Main Cast: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Brian Cox
Release Year: 2003
Country: US
Run Time: 135 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
When a failed assassination attempt occurs on the President's (Cotter Smith) life by the teleporting mutant Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming), it's Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and his School for Gifted Youngsters who are targeted for the crime. While Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) and Storm (Halle Berry) try and locate the assassin, Cyclops (James Marsden) and Xavier (also known as 'Professor X') seek answers from their old foe Magneto (Ian McKellan) in his glass cell...Little do they know they're walking into a trap set by the villainous William Stryker (Brian Cox), a mysterious governmental figure that figures into Wolverine's (Hugh Jackman) secretive past, along with information about the X-Men's operation, supplied by Magneto through a mind-controlling agent. Meanwhile Wolverine, just home from a failed mission to regain his memory, is in charge of the students when a crack-commando team led by Stryker infiltrates the school by order of the President. With a mansion full of young, powerful mutants and the ferocious Wolverine in babysitter mode, can he defend the school against the one man who can answer his questions? What roles do the sinister Mystique (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) and Lady Deathstrike (Kelly Hu) have in all of this? Why does Stryker want Professor X and his Cerebro machine? With the war between humanity and mutants escalating to extremes, can the rest of the X-Men trust their old foes to help them? Director Bryan Singer returns and raises the stakes in this sequel to the highly lauded 2000 adaptation of Marvel Comics' X-Men. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
Review
X2 is one of those sequels that moviegoers dream of -- it's bigger, badder, and ten times more explosive than Bryan Singer's classy but hindered original. Aided by a much larger budget, and the comfort of the mythology already introduced, X2 goes for broke from the get-go and doesn't let up until the fantastic finale that'll leave die-hard fans sweating in their seats. That's not to say non-comic-book readers are left in the dust with this one -- essentially, that's the genius of this sequel...While building their own film universe with these beloved mutants, the filmmakers obviously have love and respect for the original 30-plus years of printed history -- in this flick alone, they tackle three key stories of the comic and somehow still make it all work for the non-readers out there. Thinking back, it's fitting that X-Men was so much of a setup because this is where the juice really gets cookin' and the payoff begins. First off, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) fans beware, because this is what you've been waiting for -- the berserker is officially unleashed, and audiences everywhere now have a new iconic movie hero because of it. Of course, it's not all Wolvie's story in this darker tale...Old faces are fresh again when plots blossom and characters are fleshed out in fantastic fashion as everyone, at some point, gets their time in the sun (besides Cyclops [James Marsden], who sadly disappears for one full hour during the film). Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan continue to be fabulous in their roles, giving instant credibility and creating flawless characterizations to these two tragic old friends. New to the scene is Alan Cumming in a surprising turn as the mysterious teleporter Nightcrawler. His makeup and teleporting effects are exceptional, while the accent he chose is flawless (unlike Academy Award-winner Halle Berry's in the original, which is gladly absent here). Of course, with a new sequel come new villains, and this one has them in spades. First off, there's Brian Cox -- one mammoth actor that gives birth to one of the nastiest bad guys in history, William Stryker, a scientist who holds the key to Wolverine's past. Also on hand is the gorgeous Kelly Hu as Lady Deathstrike, a siren who isn't on the screen long, but does take part in one of the most grueling knock-down, drag-out fights in X-Men history, automatically making her a classic villain that'll be remembered long after the credits roll. Speaking of action, if the theater had seat belts, you'd want to strap yourself in, because Singer and company have crafted a film that makes the first one pale in comparison. It's the tasty treat that fans and newcomers alike have been waiting for -- a meaty, action-packed, story-driven superhero film that delivers on the grandness and scale that the characters and this sequel deserved. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
Brian Cox - William Stryker; Famke Janssen - Dr. Jean Grey; Alan Cumming - Kurt Wagner, AKA Nightcrawler; Rebecca Romijn - Mystique; James Marsden - Cyclops; Bruce Davison - Senator Kelly; Shawn Ashmore - Bobby Drake/Iceman; Aaron Stanford - John/Pyro; Kelly Hu - Anne Reynolds, AKA Yuriko Oyama, AKA Lady Deathstrike; Anna Paquin - Rogue; Katie Stuart - Kitty Pryde; Kea Wong - Jubilee; James N. Kirk - Ronny Drake; Dylan Kussman - Wilkins; Michael Reid Mackay - Jason 143; Cotter Smith - President McKenna; Charles Siegel - Dr. Shaw; Peter Wingfield - Lyman; Stephen Spender - Smith; Jill Teed - Madeline Drake; Steve Bacic - Hank McCoy, AKA Beast; Bryce Hodgson - Arthur "Artie" Maddicks; Ty Olsson - Mitchell Laurio; Connor Widdows - Jones; Daniel Cudmore - Piotr Rasputin, AKA Colossus; Sideah Alladice - X-Kid; Devin Douglas Drewitz - X-Kid; Nolan Funk - X-Kid; Alfred E. Humphreys - Steven Drake; Jermaine Lopez - X-Kid; Keely Purvis - Little Girl 143
Credit
Helen Veronica Jarvis - Art Director, Geoff Hubbard - Supervising Art Director, Kevin Feige - Associate Producer, David Gorder - Associate Producer, Roger Mussenden - Casting, Ross Fanger - Co-producer, Kevin Feige - Co-producer, Louise Mingenbach - Costume Designer, Lee Cleary - First Assistant Director, Bryan Singer - Director, Brian Smrz - Second Unit Director, John Ottman - Editor, Elliot Graham - Editor, Stan Lee - Executive Producer, Bryan Singer - Executive Producer, Avi Arad - Executive Producer, Tom Desanto - Executive Producer, John Ottman - Composer (Music Score), Gordon J. Smith - Makeup Special Effects, Guy H. Dyas - Production Designer, Newton Thomas Sigel - Cinematographer, Lauren Shuler-Donner - Producer, Ralph Winter - Producer, Elizabeth Wilcox - Set Designer, Dean Wolcott - Set Designer, Allan Galajda - Set Designer, Luke Freeborn - Set Designer, Nancy Brown - Set Designer, Andrew Li - Set Designer, J. Andre Chaintrevil - Set Designer, Dan Hermansen - Set Designer, Margot Ready - Set Designer, Milena Zdravkovic - Set Designer, Rob Young - Sound/Sound Designer, Zak Penn - Screen Story, Bryan Singer - Screen Story, David Hayter - Screen Story, Bryan Singer - Screenwriter, David Hayter - Screenwriter, Dan Harris - Screenwriter, Michael Dougherty - Screenwriter, Gary Capo - Additional Cinematography, Michael Fink - Visual Effects Supervisor
