X2: X-Men United

AGAINST ALL ODDS

A Film Review of X2: X-Men United

Copyright 2003 Glenn Walker

Being the real comics geek that I am it’s not hard to find things to like about the second X-Men film. What amazes me is how accessible it apparently is to non-comics folks.

Before the credits had run at the end of the film my wife spoke up to say she liked it – rare when it comes to comics-related stuff (she gets enough of that stuff from me). My friend Marni said she liked Nightcrawler so much she wanted to hug him. Two young girls behind us in the theatre discussed the original film before the previews started. One hadn’t seen it so her friend described it to her. "It’s so complicated, you don’t understand what’s going on, there’s too many characters… but it was sooo cool. You just gotta see it!" They were suitably impressed afterwards as well.

My amazement comes from that none of these folks are comics people. X-Men somehow works in the mainstream against all odds. It is actually a good movie. Unlike the first film which was (hell, it had to be) a lot of set up and had to introduce a dozen or so characters plus the whole mutant concept and premise for the X-Men the sequel had room to move, to expand, to explore.

X2: X-Men United focuses on one storyline and a specific group of characters. It keeps it light and tight. Rather than being overwhelmed by too much information you can sit back and marvel at what you’re seeing. This is much better than the original.



Magneto and Mystique are suitably evil and strictly out for themselves even as they work together with their sworn enemies the X-Men. The tales of Wolverine and Rogue continue to evolve as we get deeper focus on minor characters from the first film Iceman and Pyro. The movies, like the comic books, establish a soap opera like continuity that made the comics so successful.

Anyone who hasn’t taken the dive and seen this movie or its predecessor I urge you to immediately. Don’t be put off by the geek factor. Don’t think you’ll turn into a comics freak or worse yet a Trekkie. You’ll just enjoy the flick like everyone else. It’s accessible, it’s entertaining and it’s amazing.