A triumph for Singer and Co.

Rating: 8/10 (23 April 2003)

The second in the x-men series has a lot to give, continuing right from where we left off at the end of the first film (which seemed to end pretty prematurely, so the new beginning makes up for that). With a similar feel in themes and shooting technique, but noticeably larger budget and more production time, X2 rocks! In the action/adventure sequel tradition the action scenes are bigger and better, with great Wolverine claw waving moments and even big sequences for the younger members of the x gang. This is perhaps what makes the film, the students of Xavier's school both old and new feature heavily, with good character development on screen and dialogue. The well scripted dialogue of the film fills in x-men1 gaps and leaves you thinking about further development and adventures.
On the negative side, the film doesn't seem balanced enough, heavy on the Wolverine story lines, perhaps a more flashbacks for other characters like Magneto in X-men1 would have been a better use of sections of the film. Also, greater explanation not just implication of smaller characters and their motivations e.g. Pyro could be well placed despite resulting in a slowing of pace.
Generally X2 is head and shoulders above the average comic book film adaptation, despite the rumoured set disputes and constraints Bryan Singer and the cast have again produced an excellent, and intelligent big box office hit!