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X2 - X-Men United (Full Screen Edition)

X2 - X-Men United (Full Screen Edition)

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Excellent sequel
Review: Usually sequels to so-so movies are just as bad. Not in the case of X2. This time around, the director doesn't have to spend half the movie introducing the characters (who are well known to those who follow the comic book, cartoons, etc.) Instead, we are put right into the story, which I thought was wonderful. The movie picks up where the first left off and "kicks it up a notch". There is more excitement in this movie - including a wonderful fight scene in the beginning of the movie starring Nightcrawler. I would highly recommend this movie to those that are interested in this genre.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the Best Movies!
Review: X2 will blow you away! Its way better than the first oner and has alot better action,more X-men(including NightCrawler)and more Wolverine! And also the Phoenix story begins to warm up. If you weren't pleased with X-Men One,then this will change yourt mind completeley. If you haven't got it,then what are you waiting for!?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Nice details make for a seamless transition
Review: Sometimes sequels fail to make good on the promises of the original film- themes and nuances are dropped or forgotten, and the final product lacks the spark of the original.

Not so with X2, and credit has to fall with the return of director Bryan Singer and the entire cast- as well as several key crew members- to maintain the style and environment of the original film.

I think one of the reasons that the concept works is that the characters are not too powerful. For example, look at the Superman and Batman movies- how can you beat a guy who can turn the Earth on its axis? And how could Batman jump off buildings without a wire and land without a scratch? (Schumacher- I'm looking at you!) When Wolverine gets shot, sure he survives and his scar heals- but it HURTS. The characters are limited in their powers. Magneto may be the most powerful mutant on Earth, but without metal to manipulate- he's powerless. Pyro cannot create fire- only control it. It makes for a more interesting struggle than fighting a god. The characters have flaws and wants, they make mistakes and have dubious motivations.

The acting is wonderful. Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen are old hats at Sci-Fi and they bring all their RSC training to lend authority and seriousness to the roles, setting the tone for the acting. Hugh Jackman shines in the role that made him a star with his usual charisma. Alan Cummings creates a wonderful physical character in Nightcrawler. A nice touch is the cameo by Bruce Davidson from the first movie- adding continuity. The addition of several student mutants are fun and exciting, and, most importantly, in small doses, just enough to get the point across without confusing the audience.

As demonstrated on the special features, the CGI was kept to a minimum. Most of the stunts were done by the actors themselves- Jackman, Paquin, Marsden, etc... and several shots, such as the ice wall exploding and the police car attack were done with traditional movie making methods, adding a touch of realism that makes watching the <i>Star Wars</i> prequels and the <i>Matrix</i> sequels look artificial and cartoonish.

The special features are a treat- in depth discussions about creating the Nightcrawler character both with makeup and body movements. Details on the Wolverine/Deathstrike fight and several deleted scenes as well as several behind the scenes moments fill the second disc.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Awesome Sequel
Review: One of those times when the sequel was better than the original, X2 doesn't disappoint as it gives you action and an incredible plot. I highly recommend this and can't wait until the third installment of the series hits the movie theaters.
Two words: Dark phoenix :-)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: X2 - 5 / 5
Review: I cannot remember the last time I saw a sequel that was better than the original. X2 is just that. Great acting all around, great special effects, and a good message. And for the those of you upset that Jean Grey dies, you obviously never read the comics. I fully expect to see her return as Pheonix in the next movie, which I cannot wait to see.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Better than the first.
Review: This is on of the rare moments when the sequel is better than the first film. This is better because it talks more about Wolviren and how he turned into a mutant. Some really good action sceans are in this film. In my opinoin this was better than the hulk film that also came out in summer 2003. Great acting (Patrick Stewart at his best). This is a great film.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: X-men 2
Review: This sequel, was okay, with excellent special effects and stunts. It was also kinda romantic this time. It had characters from the animated series - X-men : Evolution, like Kitty (there wasn't much of her, though), Nightcrawler, etc. There was good acting from everyone. But all the actors and actresses looked too old to study at high school. They could've brought younger ones. It would've given better results. But the thing which really killed the movie was the death of Jean Grey, Too anti-climax for words. They really shouldn't have brought such an end to the movie. They made it really interesting and exciting... till the end!
A good movie but could've been much better.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Special effects cover a bad sermon
Review: I know it's just a movie, but I am fairly allergic to being preached at. So here's the message: even if the human race is faced with a large and growing population of genetically superior humanoids, it's nasty and bad to think ill of them or be afraid that they might someday erase and replace you, because that would be, well,like, discrimination and bigotry. And they seem really nice, most of them, just misunderstood and feared by mean human people.

