Better than anyone could hope for

Rating: 9/10 (7 May 2003)

Despite some reservations, I think this is a superior super-hero movie. There is a strong story, it builds brilliantly on the first film, and has some terrific set pieces. Bryan Singer controls it all with a sure hand and the cast are great, especially McKellen Cox, and Stewart who add gravitas to the whole proceedings. I love the those little things for fans (Hank Mccoy, Collusus), though I am still waiting for a hint of Warren Worthington III.(Does he still exist in the comics?) As an original x-man fan, I was kept very happy. The ending was totally unexpected , and yes I think The Phoenix saga must be on its way. Bobby the Iceman was nicely expanded, but as he was an original x-man shouldn't his parents be very old or is the comic guy now really young? Does his brother exist in the comics? Shawn Ashmore is very cute. I reckon the Ice keeps Bobby young. Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler was just extraordinary, and the effects that go with him were just like the comic character come to life. I worry that non-comic readers will be lost, but I think Singer has balanced everything so well. I wish there was more Scott Summers, but there's always X3. The effects are superb, goes without saying these days, but they work well with the storyline which nowadays the biggest task is of combining both well, which Singer did excellently.