I had been working some crazy hours for a while. Because of that, I haven’t been to the theater to see a movie since I saw The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers in December. There were several that I wanted to see, but I was just unable to get out to see them. I liked the first X-Men movie and I have been looking forward to seeing the second one, X2: X-Men United for a while now. I was finally able to go to the theater again when my best friend and I went to see X2: X-Men United. We both really liked the movie. And even though the theater was packed, no one sat in front of us, so we could see.
Before I get into discussing X2: X-Men United, I want to give a little bit of background on the characters for people who are unfamiliar with them. There are a few spoilers to the first X-Men movie included in this, so if you haven’t seen it yet, and don’t want to know anything, you might want to skip the next few paragraphs. Though for people who haven’t seen the first movie yet, the new movie will have some spoilers. There are some people who are born with different abilities and powers. They are called mutants. There are some people who are afraid of all mutants and think things have to be done to keep track of all mutants and keep them under control. There were a lot of people who hated the mutants.
Professor Charles Xavier was a very powerful telepathic mutant. He ran a school for mutant children when he and other mutants like Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Storm, taught the children how to control their abilities and powers. Optic blasts shot out of the eyes of Cyclops and he had to wear a special visor or glasses at all times. Jean was telepathic and telekinetic. Storm could control the weather. One of the students, Kitty Pride, had the ability to walk through walls or other objects. Bobby Drake could freeze things with his touch. Rogue absorbed energy from anyone she touched on the skin. John Allerdyce could control fire. The fact that the school is for mutants is not publicized. Charles believed that humans and mutants could live together peacefully.
In the first X-Men movie, Logan ended up at the school. He was able to heal quickly, which also kept him from aging. His sense of smell and hearing was very strong. Sometime in the past, someone had done experiments on him and bonded adamantium, a very strong, indestructible metal onto his skeleton. Sharp metal claws would appear and then retract back into his hands. Logan couldn’t remember anything about his past. He ended up working with the X-Men though he wanted to find answers about his past.
Erik Lehnsherr was another very powerful mutant. He could control metal objects. He and Charles have known each other for years. Erik does not believe that mutants and humans can exist together. Erik and his followers want a war with the humans so that the mutants can rule the world. Erik ended up in a plastic prison cell because of his actions in the first X-Men movie. Mystique, a mutant that could take the shape of any other person that she touched, worked with Magneto. Charles and the X-Men battle with Erik and his followers to stop that from happening. Sometimes they have joined forces to fight a common enemy.
PLOT
A group of people were touring the White House. President McKenna was in the Oval Office with some of the White House staff. A guard noticed something strange, and when he investigated, he discovered that a mutant had breached security. The secret service couldn’t catch him because the mutant was able to teleport to different areas very fast. When he vanished and reappeared, smoke appeared, making it harder to tell where he actually was. He made it into the Oval Office, but he didn’t follow through on his plan to kill the president.
Professor Charles Xavier, Dr. Jean Grey, Cyclops, Storm, and the students for Professor Xavier’s school were on a field trip at a museum. Jean seemed to sense that something bad was going to happen. Rogue, Bobby, and John were in the cafeteria. Some other teenagers were hassling John, so he decided to show off his powers. Charles arrived and then they all saw a news bulletin about the attack on the President by a mutant, so they decided it was time to leave.
Logan had left the school to search for answers about his past. Charles had given him a location that might help answer some of the questions Logan had. When he got there, Logan didn’t find anything. He headed back to the school and got there just in time to watch over the place while everyone else went to do a few things. Charles and Cyclops went to the prison where Erik was being held in a plastic cell. Jean and Storm headed to Boston to try to find the mutant that had attacked the president.
In Washington, D.C. General William Stryker was meeting with President McKenna about the attack. Stryker had worked with mutants for years. He felt that something had to be done to control the mutants and prevent another attack. Senator Robert Kelly was also there, defending the mutants. Stryker had somehow gotten photos of the jet at the school. He wanted to go into the school. President McKenna gave Stryker permission to go into the school to ask questions, but he didn’t want any of the students harmed. Stryker had other plans.
