This movie *is* X-men. The first one should be renamed "X-men -1" or an introduction to the X-men.

Rating: 9/10 (10 May 2003)

The 1st X-men was a very solid work for what it aimed for, but not quite accomplished.
Well it was good enough to deserve a success, good enough to please the spectators with managing to put on screen the X-men in a debatable but solid adaptation, but not accomplished. It was solid, not cheesy, and it resisted multiple views much MUCH more than the overpraised Spiderman. You could say it was too short for the material. Or just too short overall (unconfident producers? come on not even 1h30?), and much too short to all together introduce the characters, raise a bunch of unresolved issues, open for a sequel and make a few things happen. So yeah X-men seemed to me liked unfinished (good) work. The most solid superhero movie since Batman 2 though. Or a promise to make the most solid superhero movie since Batman 2.
Now seeing X2 makes me feel like i was right, by bringing much good stuff that was announced by the first, but kept out of it. Dozens of mutants fighting in a tornade of kick bottom special effects. Histories, ambiguities, a good progression and a good rythm. Dont mistake me though. It's not a Tim Burtonesque variation on the theme of superheros. It's just a very honest and very good big dollars work under huge constraints. The hardest kind of film making, some would say.
I think the beginning of the movie shows how much X-men is a very unique comics series. The multiplicity of characters and powers just blows you away for the 1st hour. I'm still feeling that the rythm of the movie is awkward though, because of this "so many characters, so many powers, so many stories" thing that must have made the script just has hellish to do as those of the LOTR trilogy. Maybe what this movie lacks, though, is 1 character to really focus on, and the focus on Logan is probably is even shyer than in the 1st movie (god i was relieved that the use of the unexpected stardomship of Halle Berry remained in marketing campaigns only and did not seem to interfere with the film).
Anyway, a weird rhythm due to hard adaptation, but all the expectations are satisfied. You'll get your investment back from the first movie, only 5pled!