And why are there no Neanderthals left? As the Great White Father in Washington said to the Indians, "Trust us, we are your friends." Even watching Hugh Jackman and Jean-Luc Picard could not disguise the earnest silliness of the sermon. Talk about science fiction!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Moose Hole - 'X'-Traordinary!
Review: The summer season is once again upon us at the box office and the major movie studios have a hell of a one planned this year. Though it had been typically taboo to open a major tentpole feature prior to the four-day Memorial Day weekend, times have changed with The Mummy, Gladiator, and The Mummy Returns posting numbers in the realm of $40 - $70 million the first weekend of May. That weekend officially became the new starting point for the summer season when Spider-Man blew the competition away with its $114.5 million opening weekend take in 2002. The summer season once again kicks off with a comic-book adaptation, this year with X2: X-Men United, the highly anticipated sequel to the 2000 original. The comic-book adaptation genre has re-emerged in the past year or two to become the latest rage now amongst the major movie studios, all of which hoping to come away with an exciting, and financially successful, new franchise in their hands. With Daredevil, which opened earlier this year, proving to be a modest success at the box office, one would think that X2 would have no problems but then that person would be slightly off base. After its opening weekend, the original X-Men film slowed down significantly but not so much so that it failed to be successful. Could that be the same with this film? With an expanded production budget and an enormous marketing campaign, X2 will definitely need a good running start if it were to be as successful or more so then its predecessor.

The story picks up right where the original X-Men film left off with Magneto confined in prison and Professor Xavier, along with his team of mutants, fighting to protect both human and mutant kind alike from outside forces that threaten them. The war between men and mutants, which had been discussed heavily in the original film, seems to be drawing closer to actualization as moves made by certain individuals have created conflicts that will become of greater concern to everyone as time progresses. The latest confrontation comes in the form of the attempted assassination of the president by an unknown mutant assailant, which gives William Stryker ample opportunity to enact a special mission to infiltrate Professor Xavier's School for the Gifted. Though he manages to capture several of the students within the children, he isn't interested only in them but rather he has his sights set on all the mutants on the planet. The X-Men must now unite forces with Magneto's rebel band of mutants to fight for their share of the world and to prevent the destruction of all mutant kind. The story for X2: X-Men United is exceptionally well done and exemplifies vast improvement from the original film which divulged too much into character development and concentrated less on action sequences. The only problem is that this film suffers from the same problem that plagued Daredevil earlier this year in that it contains several story elements that would not be as easily understood except by devoted comic-book fanatics.

Most cast members from the original X-Men film have returned for the highly anticipated sequel and they exhibit an attitude in their recurring roles of comfortability, which makes their performances all the more enjoyable. There is no doubt in anyone's mind that Hugh Jackman is Wolverine ... plain and simple. He is able to present such a roguish and high octane persona on screen that it is almost eerie how he is able to successful slip into the role so easily. Patrick Stewart once again presents a magnificent performance as Professor Charles Xavier, as he had in the original film. Despite not being featured as much as before, Stewart still plays an essential part in the whole story. Ian McKellen gives an absolutely chilling performance as Magneto. He plays out the role so well that you might actually believe he is that character much like he did with the role of Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings series. Out of all the new additions to the stellar cast, Alan Cumming is quite possibly the biggest highlight in the role of Nightcrawler. Cumming successfully provides a character full of emotion, which was a pleasant surprising considering many had expected the character to be for mere special effects purposes rather then the more in-depth approach that was given.

Overall, X2: X-Men United exceeds all expectations not only by successfully kicking off the summer with an exuberant bang but by vastly surpassing its modestly disappointing predecessor. Although the film as a whole was nearly perfect, there were some minor things to pick at. First off, there were several members of the cast that were pointlessly added to the film, most notably Kelly Hu's Lady Deathstrike. She never really did anything for the film except the final fight sequence with Logan but other then that there was nothing for her to do. There are rumors that she may have an expanded role in the third installment but when it comes to this film, she could have easily been left out or cut back at least. Cyclops, who appeared briefly in the beginning and the end of the film, was another character that seemed to have been pointlessly added to the feature. Secondly, it would have behooved Bryan Singer to have eliminated an action sequence or two as there to have been too many of them strung together, despite their choreography being nearly perfect. And lastly, the ending, though magnificently done, will confuse many movie-goers not familiar with either the comic book or cartoon series. But perhaps a better explanation will be given when X3 hits theaters in 2006. X2 gives an exhilarating kick-off to the new summer season and sets the bar pretty high for all those to follow.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Total X-men fan .....
Review: I am a total fan of x-men comics and the x-men movies ...

Firstly, I don't think the two movies should be compared at all .... both are excellent: x-men 1.5 (the first movie) introduces x-men to us, and x-men 2 is the follow through movie, primarily about wolverines search for his past and the new threat to the mutant populations existence ... and anyone who doesn't like the storyline should consider the fact that this series is based on the comic - so take it like it's meant to be!

This is an excellent movie, with heaps of action, twists, and kick-ass moves! Well worth watching ..... hey, rent it, borrow it, or buy it - it is totally worth watching!!!!!!!!!!! Additionally, there is a further 4 hours of totally cool 'behind the scenes' type stuff .... most awesome!

Can't wait for x-men 3 .... if that ever happens!!!!!


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