Movie Review: X2 - X-Men United

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Action and effects tell a fun story

Cons: Most of the characters are still rather flat

The Bottom Line:
Weak on character

Strong on action and effects

Plot holds together

Mutual Enemies Create the Strangest Alliances

With the first movie watched and enjoyed, I decided to venture further to X2: X-Men United.  This was my first time viewing the film, and I have to say I enjoyed it.  It has the same flaw as the first film, but it's still good.

The issue of the mutant problem seems to be on hold at the moment, but things heat up again when one of them tries to kill the President.  Now those living with Professor X (Patrick Stewart) are off to try to keep things under control.  Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) and Strom (HalleBerry) are off to try to track this mutant down.  Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) returns from a trip to try to learn more about his past just as the mansion is raided, and he finds himself with three of the kids to protect.

Meanwhile, Magneto (Ian McKellen) has escaped from his prison and met up with his ally Mystique (Rebecca Romijn).  However, soon something happens that means the former enemies need to team up with the X-Men.  Will they overcome the danger together?  Will their combined powers be enough to save the day?

Did any of the above confuse you?  If so, you really need to watch the first movie before you watch this one.  They assume you have that background, a pretty good assumption when it comes to a sequel.  While you might be able to jump in here, you'll enjoy it more if you have the background.

They do a good job of giving all the characters something to do and making it a relevant part of the plot.  Some of the more minor characters from the first one, like Shawn Ashmore's Iceman, have more screen time and more impact on the plot.  The focus does still seem to be on Wolverine and Professor X more than the others, however.

The plot is strong and keeps you entertained for the entire two plus hours of the film.  Actions scenes are enhanced by a plot that makes sense.  If there are plot holes, they were glaring enough to jump out at me.  The climax was gripping and had me really glued to the screen.

And the special effects are wonderful.  The movie is almost a decade old, but I didn't notice anything that seemed dated.  I bought everything I was seeing, which is all the effects really need to do.

I mentioned a flaw that carried over from the first movie, and that's lack of character development.  The problem is there are just too many of them for us to really get to know or care for all of them.  This hit home to me near the end when a scene that was supposed to be emotional didn't really do anything for me.  Some get decent development, but most are left fairly flat.

This isn't the fault of the actors.  They are very convincing in the parts.  They can only do so much with the script they are given, however, and that's where things fall apart.

Even so, I enjoyed X2: X-Men United.  It wants to be a fun superhero film, and that's exactly what it is.