Hey, hey, I'm back! Who knows for how long. Too much of me is too much of a good thing in my opinion...
Hey, hey, I'm back! Who knows for how long. Too much of me is too much of a good thing in my opinion. And that's what it's all about - opinions!
Member since:02.08.2000
Reviews:79
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First off, what’s with the title? The film is officially known as X2 but it (understandably) is being marketed as X-Men 2. Do they think that that somehow sounds cooler? I can’t imagine…
Anyway. This is perhaps the first sequel I’ve ever seen without first seeing the original. I think you can get away with it if you have some familiarity with the background of the (sorta-) titular X-Men of Marvel comic book fame. I’m not so sure you would if you don’t have that knowledge, however. Returning director, Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects) doesn’t hang about giving explanations, which was apparently a flaw of the first film, but gets right into the action.
It starts with a kinetic blue mutant blasting his way into the White House, seemingly unstoppable. He gets all the way to the President, dodging bullets and slamming Secret Servicemen in a blurred frenzy. But just when you thing he’s up to no good, he doesn’t kill the Big Man but merely leaves a calling card, or, actually, knife.
It seems it was all some sort of stunt to do with equal rights for mutants or somesuch. You see, mutants are, possibly, the next stage in human evolution. Super-powered individuals are popping up all over the world. Some look entirely human but have incredible powers of telepathy or can control certain elements. Some are more monstrous in appearance and it’s not clear which mutants the humans are most scared of. There could be a war in the offing…
The Pres. panics and calls in General
Stryker (Brian Cox) – you think with a name like that he’d know he was a baddie – to deal with the situation. Of course, Stryker is more intimately involved than anyone can possibly imagine. (Sorry, I’m beginning to slip into superhero dialogue.) Stryker initiates an attack upon Professor Xavier’s (Patrick Stewart) supposed school for the gifted, which is actually a secret training base for young mutants. But what Stryker is really after is Cerebro, an incredible chamber/machine controlled by telepathy that can not only detect every mutant on the earth but can also focus the Professor’s abilities to destroy them if so directed. (Hmmm, I DO hope that technology never gets into the hands of a psycho!)
Magneto (Ian McKellen), the big bad from the first movie, also turns up. From his unique plastic jail cell (Magneto can control any type of metal) he is initially just a source of information for Stryker but his inevitable escape, aided by mutants who agree with his agenda – that they are "Gods among insects" – ensures his further involvement in the plot. But why is he helping the X-Men? What is he really up to?
Okay, that’s about as much plot as I can give away without ruining your enjoyment – I’ll let the filmmakers accomplish that for you. I’m afraid I really didn’t like this movie for a number of reasons but mostly because it’s just boring. Despite all the action sequences I was just overcome by a sense of ennui. I couldn’t help thinking I’ve seen this all before. I’m not that familiar with the comics and it may be that genuine X-fans will get a lot more out of this than us regular viewers. There’s always something special about seeing our childhood heroes up there on the big screen.
To break it down, the acting is okay. Cyclops/Scott Summers (James Marsden) and Phoenix/Jean Gray (Famke Janssen) are miscast and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is not nasty enough. Storm (Halle Berry) is more believable and Stewart is fine as Xavier. Cox, who many people think was a superior Hannibal Lecter in Manhunter, shows that he might well have ended up being as hammy as Hopkins was to become in the part, based on this performance. McKellen just sticks out like a damaged digit. Alan Cummins gets the acting award from me. His Kurt Wagner (Nightcrawler) is a more rounded character and he copes with the blue make-up well – you can always tell what he’s thinking just by looking at his eyes. His dodgy German accent is no worse than McKellen and Cox’s American attempts. The young mutants, such as Rogue, Iceman and Pyro, all fair better and look like more interesting characters for future instalments. Hmm, that’s quite a lot of characters and maybe that’s a flaw – it’s a tough balancing act giving everyone something to do and maybe the plot needed to be more focused?
The special effects are good but still obviously CGI – has there been NO development in this technology over the past few years? The stuff with the mutants’ powers is the most exciting and the visualisation of Nightcrawler’s transportation and Iceman and Pyro’s elemental manipulations is effective if a bit underused.
The story is okay but the movie tends to stutter when it should flow smoothly. The intrigue about Wolverine’s origins could have been played bigger – a big problem throughout the movie is a lack of suspense. There isn’t much humour, either, (I counted three jokes) and what there is, falls flat. The film picks up in the final half-hour although you’re never quite sure when it’s about to end. There seems to be about three endings tacked on to each other. It’s all a bit messy and ill defined.
The main flaw, and this is a big spoiler, so you may want to skip this paragraph, is the demise of one of the superheroes. Fans of the comic book might be able to guess which one. The scene is badly handled and makes the sacrifice look unnecessary. I don’t know how the character died in the comics but I bet it was more spectacular than this.
All these flaws seem to indict one man: the director. Directing movies based on comic books is no easy task (just ask Joel Shumacher) but Singer’s credentials promised so much more than he has actually managed to deliver for this franchise. In his desperate attempt to avoid it all looking silly I think he’s gone too far the other way and made it too serious. He’s taken the fun out of it.
This creates a problem for the potential audience. I really can’t see it appealing to non-fans in the same way that Spider-Man did. And the complex and convoluted continuity of the comic has been disregarded as part of its genesis in this new media, possibly alienating even the fans. The 12A rating, too, might work against it. There is the odd swear word, a few sexual references and some graphic violence (gory rather than fantastic) that means I won’t be letting my kids see it until they’re at least 12.
Oh, and it's a bit long at 133 minutes.
I can’t be too positive about this movie as I really felt letdown and disappointed. Even though I got a free ticket for this, I still felt ripped-off.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2007 - Science Fiction - Director: Francis Lawrence - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Dash Mihok, Will Smith, Salli Richardson, Willow Smith
Really well written, detailed and very informative DVD review there indeed. Not a Film I thought a lot of either.........Roy......
Sarahhh 12.06.2004 05:37
How irresponsible of you to rate a sequel when you haven't seen part one. And your obvious unfamiliarity with the comic book characters is a disappointment, as well. Most people have seen the movie by now (so this doesn't spoil a plot point) but even a brief bit of prior knowledge would help you understand the transformation from Jean Grey to Phoenix was the purpose for her "sacrifice." (I knew that, and I am not a comic book fan.) It takes a great deal of responsibility to review a movie properly; it shouldn't be taken lightly.
danielse 29.12.2003 09:47
I thought it was ace. I don't think it was very helpful of you to review a sequel to a film you haven't seen just because you got a freebie. On a minor note, the character played by Brian Cox in Manhunter was Dr Hannibal Lecktor. Don't ask me why.
X-Men 2picks up almost directly whereX-Menleft off: misguided super-villain Magneto (Ian ... more
McKellen) is still a prisoner of the US government, heroic bad-boy Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is up in Canada investigating his mysterious origin, and the events at ...
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X-Men 2picks up almost directly whereX-Menleft off: misguided super-villain Magneto (Ian ... more
McKellen) is still a prisoner of the US government, heroic bad-boy Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is up in Canada investigating his mysterious origin, and the events at ...
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![X-Men 2 Special Edition DVD (Two Disc Set) [2003]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78518491.jpg "X-Men 2 Special Edition DVD (Two Disc Set) [2003]")
Jun 3rd, 2003
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