X-Cellent Chapter!

Rating: Null/10 (2 May 2003)

At Xavier's School for Gifted Children things are returning to normal. But after a mutant plot to seemingly kill the president is foiled the world once again appears on the brink of destruction. Wolverine returns to the School after a fruitless quest to find his origins only to find a new nemesis plotting the demise of mutant kind. Stryker wants revenge against Xavier and will go to any lengths in order to achieve it. All the team is tested to the limits of their abilities. Some will rise up to the challenge and some will fall victim to the darkness of others. One will make the ultimate sacrifice only to be reborn from the ashes. With a rip roaring beginning we start off this second chapter in the X-Men saga. The effects and action sequences receive an adrenalin injection with some killer set pieces and a surprisingly dynamic and dramatic plot. The overall tone is darker and more foreboding than the original and bares the classic `middle-film-in-a-trilogy' feel. The production design is awesome. The direction and script are rock solid. Some may complain that it takes too long in between action sequences but I thought that during these dramatic moments the actors rally shine. All the characters line up like ducks in a row to have their `big moment', and with that I have my only minor gripe. The X-Universe is chock full with awesome characters, so unfortunately some of the character arcs suffer due to not enough space to tell their stories. But in the end that is the only beef I have and that can always be fixed by a whole slew of prequels and sequels. So watch, watch and watch some more. 9/10