Two-in-One Review: X2 Randy and Don talk about the latest release from Bono and the rest of the band... no, wait, that's U2. This is a review of X2. Don: While I enjoyed the first X-Men movie, I had my doubts that director Bryan Singer would be able to juggle a central cast of more than a dozen characters. Doubts dispelled. Singer and his cast offer up not only a better film than the original, but one of the best -- if not the best -- super-hero movies ever to grace the big screen. Randy: I'm nervous to make such a proclamation, as I think I originally thought X-Men was "great" and downgraded it to "just good" in my mind a few weeks after the review, but yeah, X2 is pretty damn good, and the only competition in my mind for the crown of best super-hero movie would be Spider-Man or Superman. Comic fans will not be disappointed by this one. X2: X-Men United directed by Bryan Singer starring Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellan, Brian Cox, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, James Marsden, Alan Cumming, Anna Paquin, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Standford & Kelly Hu Don: Military scientist Col. William Stryker (Brian Cox) has a personal beef with mutantkind, and he's on a well-armed crusade to wipe them out, even using brainwashed mutants to achieve his goal. The X-Men, the heroic team founded by Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), the younger students from the Xavier School and the X-Men's arch-enemy, Magneto (Ian McKellen), must join forces to stop Stryker's evil plans. Randy: There has been a sort of "is it or isn't it?" question going around about how much the seminal X-Men graphic novel God Loves, Man Kills influenced the movie, and I have to say that I found the influence to be pretty strong. While Stryker is considerably different from his comic-book incarnation, the central villainous plot is very similar to the graphic novel, as is the alliance of convenience between the X-Men and Magneto. There's even a little bit of dialogue at the end with Wolverine and Stryker that recalls the Stryker/Kitty Pryde exchange from the graphic novel. One surprising change, however, is that the movie boasts an even larger cast of characters than the graphic novel. Don: I'm still amazed at how so many characters and so many subplots are crammed into this fun popcorn flick. Only one of the major characters -- James Marsden's Cyclops -- fails to get a moment or two to shine in the spotlight. Relative unknowns Shawn Ashmore and Aaron Standford -- as Iceman and Pyro, respectively -- get a surprising amount of screen time, and they prove they're equal to the task. They manage to hold their own against such screen presences as Hugh Jackman's Wolverine and Ian McKellen, who clearly relishes the role of the villain. Randy: I'm not sure I agree entirely about Marsden being the only one given short shrift by the script. Poor Patrick Stewart has a pretty minimal role compared to his role in the first, and Anna Paquin's Rogue gets shoved off stage pretty quickly after a relatively brief character arc in the beginning. But everyone does at least get their moment, even Cyclops, and you're right in that the juggling of such a large cast is impressive. Don: Special-effects fans won't be disappointed by the movie. There are some brilliant sequences -- notably Magneto's escape from his plastic prison and Nightcrawler's infiltration of the White House -- and the mutants' powers are portrayed realistically yet wondrously. More importantly, though, the special effects don't eclipse the story or characters. Randy: My favorite special-effects sequence was the one that finds several of the X-Men in a plane being pursued by fighter jets. Great use of the powers of Jean Grey, Storm and Nightcrawler, as well as a pretty strong introduction for Magneto, made that the most memorable sequence in the film. Although the opening, introducing Nightcrawler with a bang (or a bamf?), is fantastic, and gets viewers on the side of the movie right away. And comics fans will no doubt get a kick out of the change in special effects on Jean Grey's powers which are part of one of the major subplots of the film. Don: Portrayed by Alan Cumming, Nightcrawler's impish yet devoutly religious personality makes him instantly likable, and it allows the audience see past the prosthetics and blue makeup to see the person within. Mystique (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) steals the show whenever she's on screen. She plays a key role in a number of plot developments, but there's also a brief scene in which we see something more than her anger, deviousness and seductive nature. Randy: You just named the two characters who stole the show for me in this movie. I was a little worried when hearing advanced press that they might turn Nightcrawler into someone with a more demonic personality, but Cumming absolutely captures the gentle personality of Nightcrawler that contrasts his appearance, and he's as perfect in the role as Jackman was in the role of Wolverine. And though Romijn-Stamos has always been a beauty, I didn't know she had the chops to pull off her role here so effectively. While the stunt-men and her shape-changing powers (and thus the assistance of other actors playing her role) no doubt helped, Mystique comes across as smart, sexy and dangerous in this one. I can't help but think that Mystique's new Tsunami title might get a boost from fans eager for more of her character after seeing the movie. Don: X2 isn't a perfect movie, though. It boasts a couple of plot holes, as seems to be characteristic of super-hero movies. And though Cox conveys Stryker's obsessive and corrupt personality, his evil-villain smile needs some work. One should also keep in mind that seeing the first X-Men movie is pretty much a pre-requisite in order to get the most out of the sequel. Randy: It probably wouldn't hurt to watch the DVD of the first movie again before going to see this one if you don't remember the film pretty well, but I don't think this sort of serial continuity is bad, or badly done, in this context. And I have to disagree with you on Cox's performance, which I thought was letter-perfect. That genial, friendly smile made his actions and words all the more creepy to me. The only complaint I have, and it's a minor one, is the way that the younger mutants, protected by Colossus, just dropped out of the film at the mid-point. Don: Furthermore, I'm surprised by the movie's PG rating. Though we don't see a lot of blood-letting, the body count is pretty high. There's an edgier quality to this sequel. Though there's a greater emphasis on super-hero fantasy elements, there's also a harsher quality at play. It makes sense in this context, though, but it may be cause to leave the younger tykes at home. Randy: Again, I disagree on this point. Fans will be delighted to see Wolverine really going all-out with his claws, rather than seeing the neutered "only uses his claws on inanimate objects" character we generally see in other-media adaptations, but Singer manages to have his cake and eat it too. There is very little actual blood in the movie, and most of the after-effects of Wolverine using his claws are left off-camera for the imagination of the viewer. There is a darker tone to this film, but it's the darkness of The Empire Strikes Back, a darkness that younger viewers will be able to handle and probably enjoy. I would have no trouble taking someone in the 8-and-up set to this film. Don: Singer and his cast prove that there's a great deal of potential left in this particular super-hero franchise. Even when the Hollywood current comic-book bubble bursts, it's a safe bet that the strength of this movie will ensure there will still be an audience for more X-Men movies to come. Randy: This kicks off what should be a fantastic movie-going summer for comic-book fans, and it's first weekend box offive virtually guarantees that we'll see more X-Men movies in the future. That's a good thing, I think... this one is solid on its own, but it builds even more effectively as the second in a trilogy by Singer, and I hope he comes back to give us a third installment. Although hopefully X3 won't have any Ewoks in it. 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