X2(2003 film)

***X2*** (sometimes promoted as ***X2: X-Men United***,or internationally as ***X-Men 2***) is a 2003 American superhero film, based on the X-Mensuperhero team appearing in Marvel Comics, distributed by 20th Century Fox. It is the sequel to 2000's *X-Men* and the second installment in the *X-Men* film series. The film was directed by Bryan Singer, written by Michael Dougherty, Dan Harris, and David Hayter, and features an ensemble castincluding Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Brian Cox, Alan Cumming, Bruce Davison, and Anna Paquin. The plot, inspired by the graphic novel *God Loves, Man Kills*, pits the X-Men and their enemies, the Brotherhood, against the genocidal Colonel William Stryker (Brian Cox). He leads an assault on Professor Xavier's school to build his own version of Xavier's mutant-tracking computer Cerebro, in order to destroy every mutant on Earth and to save the human race from them. The film's budget was 110 million dollars and the box office was 407.7 million dollars.

PLOT

At the White House, brainwashed teleporting mutant Nightcrawler attempts to assassinate the President of the United States but fails and escapes. Meanwhile, Wolverine returns to Professor Xavier's school for mutants, while fellow X-Men Storm and Jean Grey find Nightcrawler with the help of the mutant-tracking machine Cerebro.

Xavier and Cyclops visit Magneto in his plastic prison cell, inquiring about the assassination attempt, and Xavier discovers that military scientist Colonel William Stryker has been extracting information about Cerebro from a brainwashed Magneto using an injectable drug. Stryker and his assistant Yuriko Oyama capture Cyclops and Xavier and raid Xavier's school. Wolverine kills many of Stryker's men, while Colossus helps most of the students escape through hidden tunnels. Rogue, Iceman, Pyro, and Wolverine attempt to escape until Wolverine is confronted by Stryker, who fails to shed light on Wolverine's past. Iceman helps Wolverine escape, but Stryker's soldiers succeed in sedating six students and breaking into Cerebro. During a confrontation with the mutant-hating Stryker, Xavier learns Stryker is behind the plot to assassinate the president.

Impersonating Senator Robert Kelly and Yuriko, the shape-shifting Mystique gains information about Magneto's prison and helps him escape while also discovering schematics for another Cerebro. Wolverine, Rogue, Iceman, and Pyro visit Iceman's parents in Boston. Responding to a 9-1-1 call from Bobby's brother Ronny, the police arrive just as the group is leaving. Pyro uses his fire-projection power to fend off the police.

The X-Jet arrives to pick them up, and is targeted by two Air Force F-16 fighter jets. They are hit by a missile, but Magneto saves their jet from crashing. Magneto informs them that Stryker orchestrated the attack on the president to provide rationale to raid Xavier's school in order to steal Cerebro's parts, and plans to connect Xavier to another Cerebro rebuilt at a secret base. The X-Men decide to team up with Magneto and Mystique to stop Stryker. Jean reads Nightcrawler's mind and determines that Stryker's base is inside the dam at Alkali Lake.

Through his son, Jason, Stryker gains control over Xavier, who is brainwashed to use the second Cerebro to find and kill all mutants. Mystique infiltrates Stryker's base by impersonating Wolverine, and Storm and Nightcrawler search for the students. Jean, Magneto, and Mystique are attacked by a brainwashed Cyclops while trying to rescue Xavier, and cause damage to the generators that keep the dam from collapsing in the process. The force of Jean's telekinetic blast clashing with Cyclops' optic blast awakens him from his brainwashing, but cracks the dam. Wolverine finds Stryker in an adamantiumsmelting room, where he recovers some of his memory. Wolverine fights and kills Yuriko, and finds Stryker on a landing pad, where Stryker bargains for his life by offering to reveal Wolverine's past. Wolverine refuses, and binds Stryker in chains.

Storm and Nightcrawler find the students, while Magneto and Mystique kill the rest of Stryker's men. Magneto stops Jason and Xavier from using Cerebro to kill mutants. Disguised as Stryker, Mystique uses Jason to convince Xavier to kill all humans instead; she and Magneto, along with new initiate Pyro, use Stryker's helicopter to escape Alkali Lake, after chaining Stryker to concrete rubble. Nightcrawler teleports Storm inside Cerebro, where she creates a snowstorm to break Jason's concentration and free Xavier from his control.

The X-Men flee the base as water engulfs it, and discover that Magneto, Mystique, and Pyro have escaped on the helicopter. Iceman and Rogue arrive with the X-Jet and get everyone on board. The dam bursts, flooding the landscape and killing Stryker. A malfunction aboard the X-Jet prevents it from taking off; Jean ultimately sacrifices herself and uses a telekinetic wall to shield them from the flood. She uses her leftover power to activate the X-Jet's primary engines and drops the torrent of water down on herself, which presumably drowns her.

The X-Men give the President Stryker's files, and Xavier warns him that humans and mutants must work together to build peace. Back at the school, Xavier, Cyclops, and Wolverine remember Jean, and Wolverine tells Cyclops that Jean chose Cyclops over him. As the film ends, Xavier states he believes everything will be alright, while a Phoenix-like shape forms beneath Alkali Lake.

CAST

Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier / Professor X

Hugh Jackman as Logan / Wolverine

Ian McKellen as Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto

Halle Berry as Ororo Munroe / Storm

Famke Janssen as Jean Grey

James Marsden as Scott Summers / Cyclops

Rebecca Romijn-Stamos as Raven Darkhölme / Mystique

Brian Cox as Col. William Stryker

Alan Cumming as Kurt Wagner / Nightcrawler

Bruce Davison as Sen. Robert Kelly

Anna Paquin as Marie D'Ancanto / Rogue

Shawn Ashmore as Bobby Drake / Iceman

Kelly Hu as Yuriko Oyama / Lady Deathstrike

Also, Katie Stuart appeared as Kitty Pryde, a mutant girl who can walk through walls; Kea Wong as Jubilee, Bryce Hodgson as Artie, a mutant boy with a blue tongue; Shauna Kain as Siryn, a mutant who is able to emit loud screams that alert the students to Stryker's attack; and Michael Reid McKay as Jason Stryker / Mutant 143, William Stryker's mutant son who has the ability to cast illusions. Also in the final scene with Xavier, a girl is seen dressed in a Native American style jacket, as well as a blond haired boy dressed in blue, played by Layke Anderson. These were later confirmed to be Danielle Moonstar and Douglas Ramsey / Cypher. Daniel Cudmore appeared as Piotr "Peter" Rasputin / Colossus, introduced in this film as a young mutant with the ability to turn his body into organic steel, and possesses superhuman strength while in that form. Cudmore was set to use a Russian accent, but Singer dropped the idea of accents despite characters of different nationalitie.