A beyond worthy follow up

Rating: 10/10 (8 May 2003)

As a huge X-men fan, I am perhaps one of the toughest critics this film has to please. And I am happy to say that this film did not let me down in the least bit.
(contains spoilers)
The character development was great (especially Nightcrawler) and it felt like I was actually watching a comic book come to life. Everything was true to its origins (with the exception of Storm losing her accent because Halle Berry couldn't cut it). I was thrilled to see that they made Mystique a bigger character and gave Anna Paquin more of a back seat role (but still highly involved). My favorite "surprise" had to be the introduction of the Phoenix. Although not completely obvious to the non-X-men crowd, she pretty much revealed herself from the get go at the museum. Phoenix is one of my favorite characters, thus making the last shot of the film even more exciting!
As for the action in this movie, it doesn't disapoint you at all. It starts off with an amazing opening that litterally had me jumping out of my seat! And then of course the scene with Pyro at Bobby's house. That moment was equal to the scene from the first movie with Magneto outside of the train station. And lets not forget perhaps the best action sequence in the whole film: the raid at the school! You got to see some minor characters in action (i.e. Siryn, Shadowcat and Colossus). You also got to see Wolverine just cutting it loose.
Plus, the story line, cinematography, makeup, special effects and set where freakin' amazing!
Overall this movie was well worth the $16 I have spent so far. If you've seen it once, I'd say give it a second look... you'll notice things you didn't see before! 10/10
To X-men Fans: Pay attention to the TV in the bar scene with Mystique. Note the name of the Doctor being interviewed!