Best Superhero-adaption ever.

Rating: 9/10 (24 April 2003)

X-Men 2 had everything a comic book adaption needs. A strong story not just rehashing old plots from the comic, great actors and exciting special effects. Plus, it had tons of references to the comics only insiders get (Remy LeBeau and Franklin Richards are mentioned, one Dr. Hank McCoy appears in an interview).
Let's start with the story. I'm trying to keep this mostly spoiler-free. After an assassination attempt on the US President, Vietnam veteran William Stryker appears in the Oval Office, asking to take out a training camp for mutant terrorists. Said training camp is the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters. Those who watched the first movie or are familiar with the comic books know that this is the headquarters of the X-Men, mutants who protect a world that hates and fears them for being different. The problem is, most of the X-Men are away when he strikes, leaving the mansion (and Cerebro, a device with which you can track every mutant on the planet and, if you are telepathically skilled enough, kill them) vulnerable...
When the first movie was an analogy to the Black Rights movement (with Xavier and Magneto standing for Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, respectively), this is a movie about homosexuals. One mother asks her child if he hasn't tried "not being a mutant", and another man demands Professor Xavier "heals" his son, a mutant. Nightcrawler asks Mystique why she doesn't blend in with the "normal" people, and when she replies that she doesn't think mutants have to blend in, it's clear what this movie is about. People have to accept what they are. No one has to hide because he's different. And the rest has to respect that decision, has to tolerate those who are born different. And this is what makes this movie so important.
While the first X-Men movie featured mainly Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), this one is an ensemble movie. With the single exception of Cyclops, everyone gets their great moment to shine, especially the youngsters (Rogue, Iceman, Pyro) are convincing. Alan Cumming's Nightcrawler is great, but he speaks a horrible German. Well, at least that's true to the comics.
All in all, this is a great movie with a surprising ending, but it leaves me with some kind of dilemma. On the one hand, I want Bryan Singer to continue making movies for the X-Men franchise. But on the other hand, although X-Men 2 is the best superhero-comicbook-adaption ever (beating even Richard Donner's Superman), it's still nowhere near The Usual Suspects...