Yep, it's as good as they say it is...

Rating: 8/10 (10 May 2003)

My older brother and his friend decided to go and see X-2 on Thursday night, since I had nothing better to do I decided to tag along (but believe me, I didn't go for the company). I think I was going to see this film at the weekend anyway as my friends were talking about it but I wasn't really excited about seeing it. I have seen the first X-Men and I thought it was fine and maybe a little overrated, my Dad, when he was little, was a big fan of the X-Men and he has a big dusty cardboard box filled with their old, mildewed comics. So one boring summer when I was up in the attic I had a little flick through them. I didn't know a lot about the X-Men but I discovered that I knew more than others. This is my first time reviewing a really big film still in the cinema, so don't mind me if I sound a little bit nervous at times, what with all your big, top quality reviews floating about.
Anyways I'll start with the acting. They cast for this film is incredible and they really make this film just that bit more excellent. Some of the actors that really stand out are Hugh Jackman (Wolverine), Famke Janssen (Dr. Jean Grey), Patrick Stewart (Professor X) and Sir Ian McKellen (Magneto). Thank god Hugh Jackman was chosen to play Wolverine. I couldn't imagine anyone else playing the feral gentleman, Jackman was excellent in the role, switching between berserker rage and gentle and dry. His relationship with Jean Grey is also quite intense, Jean Grey's character is wonderfully acted by Janssen, and this lady seems good at playing deeply troubled yet sophisticatedly sexy roles. Then McKellen and Stewart give an electric performance, the terse conversations, the familiar yet totally obscure relationship between them and their unsurpassed wisdom is excellently pulled off, together they're a wonderful combination. The rest of the acting is really good, I won't name all the actors but Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler), Halle Berry (Storm), Rebecca Romijn-Stamos (Mystique) and Aaron Stanford (Pyro) execute their roles perfectly, bringing the film to life to an even greater extent. I was also glad to see Romijn-Stamos' role exploited more, she plays Mystique brilliantly and her character seems much more human with much more character than before. Kelly Hu gave a great performance (if you can call it that) as the silent but deadly Deathstrike. I also liked the inclusion of some of the other, younger X-Men, Collosus, Siryn, Jubilee and Kitty Pryde (however I hope, if there is a sequel, they will have much MUCH more screen time).
The film was basically story integrated with a lot of action. The action sent my already quivering spine shaking all over again. The opening sequence with an assassination attempt on the President's life played out with some excellent classical music was amazing. Other parts of the film such as the storming of the mansion, Mystique's invasion and Wolverine's cat (tiger) fight were all also astonishing action sequences. The dialogue in the film was quite good as well but it doesn't really stand out in a film with amazing special effects such as this. The special effects were delectable; they made the film seem much more realistic than it could've been. I especially liked Bobby Drake/Iceman's (Shawn Ashmore) mutant abilities as well as some others. Again I have to applaud Mystique as one of the most enjoyable characters in the film; her shape-shifting skills are brilliant to watch.
The story wasn't as intelligent as the first X-Men's but I still enjoyed it, there weren't many heart-stopping twists in the storyline until near the end (of course I'm not going to tell you), a real tendon-tweaking moment. A lot of the characters aren't fully explored either. I think the director should've tried to incorporate the use of flashbacks more often. I thought for a moment we might've delved deeper in Lady Deathstrike's past (when she starts to get all fidgety when she is with William Stryker and Professor X) or Pyro's past (when he sees all the happy family' photographs on the wall in Bobby Drake's house), but we didn't. These characters were likeable characters but just weren't explored enough for me. Also I think Lady Deathstrike had a past with Wolverine right? This wasn't even touched on in the film, either. The theme of the story was colourfully highlighted. I think basically they were trying to display the intolerance of the human race, how we are always looking for a scapegoat and how people shouldn't be afraid to be themselves:
- `Then why not stay in disguise all the time? You know, look like everyone else.' - `Because we shouldn't have to.'
Besides the lack of character development I found the pace was a bit off at times (this is very minor) and also that some things could've been explained a littler clearer but overall it was a brilliant film. Once I sat down in the cinema time just slipped through my hands like sand, I didn't even notice it go past. It was a truly brilliant film and I'd recommend it to anyone. It's an improvement upon the last film and I hope another sequel is made. I think the director (Bryan Singer) and the cast all deserve a round of applause. Watch this film; really, you won't forget it!
Grade: A
- Milla.