Rating: Summary: eh, not too bad, not too good either. Review: I am a devoted Christian, but rthis movie supported evolution, hich I didnt like. The comics had nothing to do with evolution, y screw up a good thing. The action wasnt half bad, it was only about a third bad.
Rating: Summary: X-2 X-Men United - An exceptional sequel! Review: "X2 X-Men United" is, simply put, an exhilarating and exciting follow up to the first movie. Cartoons and comic books aside, as a theatrical/DVD release, this movie entertains as much or more than the first one. Yes, many a fan of those cartoons and comic books are reeling from the major differences and those nuances left out of the movies but, just for a minute, take a look at this film and its predecessor from a completely open perspective and you will clearly see that this film has all of the elements that make for a successful action/adventure movie and yes, it does have a plot and that plot is very well thought out.One of the better aspects of this film and the first is that there are elements that were set up in the first film that weren't paid off in that film but are paid off here such as; Wolverine and his mysterious past and Jean Grey's future... Along with those payoffs, there are some great new character arcs that are set up in this outstanding film. The entirety of the cast from the first film makes their return in this film and there are some great new additions to the cast of actors/characters. Long time fans of Star Trek are most assuredly familiar with Patrick Stewart and his exceptional acting abilities and, just as in the first film, it's wonderful to see him on screen with Famke Janssen, who most will recognize as Kamala from one of Star Trek The Next Generation's best episodes. Ian McKellen, most recently of "The Lord of the Rings" fame makes a return appearance as Magneto and performs to his wonderful standards. The ever beautiful Rebecca Romijn-Stamos performs brilliantly as Mystique just as Halle Berry does with Storm and I'm sure taking a huge cut in pay. New to cast and series is Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler and his performance is astonishing to say the least. Hugh Jackman has to be one of the luckiest men in the world when considering how many takes it might've taken when he has Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Halle Berry and Famke Janssen all portraying an attempted seduction of Wolverine... I've never watched any other films that Bryan Singer has directed but with this and the first X-Men movie, one can definitely tell that this director has a long future in directing action films. The Premise: A teleporting mutant makes an attempt on the life of the President, right in the oval office after easily wading through the Secret Service, but he stops short of killing the President and disappears from the White House. Not long thereafter, we're reintroduced to the X-Men and they're after the teleporting mutant who attempted to take out the President and Wolverine's makes his return. Unbeknownst to them though, William Stryker, who is played exceptionally well by Brian Cox, is a government agent who has plans to eliminate all of the mutants on the planet... What follows from there is one of the best action/adventure genre movies that I've ever watched. I would highly recommend this film to any and all fans of films from this genre, whether you're into the comics or not. I personally have never read them and have followed the characters quite easily as the producers and the director have gone out of their way to ensure that those of us that don't follow the X-Men regularly will have no problem following the film. {ssintrepid} Special Features: -Full-Length Commentary with Director Bryan Singer and Cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel, ASC -Full-Length Commentary with the Writers and Producers -"Nightcrawler Attack" Interactive Multi-Angle Scene Study -"Wolverine/Deathstrike Fight Rehearsal" In-Depth, Behind-the Scenes Exploration -"The Second Uncanny Issue of X-Men" The Ultimate Making-Of Documentary -Extraordinary X2 Featurettes: *"The Secret Origin of X-Men" A Complete Anthology *"Nightcrawler Reborn" The Adventure Before X2 *"Introducing the Incredible Nightcrawler" Character Study & More -11 Deleted/Extended Scenes -Still Galleries -Theatrical Trailers
Rating: Summary: Can't speak to added features, but movie ROCKS Review: Although I haven't yet seen the added features, I think this was Summer 2003's best movie... it had great fight scenes (that actually meant something to the plot, unlike say, Matrix reloaded) and great character development. Excellent work, can't wait for the next one!
