Fabulously stylised, superior sequel to a terrific predecessor.

Rating: Null/10 (5 May 2003)

`X2' is the fourth in line in this new series of movies, revitalising the old comic strip superhero genre. It began with big hits like `Superman' and `Batman' along with smaller ones such as `The Punisher' and `The Flash'. After `X-Men', `Spider-Man' and `Daredevil' comes this, which is the best of them so far. This means that the ones still to come such as `The Hulk' and `Spider-Man 2' have big shoes to fill. `X2' beats out all of the mentioned films in nearly every way.
With so many characters, the film is continuously compelling and they are all equally likeable. The performances are standard, as expected. There are some clashes of acting styles that sometimes tend to get in the way. There's the royalty of Sirs Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, the teenage kitsch of Anna Paquin and Shawn Ashmore, and the mainstream styles such as Halle Berry and James Marsden. This mixed bag works surprisingly well as an ensemble cast rather than a group of individuals.
Stewart and McKellen are right on the mark, bringing the film some class. Hugh Jackman was the best choice for the part of Wolverine and does his part just as well as he did the first time. Famke Janssen looks the part and does a pretty good job as the sultry seductive Jean Grey. Likewise for hubby Cyclops played by James Marsden. He doesn't get a lot of time on the screen but ironically develops more. Anna Paquin doesn't get much of a chance to do much else other than stand in the background. That's a shame because she was brilliant in the first one as the vulnerable action chick. The rest of the performances from the likes of Rebecca Romijn Stamos, Kelly Hu, Brian Cox, Alan Cumming and Halle Berry are good aswell. It's a shame that Tyler Mane and Ray Park couldn't return because they were great in the first one. But the word on the street is that they've signed on for X3 so all is forgiven.

In the high tech world of today, it's expected that the visual effects in movies should be top class. X2 goes as far as to push the limits of computer generated possibilities. The effects are a consistent treat for the eyes and there are even some really cool camera angles. The final third is made up of the climactic fight scenes. It all boils down to a shockingly tragic conclusion. However, if you've read the comic, you'd know that there is a shimmering light at the end of the tunnel.
X3 will have to be absolutely outstanding in order to surpass this. With cool characters, superb visuals, a great cast and good subplots, is quite possibly the best superhero movie ever made. It doesn't fall flat under the weight of its some 15 characters or large numbers of subplots. My IMDb rating: 8.3/10.