Even better than the first

Rating: 8/10 (3 May 2003)

This movie actually improves on its predecessor, whose only real faults were a short run time and a weak score. This worthy successor leaves plenty of room for the whole series to grow in emerging and diverging directions.
In this film, more time is given to flesh out the characters we know and learn more about some of the new faces as well, though Cyclops and Deathstrike are shortchanged on character development that could have given just a little more needed depth to the story.
Director Bryan Singer is getting very comfortable with the X material and this clearly shows. And John Ottoman's score complements the film in a way Michael Kamen's did NOT do in the first film. Ottoman really is to Singer what Danny Elfman is to Tim Burton or John Williams is to Spielberg.
With so many new and interesting characters introduced, it will be interesting to see if certain actors (*ahem* Halle Berry) will put aside their salary-fed egos for a third movie, or if the way will be paved for a "new generation" of young X-men who can keep the movie franchise going as the older characters are phased out.