Not for the uninitiated (X2: X-Men United (DVD))

Member Name: Bryn Pearson

Product:	X2: X-Men United (DVD)
Date:	14/05/03 (56 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: lots of plot, good to look at

Disadvantages: not enough time to really explore any of the characters.

Some series of films, like the Bond films, you can watch in any order and they make sense. Some you can't, and X Men 2 falls into this category. If you haven't seen the first film, this sequel isn't going to make a whole lot of sense because they don't waste any time on that 'previously, in the X men' type intro the iritates the fans. It isn't necessary to have read any of the comics on which the films are based, although I gather from serious devotees that there are more than a few nods to the serious fans.

As I'm nice, I'll assume you know nothing and haven't seen film 1 even. The premise goes like this. The next stage of human evolution is here, and with it comes all sorts of random mutations, some of which give people amazing and terrifiying powers. Freeze water at a glance, summon up lightening from a clear sky, teleport at will, strike people down just by looking at the, read minds, move objects.... everything you might expect from superbeings. However, this isn't a cushy superhero future, its troubled. The unmutated people deeply resent and fear the mutants, and seek to repress and destroy them, and there's mutants who just want to rule the world, so for a gentle-hearted mutant who just wants everyone to get along, its not so much fun.

Powerful telepath Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) runs a school for mutant children where they can learn to control their powers. Xavier wants peaceful co-existence, as do the older mutants who work with him - Storm (Halle Berry), Jean Grey (Famk Jansen, I think that's how you spell her name) Cyclops (no idea who the actor is) Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). Leading the more militant mutants is Magneto (Ian McKellan) and wonderfully villinous he is too.

The second film finds Wolverine returning from his walkabout (started at end of previous film) young female mutant Rogue trying to start a relationship with a guy callled Bobby/Iceman, which is challeng
ing because she harms people if she touches them. Jean Grey is feeling deeply troubled, and a kid who calls himself Pyro looks like he might be about to explode. These are minor problems. There's a plot to kill the president, and a mutant is involved, and beneath that, an even darker plan to attack Xavier's school and change the power balance betwen the mutants and ordinary humans. This isn't a neatly divided film about good and evil, there's lots of shades of grey. There's some new mutants about as well as everyone who survived the first film. The more unusual looking Mutants are well handled and look good.

It would be fair to say that there's enough plot to keep you busy, a lot of characters doing a lot of different things, some superb fight scenes, and lots of special effects. The script is good - witty without being cringeworthy, and nicely paced. The actors are great - Ian McKellan makes an excellent bad guy, he has a lot of style and is often quite sympathetic. I'm starting to really like Hugh Jackman - he's very interesting to watch on the whole. The special effects an representations of mutant powers are well thought out, creative and visual. It's good to look at, and as many of the younger actors spend most of the film in tight fitting combat suits, heavy on the eye candy as well.

If I have one niggle, its this - two hours isn't long to deal with so many characters - at least twelve significant characters. No one gets as much screen time as they deserve. None of the underlying ideas about difference, tolerance and prejudice get much time. The emotional content and character interaction is handled well - a great deal is expressed in a very condensced way, the script is lean and effective, but it does leave you wanting just a little bit more about some individual's motivation and responses. One of the new mutants is in my opinion, totally wasted, we hardly even hear her speak, we never get to find
out who she was and why she was there. Somethings are not as fully explained as they could be - especially events surrounding Jean Grey. There are a few gaps. If you watch closely you can work out what happens and why, but it certainly isn't handed over on a plate, and to a casual observer it may well look like certain important details have not been properly dealt with.

On the whole, a very watchable film and a good way to spend a couple of hours. This is the sort of thing that benefits from being on a big screen, and even though it lasts two hours, you'll hardly feel the time pass. It's a 12 a, and rightly so I think, there's a fair bit of violence and a few unsettling ideas. There's a lot to take in and a lot of plot to follow, this alone would make it unsuitable for some viewers. I enjoyed it, and would certainly watch it again, although I probably wouldn't make another trip to the cinema to do so.

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