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X2 - X-Men United (Widescreen Edition)

X2 - X-Men United (Widescreen Edition)

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Why X2 was awsome!
Review: There's not much for me to say with all the good reviews that have been written about X2. I agree with almost evrething that's been said. X2 was awsome,it never lost my intrist.The action and plot was easily better than the first.When I went to the movies I expected X2 to be about mutants with ludicris powers, fihgting over screen time,but this was not the case.At one point in the movie the X-Men are divided in groups, wich in my opinion was a great idea. It is a darker story than the original, and focuses less on their powers and more tward the plot of the story.The acting was also better.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Explosively Entertaining
Review: Sunday, May 4, 2003--While the first "X-Men" film established a perfect tone for the franchise - dark without being too broody, funny without being too silly - it fell apart too easily by the end, thanks to a shaky story and a few disappointing special effects (I'm thinking mostly of the Statue Of Liberty finale). It was decent, but far from great. Bryan Singer & Co. seem to have saved the good stuff for "X2," an exciting and often tense sequel, which easily outdoes the original in terms of fun, chills and effects. Once again, the story is a little underdeveloped (and all over the place, really, unspooling too many plot strings at once) but reasonably more complex than in the previous film. The characters are more interesting, however, and that's what draws you in (well, that and the much-improved special effects). We learn more about Wolverine's (Hugh Jackman) past. Magneto (Ian McKellan) and Mystique (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) aren't such clear-cut villains. As well, the relationship between Rogue (Anna Paquin) and Bobby/Iceman (Shawn Ashmore) is allowed to develop. That's one-half of this movie's greatness as a summer blockbuster. The other half, of course, is the real money-maker: well-crafted action scenes, and they abound in "X2." Where as much of "X-Men"'s action fell sorta flat, "X2" delivers so much and does it so well that is one of the best exercises in adrenaline you may receive all season. "X2" won't win any important awards, but it'll definitely deliver one of the best rushes this summer.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: We're not as alone as you might think...
Review: First off: if you haven't seen Bryan Singer's original "X-Men," you will not be able to follow most of this sequel. And that's about the only down side. In every respect "X2" is a worthy successor to Singer's 1999 outing --it builds on character development, tugs some original loose plot threads along, and even manages to introduce a wealth of new characters without being overwhelming.

"X2" further tackles the theme of the first movie: the growing rift between homo sapiens and the emerging mutants. Where the first "X-Men" mainly dealt in the fairly straightforward arena of "good mutants vs. bad mutants," this sequel introduces the world of "normal" people into the mix and raises the stakes. In response to growing public hysteria, the power structures in Washington are moving forward with the Mutant Registration Act --which can be seen as a not-so-transparent reference to some post-9/11 calls for mandatory registration of all Arabs and Muslims. Most mutants are for the most part laying low, but a few among their number are moved to take bolder steps --most spectacularly illustrated by the film's opening sequence where Kurt Wagner "Nightcrawler," played with great sympathy by Alan Cumming) teleports around the Oval Office in an attempt to assassinate the American President.

All of the focus characters from the original X-Men are back, to include Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart), Rogue (Anna Paquin), Cyclops (James Mardsen), Storm (Halle Berry), Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), and of course the fan favorite Logan ("Wolverine"), played to razor-clawed perfection by Hugh Jackman. Logan's story picks up from where he left off at the conclusion of the first film --trying to get a handle on his origins. A visit to an abandoned research facility in northern Ontario has turned up nothing, but the questions linger. Shawn Ashmore reprises his brief cameo from the first film as Bobby Drake ("Iceman"), considerably expanding the role as he and Rogue attempt to come to grips with their deepening relationship. Aaron Stanford also expands his original walk-on role as "Pyro," although it is clear from the outset that his belief system will find a different lightning rod than that of Xavier. There are momentary walk-ons by many other characters who will be instantly familiar to longtime fans of Stan Lee's comic book --among them Colossus, Kitty Pryde, Banshee (cover your ears), and even a brief appearance by Dr. Hank McCoy ("Beast"). Sharp-eyed viewers will also catch fleeting references to Pietro Maximoff "Quicksilver") and Remy LeBeau ("Gambit"). For a change, there is no token cameo by Marvel Comics godfather Stan Lee (as was the case in the first "X-Men," "Spider-Man," "Daredevil," and "The Hulk.")

The mutant villains Magneto (Ian McKellen) and Mystique (Rebecca Romjin-Stamos) are back in all their glory, chewing up the scenery with obvious relish --cracking wise at their own expense even as they scheme to rid the world of what they see as a homo sapien pestilence. Lady Deathstryke features prominently, but in a role somewhat different from her comic book counterpart --here she is assistant to General William Stryker (Brian Cox), the real villian of the piece. Stryker represents all that is racist and judgemental about homo sapiens, willing to sacrifice even his own son ("Mastermind?") if it means coming up with a definitive solution to the "mutant problem." Such is the intensity of Cox's performance that there is even time for the audience to develop a momentary sense of sympathy for the character. A measure of Stryker's ruthlessness emerges when he discovers the psychological "lever" that will force Xavier to agree to his demands. The overall tone of "X2" is darker than the original, also more violent --whereas there were only 2 deaths in the first film (one of them offscreen), this film's body count goes into double digits.

