X2: X-Men United

I am going to end Marvel week with not only my favorite Marvel film, but also a film that is synonymous with being called "better than its predecessor." That is hard for a sequel to do in any franchise or genre. Bryan Singer is a master behind the camera and when you watch The Last Stand after watching X2 you will see what seperates him from ordinary movie makers. X2 also did something extremely tricky. It introduced us to new characters that help thicken the plot, but at the same time didn't take away from what we wanted to see. The plethera of characters in this film are vast and outstanding. Sometimes too many can be, well, too much. The sub plots can be watered down to make sure every one gets enough screen time. I don't speak for anyone but myself when I say, I am most interested in the body count Wolverine will rack up. He is my guy. There is no one more BA than him, and he accepts who he is. Some of the new characters we meet are Iceman (Cool), Pyro (Cool), Colossus (Cool though brief), Lady Deathstrike (Wolverine in a hot female body), and The Nightcrawler (Freakin amazing). The movie really is based around him and his actions. He attempts to kill the President, which leads directly into a mutant-human war. More directly it is based on William Stryker and his attempt to shut down Xaviers school for gifted youngsters. Stryker actually had a son that Xavier could not help and William holds him personally responsible. He has now made it his mission to abolish every mutant from the planet. When Stryker gets unlimited governmental authority against the mutant race he invades the school to take prisoners. Unfortunately for them Logan has recently come home. Essentially he is the babysitter. When the raid hits he unleashes hell and it is awesome. That is one of the best action sequences ever. From here it just gets awesome. Magneto is able to break out of his plastic prison in an absolutely brilliant fashion. He and Mystique team up with Xavier in order to stop the extermination of their race. Magneto actually has his own plan for Stryker. It is a pure movie that lacks nothing. The fight scene with Deathstrike and Wolverine is awesome. I watch this film several times a year. Pyro is pretty cool and he gets some good scenes where he gets to blow stuff up. I also like the Jean Gray story and how she is dealing with her dark phoenix. Pay attention to the shadow in the water before the credits roll. If you haven't seen this film I feel sorry for you.


***I would also like to add that my Spider-Man 3 review from 5/11/2011 has been removed by Blogger, but I have been told it will repost soon.***

NBM rates X2 - A Work of Cinematic Art