Rating: Summary: As good as the first one was, this was almost twice as good Review: I expected this to be a good movie, but I have never expected it to be this good. The movie starts off with Nightcrawler attacking the white house in an attempt to assinate the president. We later find out that Nightcrawler's attack was orchestrated by Striker, the father of a mutant who he claims Xavier failed to help. Striker has devloped a way to control the mutants to do whatever he wants. His ultimate goal is to destroy all of the world's mutants. As a result the mutants both "bad" and "good" must join forces to save their kind. From the beginning to the end, this movie left me off the edge of my seat. The storyline was done exceptionally as well as the special effects. They never overshadowed the scene and were never over done. The fight scenes were nothing short of spectacular. I especially enjoyed the fight between Wolverine and Deathstrike even though it could have been a bit longer. Another action scene that stood out in my mind is Striker's planned attack on Xavier's school. In this scene we got a chance to see the various abilities of Xavier's younger students as they fought back. We also got a chance to see Wolverine kick some major ass. The acting was suprisingly good all actors seemed to fit comformtably into the character roles and it never seemed like they were "trying" to be their character. While I really enjoyed the first X-Men, this one was much much better. 4 stars don't do this movie justice so I give it a 5.
Rating: Summary: crap, complete utter crap to the 10th degree Review: i only give it two stars because wolverine and nightcrawler rule and they are played out good here and by good actors. ok now onto the movie: this movie blows hard. I'm not a fan of super heroes no more so i'm not being a whiny fan boy and Though i have lost touch with them, i used to be heavily into comics and whatnot so i know pretty much everything about the xmen and each individual character. this movie is nothing like the comic books and that's probably why i hate them so much. if i never read the comics then this movie would probably be kick butt awesome. but i have read the comics. anyway, first off the actors all suck. the story (just like the first one) is focused on wolverine. that's it. none of the other characters are played out. cyclops hardly even talks at all. and who the heck is (...) playing cyclops? this guy looks like a frickin loser. just looking at him (...) me off. they could not have gotten a gayer person to play cyclops. Rouge is another problem: she is a little girl. this is just too gay for words. after growingup with rouge has a main kick butt very powerful character, seeing her in this movie as a little douche girl is very very sad. she doesn't even have her super strength yet! halle berry is good for storm but yet again SHE DOENS"T DO ANYTHING! they should just call the xmen movies "wolverine world" or something. and (what) is with the horrible horrible storlyine? a middle aged balding ex soldier trying to kill the xmen? that's almost the gayest thing i've ever seen or heard in my life. and a decaying little boy that gets insid eyour mind? oh god, that's the gayest thing ever. this movie sucks, this is a waste. but it's better than the first one. then again, that's not saying a lot.
Rating: Summary: A Glaring Error in an Otherwise Good Movie Review: Granted, I'm coming late to the party, having just viewed X2 for the first time. But I was so frustrated and disappointed with one aspect of the movie, the mishandling of the Cyclops/Scott Summers character, that I was unable to enjoy an otherwise solid effort. I was initially surprised with the minimal role this character played in Brian Singer's first XMen movie, but understood that because of the exposition required in a first movie, the popularity of the Wolverine character, and the need to appeal to non-comic book fans it was necessary to focus on other areas. But this is ridiculous. Cyclops/Summers has an even smaller role in this second movie and is completely emasculated in an effort to make the Wolverine character more appealing. Has Singer even read the comic book? The Cyclops/Summers character is the first XMan, is one of the three or four most popular characters over the years and has been more than a match for the Wolverine character; they are perfect foils for each other. Obviously, Singer needs to please a wider film-going audience, but he also has a responsibility to be true to the source material. To relegate a complex, dynamic character to an also-ran role is to contradict forty plus years of comics. X2 teases us with the possibility (likelihood?) of a third movie in the series. Here would be a good place to right this wrong. The casting of James Marsden as Cyclops might also merit some reconsideration. While Marsden does no real wrong, he simply does not have the onscreen presence to match Hugh Jackman, nor does he have any chemistry with Famke Janssen. In the Cyclops-Jean Grey-Wolverine troika, Marsden is clearly the weak link, and may have something to do with the focus away from his character. Here's hoping Brian Singer addresses this error and gives the audience a movie that reflects the real XMen. Third time could be the charm.