With all these players, one would think that the storyline might suffer --generally the rule about superhero movies has been: the fewer the costumed characters cluttering up the storyline, the more solid the story (with the most superior examples of course being Richard Donner's "Superman," Tim Burton's first "Batman," and Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man"). To some extent this is the case with "X2;" the characters of Cyclops and Storm, for example, don't appear to have much to do except occasionally display their respective powers (this sparseness would appear to be the main reason why Halle Berry did not agree to sign for any subsequent "X" movies). However in most cases the characters positively shine: Hugh Jackman's Logan takes center stage in almost every scene he is in, whether he is gruesomely dispatching ninja-clad Federal agents (well, they DIDN'T have warrants, after all) or agonizing over his unrequited love for Jean Grey. Bobby Drake's failure to reconcile with his own family is played out with tragic brilliance, and even Kurt's admiration for Mystique is highlighted (in the comic book, she will eventually be revealed as his mother). Janssen's Jean Grey languishes through most of the action but then suddenly develops in a surprising and pivotal way towards the end. The infamous X-Jet gets in plenty of screen time as well, though there is no mention of the mansion's famed Danger Room.

It is obvious Singer made this film to keep the fans happy, and this seems to have worked: I've yet to find a negative review of "X2" in the comic fan circles. Less devoted viewers may have difficulty keeping track of all the superheroes and supervillians, particularly if they are going into this film without the benefit of having seen the original. Of course the effects are brilliant --the Cerebro sequences are dazzling, Pyro's battle with the Boston P.D. is truly frightening, and there is an edge-of-your-seat fighter plane chase. With all these elements in place, "X2" ends up a darned wonderful piece of filmmaking. It may never earn any awards of significance, but every individual who contributed to this picture should take extreme pride in having done so.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "A" for Effort!!!! A MUST SEE in a Movie Theater
Review: ...Now to my review. LOVED IT!!! With a capitol "L" it was everything the first was not. {Storm's} hair looked more natural (although I don't know why they just won't give Halle the blue contacts to complete the authenticity of her character) {Wolverine} is TOUGH and very seldom gets his [booty] kicked this particular episode has a lot to do with him, {Jean Gray} was totally a bad... in this one there was stuff going on with her that will lead into her metamorphous in this series so pay attention to what is happening to her, {Scott} didn't have that big of a role this time (but at least he didn't get his [booty] kicked to bad LOL) {Magneto} was actually not to much of the bad guy in this one...... key verbage here is NOT TO MUCH. {Mystique} was AWESOME had me actually cheering for her at some point in the movie... she is a slippery one though :) {Lady Deathstrike} was perfect and gorgeous, it's good to see this actress after the flop of the Scorpion King, although she doesn't say much which is kind of a bummer.

I'm so late in leaving a review that I am sure many before me have went into GREAT detail about the plot so I won't. I'll just say that I found this to be EXCELLENT!!! it gave me everything that I needed in a Science Fiction/Superhero Flix great plot, storyline plausible, things just made SENSE, our Heroes got to use/demonstrate their powers more than they did in the 1st the ending set it up for the next movie. There wasn't to much violence IMO and it was worth the money.

Respectfully Reviewed

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Awesomeness...
Review: Wowies. This is easily one of my all time favorite films... 10x better then the first one, if possible, and watching it simply makes you itch for the next one. Hoo.. Of course, one of the big parts of the story was already rather obvious to original X-Men fans (coughJEANcough) but, in some way, knowing slightly what's going to happen but not exactly makes you want the next one even more. All of the acting, special effects, and storyline were AMAZINGLY well done, and are nothing short of amazing. Everyone must see this. Do not argue, go see/buy it NOW.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Spectacular
Review: We are getting to know new charecters like Iceman,Pyro and Nightcrawler. The Villians in the first one were helping our heros.The Villians is William Stryker.The X-Men are all wonderful.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: this movie is awesome
Review: i went to see this movie this summer oh it was awesome the x men and magneto's team have to team up to stop this higher threat on mutants but anyway it is a great movie go see this movie or get it on dvd when it arrives

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: X2: X-Men United
Review: I thought that X2: X-Men United was one of the best movies I've ever seen. The acting was awsome, and all the special affects and camera work was amazing. One of the only complaint of the movie was that on the poster, they should've put a more important character than Storm there, and the fact that it was blaintly obvious that there will be a sequel, but hey, that still does not stop me from giving it 5 stars. Hugh Jackman was once again amazing as Wolverine, and the same goes for James Marsden as Cyclops, and the whole reat of the cast. They all did outstanding jobs, anf I can't even find a word big enough to say how good they all did. Bryan Singer did a wonderful job directing this movie as he did on the first.

