A sequel that outshines the original.

Rating: 8/10 (26 June 2010)

An attempt on the Presidents life doesn't help the X-men's cause for peace between mutants and mankind. Magneto is still up to no good and a new enemy surfaces, Stryker, who seems to have a past with Wolverine. Wolverine tries to find answers to his past through this mysterious man who wants to kidnap mutants.
X2 opens with a bang and is one of the best scenes in the entire trilogy. We are introduced to a popular x-men character, who is visualized perfectly and is one of the best character adaptations the films have ever done and the sequence itself is entertaining. So much that it immediately grabs you and tells you that this film is a sequel that outshines the original and it does. Bryan Singer took the flaws of the original and fixed them here, he makes a sequel that is not only bigger, but better. Many times sequels fall under it's own need to do things on a grander scale, but here it works.
We are introduced to some new characters, such as Nightcrawler, Pyro and Lady Deathstrike. All three of these characters shine in this film and elevate it to making this sequel the best in the series. Deathstrike has a brutal and violent fight scene with Wolverine, it seems he has finally me his match this time around. Styker is played by Brian Cox, he is deliciously evil and a nice face to see against the x-men then just having it be Magneto again.
The action sequences are better here, more rough and tough. They are choreographed to make it not only more real, but more entertaining. They fit the comic book form a little more here than in the previous installment. The risk in this film seems a bit greater as well, the stakes are risen in the sequel and it makes us care more about the characters and the outcome then what one would initially think.
Halle Berry and her role as Storm is still one of the weakest parts of the series. Her lines fall flat and her sincerity doesn't seem genuine. Her bits with Nightcrawler seem forced and she somehow manages to take one of the coolest characters from the comics and make her quite lame here. James Marsden improves here as Cyclops, he has more emotional baggage to carry here than last time. It's always hard to act when your eyes are covered, I give him credit despite having less screen time.
This film is darker, not everyone makes it out alive. It sets up one of the best story lines the comics have ever introduced, the Dark Phoenix Saga. The script is tighter as is the acting. Rogue is still an annoying teen, but she has matured a bit since last time. The special effects are improved and the direction is more polished. If I were to point anyone into the direction of an x-men film, this is the one I'd tell them to watch.