We will be watching.

Rating: 9/10 (5 February 2011)

X2 is directed by Bryan Singer who co-wrote the story with David Hayter & Zak Penn. The screenplay is jointly written by Hayter, Dan Harris and Michael Dougherty, and the source material, Uncanny X-Men was by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby. Cinematography is by Newton Thomas Sigel and the music score is provided by John Ottman; who also edits the film. The ensemble cast features amongst others, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Famke Jansen, Halle Berry, Alan Cumming, Anna Paquin, Brian Cox, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden and Kelly Hu. It is the sequel to the financial and critically successful X-Men released in 2000.
Plot, in short, sees Colonel William Stryker (Cox) declare war on all mutants: especially the X-Men superhero group. This forces Xavier's (Stewart) army to do the unthinkable; join forces with arch enemy Magneto (McKellen). But there is many perils in the way, and some murky pasts and future decisions are about to be unleashed into the maelstrom.
It has often been the source of much debate and musings, the old general feeling that sequels tend to be rubbish. While that is largely true as a whole, the niche that encompasses the superhero adaptation can rightly claim to have dispelled that argument in the last ten years or so. In fact many would argue that Superman II, Batman Returns & Blade II are better film's than the lead off picture that went before them, thus giving "the superhero sequel is better" debate more longevity of reference. Think Spiderman 2, The Dark Knight and, yes, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and it's good grounds to believe that the mention of a superhero sequel no longer brings apprehension and dread: but hope and a belief that directors can now improve on that first touchy feely franchise starter. Which is where X2 comes in, a film that is not only one of the best superhero sequels ever, it's also one of the best sequels ever, period.
In the three year gap between the first film and this sequel, Singer has had time to broaden what was appealing in that first film, whilst also getting a longer running time and a bigger budget to do the job right. The end result is a film that in every department improves upon its predecessor. The returning characters, except for Marsden's Cyclops, get more depth and time on screen, and the new characters that come and join in the mêlée, also bring with them truly great rewards. None more so that Cumming's delightful teleporting mutant, Nightcrawler, who gets to open the film up with a jaw-dropping sequence, that not only introduces us to a great new character, but also lets us know that Singer has mastered the art of shooting action. Yes it's that good. On the enemy side of things; Cox as Stryker is wickedly nasty and Kelly Hu's deliciously named Lady Deathstrike is a worthy opponent for Wolverine. Ah yes, Wolverine. As with the first film, Wolverine, beautifully essayed by the charismatic Jackman, is the core character thread. We like that he gets to kick more ass this time, that he is doing it with more back story, and in a state of anger and confusion, only serves to entertain more. Into the pot also goes the Junior X-Men, with Pyro (Aaron Sandford) & Iceman (Shawn Ashmore) joining Rogue (Paquin) for some mutant angst.
There's a lot going on, but it's easy to follow and all the ingredients come together smartly. It's a credit to Singer and his writing team (and Ottman's editing) that even tho there's much in the pot it still feels lean and brisk, and, that continuity from the first film has been easily attained. The thematics have remained dark edged (hatred of minorities/alienation etc), but the film is not without humour either. While the effects are stylish and the set-pieces scintillating. Singer was saying during production that he felt The Empire Strikes Back was his marker for X2; that his film is worthy of being spoke of in the same sentence is the highest accolade we can give it. 9/10