Needless to say, \X-Men"" set up a lot of expectations for the sequel-and, for the most part, ""X2"" delivers in outstanding fashion.
For those unfamiliar with the X-Men universe, a recap is helpful but not required to enjoy the film. The premise revolves around evolution; in its unpredictable manner, evolution works slowly at times and lurches violently forward at others. One of those evolutionary shifts is now in progress, yielding a new race of people with odd and extraordinary powers. These mutants have been shunned by the rest of society, creating a rift that is growing increasingly tense. Even within the mutants, there is a divide; Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and his crew of X-Men merely wish to peacefully coexist with humanity, while vengeful Magneto (Ian McKellen) will go to any lengths to place mutants at the top of the evolutionary chain. In ""X-Men,"" the two mutant factions faced off, clashing over Magneto's vengeful plans. Naturally, the X-Men prevail and Magneto is imprisoned.
""X2"" takes a different and much-welcomed turn. The predominant threat facing the X-Men is now from humanity, in the form of William Stryker (Brian Cox). After a mutant attempts to assassinate the president, Stryker gains the authority to invade Xavier's private school for mutants.??A great action sequence ensues, and the mutants escape, leaving Stryker with complete access to the mansion and all its secrets. As the tacked-on title ""X-Men United"" hints, the two mutant factions cooperate to fight against Stryker's plan to eliminate the mutants of the world.
The ensemble cast remains largely intact from the first film, a feat in and of itself with so many important characters. Returning X-Men include claw-wielding Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Storm (Halle Berry), Cyclops (James Marsden), Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), Rogue (Anna Paquin) and IceMan (Shawn Ashmore). Magneto's captivating sidekick Mystique (Rebecca Romjin-Stamos) also reprises her role. New mutants include Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming), Pyro (Aaron Stanford), Lady Deathstrike (Kelly Hu) and Colossus (Daniel Cudmore). With so many characters to juggle, the film has the difficult task of dividing attention amongst them.
""X2"" director Bryan Singer (""The Usual Suspects"") juggles all the interesting characters well. Despite some pacing issues with the ending, which seems to drag on longer than necessary, Singer continues to flesh out each mutant. Even more importantly, the symbolic civil rights message that was far too overt in the first film is toned down; this time around, the message remains intact without becoming preachy. With ""X2,"" Singer has not only created a blockbuster comic book movie, he's also created a character-driven action film that, despite its flaws, is one of the most entertaining movies in recent memory.
