An X-ellent Sequel That Improves on The First Film

Rating: 9/10 (22 July 2017)

"X-Men 2" is one of several Marvel movies that is an improvement over its predecessor. Whereas the first film felt held back a little, this sequel is much more confident and polished.
Hugh Jackman is once again fantastic as Logan/Wolverine. Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart are their usual great selves. Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Storm all return from the first film and are more fleshed out this time around. I also liked Rogue a lot more than in the first one.
We get a few more characters spotlighted, such as Pyro and Ice Man. The stand-out is Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler; he is one of the coolest characters in the entire franchise. We also get a wonderful villain in William Stryker, played by Brian Cox.
The film has a great storyline that hints more of Wolverine's past and brings up many interesting themes. It also has bigger, better action sequences than the first one with the best one being the brutal fight between Wolverine and Lady Deathstrike. The music score is once again really good.
My only real issues are that the film is just a little too long and what lead to Jean Grey's death felt a bit weird (I understand why it had to happen, though).
This was a great sequel that builds and improves upon its predecessor like any sequel should. This is one of the best "X-Men" movies and one of the better superhero movies out there.
RATING: A-