Rating: Summary: X MARKS THE SPOT AGAIN Review: Bryan Singer is to be credited for turning out a sequel every bit as good and in some ways better than the original. Without recapitulating the involved plot, suffice to say, there's a lot of action, some great special effects and superb acting. Famke Janssen - continues to solidify her acting chops as Jean. After twenty some films, Ms. Janssen is a strong focus of this film and pulls it off quite well, especially in the finale. James Marsden - Cyclops isn't used a lot in this film, which is a shame. He too is showing some depth and growth in his portrayal. Alan Cummings - Night Crawler--what a great addition. A super hero who says the rosary and the Lord's Prayer? Quite unique and refreshing. Halle Berry - Oscar winner continues to show there's nothing wrong with continuing in the series in a "lesser" role. She's good and it's too bad she's not coming back for more. After "Gothika," though who knows? Brian Cox as the villainous Stryker is commanding and quite despicable as the man out to rid the world of all mutants. Shawn Ashmore as Bobby, the iceman is also a talented young man, whom we should be seeing more of. Rebecca Stamos as Mystique is given more time in this one and does a commendable job too. Hugh Jackman - a strong leading man type even with the weird hairdo. This man is showing his versatility both on screen and stage. Now, Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen are great actors; they just seem so wooden and disinterested at times. Enliven them a bit! Cotter Smith as the President does a very good job too in a rather thankless role. Remember him from a lot of B-movies of the eighties and nineties. This is an action-packed, entertaining movie! RECOMMENDED.
Rating: Summary: empty Review: More violence. More techno babble instead of depth. More shallow people in bad costumes. More CGI manufactured nonsense to make kids spend their parents money to see more violence. This cycle must be broken. Stop paying the corporate suits that take your currency and waste your time.
Rating: Summary: The Evolution Continues Review: The mutants are back and bigger than before in the "X-ceptional" blockbuster sequel "X2: X-Men United". In the near future, an assassination attempt on the US President by an unknown mutant triggers a vengeful military scientist's (Brian Cox) plot to destroy all mutants. Now to ensure their future, the X-Men must rely on the aid of new allies and old rivals to save millions of lives. "X2" is one of those rare sequels that actually succeeds over the original. The film contains a complex but well-structured storyline, a top-notch cast and some strong emotional subplots. Patrick Stewart, Famke Janssen, Halle Berry and Ian McKellen deliver some fine performances. Hugh Jackman continues to superbly dominate the role of Wolverine and Alan Cummings is stunning as the gentle teleporting Nightcrawler. Director Bryan Singer adds much excitement in this sequel without diminishing the value of its story and characters. The action sequences and visual effects are quite amazing and a considerable improvement over its predecessor's. If you thought that "X-Men 1.5" was a great DVD, then you'll be amazed by "X2: X-Men United" 2-Disc Edition. The film is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen format. The DVD contains a flawless video transfer with terrific sharpness and rich color detail. The Dolby Digital sound is positively engaging but the DTS audio option offers better clarity and enhanced surround effects. This 2-Disc edition features audio commentaries with director Bryan Singer and crew, multiple Comic Book and Behind-the-Scenes featurettes, 11 deleted scenes, theatrical trailers and still galleries. This "X-cellent" 2-disc Special Edition contains a remarkable DVD presentation and earns a solid "A".
Rating: Summary: It just keeps getting better. Review: A great adaption of a great comic series. The story line does not completely follow the comic book but what changes are done don't affect the story. It is a rarity where the sequal is better then the original and that is what you have here. The cast pretty well fits the comic characters well I don't care for Hally but that is just me. Hugh has the wolverine down perfect! Nightcrawler is an excelent addition to the story line and I can't wait for see what they do when Jean becomes the Phoenix. You are also introduced to Collosus! The only wrong thing that may have happened is the fact he sounded American. You don't have to worry about not seeing the first movie as you get follow the basic plot. There are a couple references but it is not enough to leave you confused. Overall it is a fun film and you won't get bored watching it again and again.... The extras on the DVD are ok. Can't wait for the next movie!
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