The original set up an intelligent treatment focused on 'character'...

Rating: 2/10 (20 July 2005)

... which the sequel then junked for the usual silly superhero theatrics and vapid set-pieces. Some people criticised X-Men because they thought it didn't have enough action - I liked that it focused more on 'dialogue' and 'mood'... X2 went too far in the opposite direction, for my liking. To put it into perspective, I also liked "The Hulk" for the same reasons most people hated it... ! The first installment was duty-bound to do sterling work establishing the players and examining their various back-stories. For the most part that isn't necessary here, and so I felt that it just wasn't dealt with satisfactorily AT ALL - even for party newcomers like Nightcrawler. Any trace of subtlety is pretty much swamped by the traditional gung-ho heroism now that the majority of the group know each other better.
The many interesting relationships of the first (such as that between Wolverine and Rogue) are not given anywhere near the attention they deserve in order to cram in more physically astonishing feats. Your average teenage moviegoer will love this (as proved by the high rating here) but I've seen it all before; and to see the series regress to aping countless other summer blockbusters when it began by celebrating differences, (literally) was more than a little dispiriting to experience...