The rare sequel that is better than the original...

Rating: 10/10 (19 July 2005)

Sequels are simultaneously the joy and the banality of Hollywood. They're fun because we see favorite characters again, and they're banal because all too often they repeat their predecessor. 'X2' is an improvement over the already good 'X-Men', and it's a great comic-book film.
I prefer to leave plot details to writers, so let's get down to the cast. Hugh Jackman, I don't care what you say about his other movies, IS Wolverine. Every time I read the comic book now, I hear his voice. He's intense, animalistic, brutish, but he also has a sweeter side that too many action heroes don't have. Jackman pulls all of this off spectacularly, and I love him in this role. James Marsden is criminally underused, but he's not bad. Famke Janssen is oh-so-lovely as Jean Grey, and Halle Berry does a nice job as Storm. I liked Rogue (Anna Paquin), and her relationship with Iceman (Shawn Ashmore) is all the more heartbreaking because it's not forbidden love, it's a love that can never blossom. Patrick Stewart radiates authority as Xavier, as does Ian McKellen as Magneto. Rebecca Romijin-Stamos is sexy as Mystique, and I liked her "real" cameo (you'll know it when you see her).
My favorite characters are the new ones: Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming), a blue-skinned German teleporter who is deeply religious. Cumming pulls off the humor and pathos of his character well, and he has some nice scenes with Halle Berry. Kelly Hu does the silent killer thing as Lady Deathstrike. She, like Wolverine, has an adamantium skeleton and she has claws that come out of her fingernails. Wolverine's response? "Holy sh**!" That throwdown is a film highlight. Brian Cox is the villain of the piece, William Stryker, a man who wants revenge on all mutants. Cox exudes evil here, and he adds another fantastic notch to his belt. I also liked Aaron Stanford as Pyro, and I want to see more of him in the next movie.
The special effects are bigger and badder this time around, and director Bryan Singer actually makes CGI look cool. The script gives everyone their moments in the sun, and the acting is great. 'X2' is yet another film in the steadily increasing line of great comic book movies.