At the school, Logan and Bobby were talking when Logan heard something. The school was being invaded. Soldiers were using some sort of tranquilizer on some of the students and taking them. Many of the students were able to escape with the help of Colossus while Logan fought off the soldiers. Logan, Bobby, Rogue, and John ended up on the run together. A little later, some more information about Logan’s past was shared.
The visit between Charles and Erik did not go as Charles had hoped. Jean and Storm found the teleporting mutant, Nightcrawler, and were ready to return to the school, but they couldn’t contact anyone there. An explanation for what Nightcrawler did was given later in the movie. They did eventually meet up with Logan, Bobby, Rogue, and John. Mystique discovered something that indicated all mutants were in danger. Stryker had plans. The X-Men, Mystique, and Magneto would have to work together to save themselves and all mutants.
CAST
Patrick Stewart - Professor Charles Xavier Hugh Jackman - Logan/Wolverine Ian McKellen - Erik Lehnsherr Halle Berry - Ororo Munroe/Storm Famke Janssen - Dr. Jean Grey James Marsden - Scott Summers/Cyclops Rebecca Romijn-Stamos - Mystique Brian Cox - Gen. William Stryker Alan Cumming - Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler Bruce Davison - Senator Robert Kelly Anna Paquin - Marie D’Ancanto/Rogue Kelly Hu - Yuriko Oyama /Lady Deathstrike Aaron Stanford - John Allerdyce/Pyro Katie Stuart - Kitty Pride Michael Reid Mackay - Jason 143 Keely Purvis - Little Girl 143 Shawn Ashmore - Bobby Drake/Iceman Lea Wong - Jubilation Lee/Jubilee Daniel Cudmore - Piotr Rasputin/Colossus Cotter Smith - President McKenna Shawna Kain - Theresa Cassidy/Siryn Alf Humphreys - William Drake Jill Teed - Madeline Drake James Kirk - Tommy Drake Steve Bacic - Dr. Henry McCoy/Beast James Bamford - Remy LeBeau/Gambit
Brian Singer - Director Michael Dougherty and Daniel P Harris - Screenplay
X2: X-Men United was released in May of 2003 and rated PG-13. The movie was just over two hours long. There was some sexuality and some violence in the movie. When I saw the movie, there were a lot of very young children in there. Personally, I don’t think this is a good movie for children that young because of the violence and fighting that is in the movie. I think it would be all right for older children. Parents should watch the movie and then decide about taking children to see it. There were a few different sub plots in the movie, and it jumped around between them, but I didn’t have any trouble keeping up with what was going on. There was a lot going on in the movie.
X-Men and X2: X-Men United were based on comic book characters. The X-Men first appeared in comic books in 1963 that were created by Stan Lee. Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Beast and Angel made up the original line up. Since then there have been many new characters added and several spin off comics. The characters in the X-Men movies have been some of the more popular characters from the comic books. There were some characters, like Dr. Henry McCoy/Beast, that only appeared briefly in X2: X-Men United. According to the cast list I looked up, Gambit was in the movie, but I didn’t see him anywhere.
I have always been fascinated with superheroes and have enjoyed many movies, cartoons, and television shows that had them as characters. I really enjoy those types of shows and movies. I’m not as familiar with the X-Men as some of their fans are, but I still knew enough to be able to identify who most of the characters were and follow some things that were going on. People who aren’t familiar with the X-Men may find it harder to follow things and may not enjoy the movie as much.
Just about everything that happened in X2: X-Men United was unbelievable, but that is normal for comic books and the movies based on them. There are no superheroes in the real world. People should know going into these types of movies that they will be unbelievable. This type of movie is meant to be watched for enjoyment, though the X-Men movies did touch on the more serious subject of prejudice. Many humans fear and hate mutants just because they are different, and the X-Men have to deal with those things. Overall, I think this movie was just meant to be watched for entertainment.
