X2: X-Men United: Movie & DVD Review (2003)

(Originally published 2003)

Bryan Singer’s “X2: X-Men United,” a vast improvement over the 2000 original, picks up almost immediately where “X-Men” left off.

Leading the good mutants is Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), owner of the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, a man who believes in a world in which humans and mutants should coexist in harmony and thrive as one.

Sharing his belief are Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Rogue (Anna Paquin), Storm (Halle Berry), Cyclops (James Marsden), Iceman (Shawn Ashmore), and Dr. Jean Grey (Famke Janssen). New to the group are Pyro (Aaron Stanford), who could burn a hole through Hell, and Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming), who looks as if he were born there.

After the film’s opening attack on the president, the administration, furious to be so brazenly challenged by Nightcrawler, goes into overdrive in its effort to ruin all mutants. To do its dirty work, it hires William Stryker (Brian Cox), a vet who likes the idea of mass genocide, particularly if those being murdered are mutants.

After injecting a truth serum into Magneto (Ian McKellan), a debonair yet evil mutant locked away in a plastic prison cell, Stryker learns of Xavier’s Cerebro machine, which was built to keep track of all mutants on Earth. Through a series of events that won’t be revealed here, Stryker plans to use that machine against the mutants and kill them all.

As dense as the plot is—I’ve barely skimmed the surface here—Singer goes to great lengths to make certain it doesn’t feel overstuffed.

He takes his time with his tale, fleshing out his tormented characters and allowing them their conflicts, such as with the tense romantic triangle that develops between Jean, Cyclops and Wolverine, the ugly past Wolverine must face through his relationship with Stryker, and the budding love affair that blooms between Rogue and Iceman, which could lead to Iceman’s death should they consummate it.

Across the board, the acting is strong, particularly toward the end, when it becomes downright moving as the film twists into the unexpected. The film’s action scenes are tight and often ingenious, such as when Mystique (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) brazenly busts Magneto from his cell, or when Storm generates a few dozen tornadoes to keep the Air Force off her tail.

Like so many scenes in “X2,” that scene doesn’t end as one expects. It doesn’t take the easy way out. Singer and his screenwriters know the value of a surprise and they deliver their share without dipping into the absurd. The result is a movie that surpasses expectations, a superhero flick that can rightfully take its place alongside the best.

Grade: A-