Fantastic sequel that betters the original.

Rating: 10/10 (17 November 2003)

The first X Men was a perfect comic book adaptation. It was flawless, keeping the action until the final act and instead focusing on plot and character development. It worked a charm and its success meant that a sequel was a foregone conclusion. Some sequels to comic book films are usually better (Superman II) or almost on a par with the first film (Batman Returns). X2 should be added to that list. In fact, it is more of a Superman II. Bryan Singer has bettered the original, and boy has he done a great job. First of all there is an increase in action, resulting in some of the most spectacular scenes outside of the Matrix series for 2003. The attack on the President at the start is spectacular with some superb visual effects, fantastic camera work, superb stunts and superb music. This launches the plot superbly and introduces us to Stryker, played fantastically by one my favorite actors, Bryan Cox. Never over the top and playing it with a realistic, yet disturbing fashion, he is a great villain and plays a magnificent part in the ensemble.
Bringing back everyone that survived at the end of the first film, increasing the roles for some of the characters only seen briefly in the first film (like Iceman) and introducing some enthralling new characters like Nightcrawler, what we get is a Hollywood action packed blockbuster with heart and soul. Nearly every character gets their moment (even neglected Cyclops) and Singer shows us that not only can he do an intelligent and cerebral superhero movie, he can also do one with the best action sequences money can buy. The fight scene between Wolverine and Lady Deathstrike is superb, not to mention graphically violent for a film rated 12 in the UK, the dream plot that Professor X is caught up in fantastically done and never confusing, while Jean's sacrifice is brilliantly handled and ensures that an emotional element is here that fits the film like a glove.

Performances are once again superb. McKellen and Stewart chew scenery fantastically, Hugh Jackman is fantastic once again, Famke Janssen almost steals the film with a performance that is moving, especially in the final moments, as Jean comes to terms with her increasingly stronger powers. Halle Berry gets more to do this time, mostly sharing scenes with Alan Cumming's Nightcrawler, the two sharing fantastic chemistry. Cumming almost steals the film with a performance that is at one moment funny, the next incredibly moving.
X2 goes beyond a comic book movie. It is without doubt one of the best blockbusters of the year. The template that Singer was working too was The Empire Strike Back, and like the best Star Wars film, we have a sequel that is better than the original that was a great film anyway. What we have here is a more confident production. Singer seems more confident at handling the increased input of action as well as the smaller character moments (Scott and Logan's sadness at losing Jean, and the moment of her decision to sacrifice herself to save her friends is almost as memorable as the action sequences). It is very rare that we get a Hollywood blockbuster like this. When was the last time you can say you watched big bangs and fights galore and still found the film moving.
This is shaping up into a wonderful series of films. I only hope that X3 is more of the same and less Superman III.