a clear and present evil, a solid storyline, and loads of characters to gawk at. There's also a better pace to this film. It's more organized and the action sequences are evenly placed in the movie. I kept waiting and waiting for Deathstrike to unsheathe her claws, and when she finally did, it was thoroughly satisfying. Her and Wolverine's fight scene was incredible!
Hugh Jackman's Wolverine is more complicated, feral, and downright vicious in this film and I like it. When he begins his berserker rage in the school, I couldn't help say, "Wow." Without his performance, the movie goes nowhere. He is such a hinge for the film. Alan Cumming was awesome as my favorite X-Man growing up, Nightcrawler. He has always been so complicated and enigmatic, and this movie gave us just enough to understand him, but not enough to discard him with boredom. The attack on the president scene was better than I could have ever imagined. Much like Spider-Man, I always had an idea about how Kurt would move, teleporting from here to there, the acrobatics, the "bamf" and the cloud of brimstone: one word- amazing!
This is definitely a multi-viewing film. There are so many things for the average movie fan and multitudes of stuff for the comic geeks. An excellent film with loads of metaphors, I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I.