-Plot-

Wolverine comes back from his trip of trying to find out who he was fifteen tears ago that he left for at the end of the first movie, and there is an asassination attempt on the president by a mutant. Xavier finds the mutant on Boston, so he sends Jean and Storm there to find him, while he and Cyclops leave to go visit Magneto in his plastic prison. However, Stryker has used some "persuasive" skills on Magneto, and got him to tell him everything about the Cerebro, a machine he created with Xavier a long time ago. When Xavier and Cyclops go to visit him, Stryker captures both of them. Meanwhile, Jean and Storm find the mutant that attacked the president, but find out that he, Nightcrawler, didn't do it intentionally, but the was kind of under Stryker's control, however they do not know this yet.
While everyone is gone, Wolverine is left to watch the school. That night, Stryker gets some army people and infiltrates the school. Wolverine got out with Bobby, Rouge, and Pyro. However, most of the student got kidnapped. They, Wolverine Pyro, Rouge, and Bobby, took Cyclops's car to Boston to find Jean and Storm, but stopped at Bobby's house, since his parents and little brother live there. Bobby then tells his family that he's a mutant, but it turns into this "coming out scene gone horribly wrong."
Jean and Storm call a cell phone that was found in Cyclops's car, and Wolverine tells them to get there soon. They do get there quickly, but the four of them, Wolverine, Pyro, Rouge, and Bobby kind of have to fight off police officers in order to get out, and on to the jet. However, they get missiles shot at them, and one hits the jet. Magneto, who somehow escaped his plastic prison, stops the jet from falling on to the ground, and saves them from dying in a crash. Mystique, of course, is with Magneto. After talking with each other, the all decide to unite forces and stop Stryker.
They get to Stryker's hidden base, and try to stop Stryker from killing all of mutant-kind, but while they are in there, Wolverine and Lady Deathstrike have this awesome fight-to-the-death scene with all of this stabbing, slashing, and punching. Gladly, Wolverine comes out on top, and kills Lady Deathstrike by injecting a large tub of adamantine into her body. It cools, and she falls into a big tub of water, and sinks to the bottom. You even hear he clink when she reaches there. Everyone gets out of the dam alive, including all of the kids who attend Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Magneto, and Mystique escape in a helicopter, and Pyro goes with them.
However, just as everyone is about to leave in the jet, the dam breaks down, and the jet won't start. They do manage to escape from there, but one character "dies." If I told you who dies, or why I put the word dies in quotes, then it would give away the ending, and make this review a bad one, so you'll have to see the movie to find out.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Much better!
Review: This is a good movie, I even like the part where Mystique fights all the terrorists then flicks them off, and the part where Mystique was with Wolverine in the tent. I give it a ***** (5 out of 5).

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Evolution Continues In Full Force!
Review: Okay..I'm sure I'm not the only one who emerged from the theatres after seeing the original 'X-Men' and immediately said,
"Bring on X-Men 2!!!" 3 years pass..we hear the rumors, we see the very few set pictures published in magazines, and we ultimately wonder just how better it's gonna be...
Well, friends..lemme tell ya..it's absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, AWESOME in every sense of the word! I saw 'X2' 3 times in its theatrical run and it all I can say is I was in Marvel heaven. Being a lifelong fan of the X-Men, I was not at all disappointed. I don't think there are a lot of people who were..what does that tell ya? :)

One thing about 'X2' that makes it far better than its predecessor is the fact that all characters and their mutant powers were already introduced and explained in the first movie. So that just opened the door for our favorite superheroes to let loose, kick butt, and take names. The story is deeper and darker and there are many themes that run through the movie that hit close to home.

There are subplots that are intrinsically (and perfectly) weaved into the film that provide the audience with loads of entertainment. There isn't a bland moment in all of the film. The opening action sequence with Nighcrawler in the White House is a damn good way to get you engaged and wanting more of that kind of action.

The acting was great! They all seemed to have been enjoying themselves (hey..gimme a chance to play a superhero and I'd be jazzed too!). As far as the coveted 'scene-stealing award', I would have to say that it's Wolverine's title.

Nightcrawler was definitely the break-out character, but Wolverine was just FAN-DOUBLE-TASTIC!!! We see him on many different levels: first as the loner who continues his search to find out who and why he is what he is, then we see a rather soft side of him as his feelings for Jean Grey begin to grow, and finally as the feral clawed Weapon X primally screaming down the halls of the X-Mansion and cutting loose with his trademark beserker rage. I absolutely LOVED watching Wolverine. My favorite comic character proving to all that he's the best there is. I don't want to give the rest away because that's the best part. Oh..and a little note to Hugh Jackman: Dude..you were BORN for Wolverine!!
Just trust me when I say that X2 is definitely worth every penny you spend on a ticket. Some even argue that this is the best comic-book adaptation ever. Well, hey..it got my vote.

Now I'm left saying over and over much like before...
BRING ON X3!!! :)


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