X2: X-Men United was an action adventure movie. There was some violence in some scenes. It started off with a bang with the attack on the President by Nightcrawler, and it continued throughout the movie. Logan got into a battle with the soldiers at the school, and a lot of people were injured. Logan was injured a few different times as well. John showed off his powers in a big way, causing some explosions. Logan did more fighting later in the movie, including a fight with a woman mutant, Yuriko Oyama, who also had adamantium claws. Most of the fighting involved the X-Men using their mutant powers. Some people may think the movie is too violent, but I didn’t feel that way.
There were a few more light hearted moments X2: X-Men United. Logan said a few things that were funny at times. Rogue and Bobby were trying to figure out how to have a relationship considering her powers and what could happen. The love triangle involving Logan, Jean and Cyclops turned up again. When he first arrived at the school in the first movie, Logan was immediately attracted to Jean. He still felt that attraction in this movie, and at one point he did something to act on it.
X2: X-Men United was the second movie to feature the X-Men. There were some sub plots that continued over from the first movie, like Logan going to search for some answers about his past. I’m not sure how much time had passed between the end of the first movie and the beginning of the second. Some characters made some remarks regarding things that happened in the first movie at times, and from some other things that were said it seemed like not too much time was supposed to have passed. I saw the first X-Men movie when it was released in theaters. I think people should see the movies in order. If they aren’t seen in order, people could have trouble following what was happening. There will be a third X-Men movie, but I don’t know when it will be out. There were things that happened in X2: X-Men United that were hinting at what will come in the next movie. I figured out what was coming, and I’m not that familiar with the X-Men comics. I had thought that anyone who had some knowledge of what had happened in the comics or the cartoon would have figured out what was coming, but my friend knows more about them than me and she didn’t realize it until I mentioned it. There is a bit of a different lead in to what will happen than how it happened in the comics and the cartoon, but that has happened with a few other things too.
There were a lot of special effects in X2: X-Men United. Most of the mutant powers of the characters had to be created through special effects. I knew when I saw things that they were effects, but they blended in well with the movie and what was going on. For example, when Nightcrawler was teleporting, I knew that was an effect, but it worked for this movie. They were very well done. The special effects were needed for the movie to make it work. The makeup for some of the characters was also amazing. Nightcrawler was completely blue, had a tail, and his feet and hands were different. He also had some sort of tattoos covering his body. He didn’t look like the actor who played him, Alan Cumming, at all. He had to spent several hours in make up every day. The character of Mystique also required a lot of make up at times. She could assume the form of anyone she touched, but in her natural form, she was completely blue and had some sort of scales on her skin. It required hours in the make up chair to achieve that look. When she wasn’t appear like someone else, she didn’t wear any clothes. For other characters, the make up wasn’t as dramatic, like for Logan. He just had a unique hair style and long sideburns, but Logan looked totally different from other roles Hugh Jackman has played. The make up was also very important to this movie.
In a few scenes of X2: X-Men United, there were a couple of product placements that were rather obvious. In one scene, Logan found Bobby eating some ice cream in the kitchen. The ice cream was from Baskin Robbins. Logan then got a Dr. Pepper to drink. I have seen several commercials for Baskin Robbins that mention the movie and Wolverine is on the can of Diet Dr. Pepper I have sitting here now. In another scene, Logan and a few others drive off in a Mazda RX8. The Baskin Robbins ice cream and the Dr. Pepper showing up was more obvious than the car. Those were the only product placements I noticed in the movie, so it didn’t have as many as some movies have had.
There were several characters in X2: X-Men United. Some characters, like Kitty Pride and Collossus only turned up briefly. Others were in much more of the movie. Several characters returned from the first X-Men movie. In that one, the movie seemed to be more focused on Logan and Rogue since they came to the school at the same time. Rogue was the only student that was really shown in that movie. Bobby turned up in a brief scene or two, but that was about it. Bobby had a much bigger role in this movie. Rogue was in less of the movie this time, like Logan was, but he was still very important. All of the X-Men seemed to play an equally important role in this movie. Some characters, like Nightcrawler and Stryker, were new this time. There wasn’t that much development for any of the characters. I think that Logan and Rogue are a little more developed than the other characters because of the focus on them in the first movie. The emphasis in the movie was placed on the action instead of character development.
