Directed by:
Bryan SingerCinematography:
Newton Thomas SigelComposer:
John OttmanCast:
Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn, Anna Paquin, Alan Cumming, Brian Cox, Bruce Davison (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
Mutants continue their struggle against a society that fears and distrusts them. Their cause becomes even more desperate following an incredible attack by an undetermined assailant possessing extraordinary abilities. The shocking attack renews the political and public outcry for both a Mutant Registration Act, and an anti-mutant movement, now led by William Stryker. A vocal, wealthy, former commander for the Army, Stryker, is rumored to have experimented on mutants. Stryker's dubious mutant "work" is somehow tied to Logan's/Wolverine's mysterious and forgotten past. As Logan/Wolverine searches for clues to his origin, Stryker puts into motion his anti-mutant program--launching a severe attack on Professor Xavier's mansion. Magneto, newly escaped from his plastic prison, proposes a partnership with Professor Xavier and the X-Men to combat their common and formidable enemy: Stryker. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (12)
Excellent. X-Men 2 is undoubtedly better than the first movie and is perhaps the best comic book movie adaptation ever. Singer perfectly handles the psychology of the characters, and the action is also impressive (the White House introduction, the attack on the school, the X-Jet in a tornado, and Wolverine vs. Deathstrike). He’s a brilliant storyteller who knows when to push hard and when to slow down. He handles everything with feeling, bravura and love for the original comic book. Sadly, he ran off to Superman, where, for all his undeniable virtues, he couldn't succeed the way he did with X-Men. Too bad, Bryan.
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Given the genre, the slower pace of X-Men 2 is a handicap. More characters, more dialogue, more solving of problems than action. I wouldn’t have minded any of that if it weren’t 133 minutes long and if the dialogue didn’t somewhat fizzle out into nothing. X-Men 2 isn’t as deep as it pretends to be. But it’s just as intelligent and the characters are just as cool as they were in the first X-Men.
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Bryan Singer reaches a climax of relationships and emotions, with characters from past and present, including very attractive tangents into various eras of the comic books, and sufficiently brings Wolverine-style rough action and a captivating finale at the dam. Compared the first installment, a certain intimacy has indeed been lost, but thanks to the new characters and one inconspicuous transition to the other side of the barricade, Xavier's school once again approaches perfection.
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Better than the first part after all, but still not quite up to par. The running time has increased, along with the wannabe profound speeches that ultimately fade away a bit emptily in the quick conclusion. Wolverine's internal conflict, on the other hand, is captivating, and the other characters are quite interesting as well. Fortunately, Bryan Singer delivers another smart comic book adaptation and manages to combine flashy popcorn action and a relatively engaging plot more than decently. The visual effects are among the best that can currently be seen, and if it weren't for the already mentioned slightly excessive runtime, I would be very satisfied. As it is, it's just a solid above-average film with a few minor flaws, but it's still worth watching. Compared to Daredevil or Spiderman, it clearly comes out on top.
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I appreciate how intelligently and innovatively Singer has approached this comic book material, yet X-Men 2 drags at times more than the viewer would expect when surrounded by so many amazing characters with even more amazing mutant abilities. On the one hand, a lot of the chatter is fine (I would carve in stone everything Wolverine says), on the other hand, it weakens the film as an ambitious blockbuster, whose enormous potential is, after all, clearly demonstrated by the director in the last hour. The special effects are better than in the first one, as well as the villain's storyline and the performances, only the psychology, although it gets much more space, doesn't give the impression of being very refined... 80%
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Gallery (203)
Photo © 2003 20th Century Fox
![X-Men 2 - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/159/982/159982524_7b633f.jpg)
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