What an X-Men film SHOULD be!

Rating: 9/10 (24 September 2007)

Wow. Just...wow. This movie turned out to be everything I had hoped the first X-Men film would be. Plenty of action, plenty of story, and terrific performances from the cast. I had a couple of complaints about the introduction to one of my favorite Marvel franchises, but all of those complaints are gone with the newest installment. The movie begins with strength (a great scene of Nightcrawler attacking the White House) and doesn't slow down until the end credits roll.
Of course, one of the best things to look forward to when a new X-Men film is being released is "What new characters are they bringing in this time?" and once again, Singer brings nothing but the best. The sequel introduces Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming does an awesome job with one of my favorite X-Men), Pyro (Aaron Stanford), and Lady Deathstrike (Kelly Hu). As for Brian Cox, I enjoy watching him in just about any role, and he brings a perfect restrained hatred to the character of William Stryker, the military scientist whose plans bring the X-Men and Brotherhood to work together. I was also happy to see that Bobby Drake (Iceman) was given a larger role; seeing as how in the comics, Iceman was one of the first X-Men, I thought they severely underused him in the first film.
Since a majority of the characters were introduced already, Singer didn't have to slow things down this time around so the audience could get to know everyone. Where I thought the first film had a handful of moments that dragged, this one has none. Despite that this movie times at just over 2 hours, it feels like it flies by. Even better, the action in this movie is more brutal, showing more of what Wolverine is capable of (he IS the best at what he does, after all...). We even get a better glimpse at the mutants' powers in action with special effects that are even better than last time.
The one and only problem with the film was pretty much unavoidable. In a movie with a cast this large, some characters are bound to be underused. I thought Deathstrike was a great addition to the roster, but she is only given ONE line and ONE fight scene (granted, it's a freakin' awesome fight). The character of Colossus was brought in (FINALLY!) but only made a brief appearance. But, I do understand the limits when trying to include so many people in a single movie and I don't let it get to me.
This movie is yet another example that a sequel can surpass the original. I couldn't be happier with the latest in the franchise and this movie is going to rank high as my favorite movies for years to come.