Most of the cast of X-Men returned for X2: X-Men United. The acting didn’t really stand out since most of the movie was focused on action, but it wasn’t horrible either. Patrick Stewart once again played Charles. I think that Patrick Stewart is perfect as Charles. He just fit that role. Charles is a bit different from other roles he has played. I have seen him in Star Trek the Next Generation and a few movies like Conspiracy Theory. Hugh Jackman made his first movie appearance in X-Men as Logan. He looked like Logan and he was believable in the role. He is Logan and I can’t imagine anyone else in the role. I have also seen him in Someone Like You and Kate and Leopold. He played very different characters in those two movies, and neither of those roles was remotely like Logan. He looks completely different in other movies. Hugh Jackman was in very good shape for this movie and it showed in a few scenes. Ian McKellan was very good as Erik/Magneto. McKellan also played Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Erik and Gandalf are different characters, but they are both unique, magical characters. Halle Berry didn’t have a whole lot to do as Storm, but she was good in the scenes she did have. This was a different part from the one she played in Die Another Day, where she was more of a main character. Brian Cox did good with his role of Stryker. He was not a nice character, and it showed in his actions and expressions. I saw Cox as Hannibal Lector in Manhunter, and he was also very good in that role, though he was more understated as Hannibal. I also saw cox in The Bourne Identity, another different role for him. Shawn Ashman didn’t really impress me as Bobby, but he wasn’t horrible either. None of the other acting in the movie stood out to me.
CHARACTERS
Professor Charles Xavier - Powerful telepathic mutant that ran a school for mutants. By using a special computer he had, he was able to link his mind to everyone else on the planet. He was a kind man who wanted to find a way for humans and mutants to live together in peace.
Logan - Wolverine - Logan couldn’t remember his past or how he came to have adamantium attached to his skeleton. Charles was helping him to try to find some answers. Logan had a temper at times, but he cared about others. He seemed to have a soft spot for Rogue and he was in love with Jean. Logan didn’t always get along with Cyclops.
Cyclops - Scott Summers - He was an instructor at the school. He was in charge on missions with the X-Men. He was involved with Jean and didn’t seem to like Logan too much.
Dr. Jean Grey - She was an expert on genetics. She was telepathic and telekinetic. She didn’t always have faith in her powers. She was involved with Scott, but she seemed conflicted about Logan’s feelings for her.
Storm - Ororo - She also taught at the school. She seemed happy to see Logan when he came back. She was a kind, caring woman who was fed up of being hated because she was different.
Erik - Magneto - He was in prison in a plastic cell so he couldn’t break out. He had been friends with Charles, but Erik decided that mutants needed to control humans. He had no interest in peace. He usually had an ulterior motive for whatever he did. He survived being in a concentration camp as a child where his family was killed.
Mystique - She was a shape shifting mutant that was bitter about the treatment she received growing up because she was different. She worked with Magneto.
Gen. William Stryker - He had been working with and studying mutants for years. He hated mutants and thought that something needed to be done to control them. He had his own agenda.
Rogue - She was a student at the school. She was close to Logan because of things that happened before. She liked Bobby, but she was afraid of hurting him. She was still adjusting to her powers.
Bobby - He was a student at the school. He liked Rogue and wasn’t as worried about them becoming involved as she was. He seemed to be a little jealous of the closeness Rouge shared with Logan.
John - Another student at the school. He was friends with Rouge and Bobby. John seemed to be frustrated about some things.
Nightcrawler - Kurt Wagner - He was a teleporting mutant. He use to perform in the circus. He was very religious and had been manipulated somehow into doing something. He seemed to want to help people. He liked Storm.
I really enjoyed X2: X-Men United. I loved the first movie and I loved this one. I really like the characters and I’m already impatient to see the next movie. I will go see this one again in the theaters if I get the chance. Fans of superheroes should give this movie a chance. People who liked the first X-Men movie should also like this one.
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