Brilliant in all respects

Rating: 10/10 (1 July 2003)

When I saw the original "X-Men" film, I thought it was a great action movie. I still say it's better than "Spider-Man," and a heck of a lot better than "Daredevil" or "The Hulk." It had everything necessary to make the world of Marvel's mutant heroes come to life. It was a perfect comic book movie.
"X2" isn't like that at all. "X2" isn't a great comic book movie. It's a great movie, PERIOD.
"X2" is one of those sequel films that comes along every blue moon and surpasses its predecessor. "Empire Strikes Back" did it; so did "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." And like those two, not only does it outdo the original, it sends the first film shuffling home in a potato sack with a stern lecture that it had better not come back until it's gotten its shoes shined and a haircut. What, you think "X-Men 1.5" was released just because the first film was POPULAR?
"X2" reteams the original core cast, and Hugh Jackman leads the pack with a stellar performance as the gruff, tortured Logan (Wolverine). Patrick Stewart proves once again that no one else in the universe could ever have played Professor Xavier, and Famke Janssen takes her much underused character, Jean Gray, from the first film to (quite literally) a whole new level. Sir Ian McKellan traded in his "LotR" wizard robes to reprise the role of Magneto, and infused it once again with all the nuance necessary to make the character a sympathetic villain . Anna Paquin returns as Rogue, and there are even some moments in the movie when she *gasp* HAS A SOUTHERN ACCENT. Much of her screentime is shared with the adorable Shawn Ashmore as Bobby (Iceman) Drake, whose blue eyes are enough to rivet even the most hardcore bad-boy lover to the screen. Rebecca Romjin-Stamos as the spookily sexy Mystique is even more prevalent in this film than the first, which will give the men in the audience a thrill, and James Marsden pops his head in to blow a few things up with his laser vision as well. I'm telling you, I've always hated Cyclops in the comics and cartoons, but Marsden makes me like him. Power to you, James. Power to you.
Of the new mutants making their debut in the second movie, the most riveting is Kurt Wagner, aka Nightcrawler, played flawlessly by Alan Cumming. He looks like a blue demon covered in ritualistic scars with hooves and vampire teeth, but after two minutes of hearing him talk, I DARE you not to fall madly in love with him. DOUBLE dare you. And I know I'll win the bet.
Aaron Stanford does an admirable job as John Allerdyce (Pyro), but he never quite fulfills his potential; though the scene where he blows up close to a dozen police cars with his manipulated fire is just awesome. Anyone out there expecting him to be Australian, get ready for disappointment - Johnny boy is 100% American in this one. Kelly Hu is underused as the venomous Lady Deathstrike, but her climactic battle with Wolverine left me wincing hours after leaving the theater. Other honorable mentions go out to Kitty Pryde, Siryn, and Colussus, all of whom make guest appearances in the film. And Colussus? Yep, he's American, too. No Russian accent here.
Brian Cox - who officially had himself cloned so he could make this movie, as well as the six hundred million other films he's contracted to star in over the next week - plays a great villain (Stryker), but there's something cliched about the character. He's evil, but his reasons for turning evil - while clearly explained - don't seem to justify what he's planning to do. But hey - perhaps I'm just not evil enough to understand the way his sick mind works. I guess I should count myself lucky.
The only character I DIDN'T enjoy in this movie was Halle Berry as Ororo (Storm) Munro, for the simple fact that you can just TELL she isn't happy in the role. Her spats with director Bryan Singer are well-documented, and hard to hide onscreen. If there's a third movie (and oh yes, there will be a third movie - they can't NOT make one, unless they want to be crucified by legions of fans) I don't see Ms. Berry returning. Not by a long shot. Not if you pushed her with a ten foot pole.
The story is, like the first movie, one of social stigma and bigotry, taken to Hitlerian scale by Stryker and his squad of anti-mutant militia. What I find most interesting about this movie, though, is that you really don't know what side to agree with: Magneto or Xavier. One is struck by the similarities of the two to Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, respectively. Who do you listen to? Who has the strongest case? Who is right? It's the age old question, and "X2" doesn't try to make you choose. It trusts you to draw your own conclusions.
Really, I can't praise this movie enough. If we danced around it wearing gauzy garments and sipping wine from gilded goblets, a la ancient Greek Bacchanals, I might say that'd be going too far. But I went to see it five times, and each time I loved it more than the last. That has to say something, right? Only one thing was missing that would have made the whole thing a total gem. One simple thing - a man, actually. A tall, slender man with an extendable bo staff and red-on-black demon eyes, who's absolutely KILLER at cards. But hey, that's what sequels are for, right? I'll bide my time till the next movie, and pray that Gambit makes more than a cameo appearance. Hell, I'll even hope he gets to be a main character. I just have one ultimatum to issue first:
Please, for the love of all that is good and holy,
Make.
Him.
CAJUN.