X2: X-men United

It's that time of year again...the summer blockbuster movieseason is upon us. This year the lineup is composed mostlyof sequels and increasingly popular, surefire-blockbustercomic book adaptations. X2, the first of the lattergroup out of the starting gate this season, will soon haveto contend with fellow blockbuster-to-be The MatrixReloaded. It ought to make quite a contender.

The film, which follows 2000's X-Men, unfolds morelike the saga that director Bryan Singer describes it asthan a mere sequel. It also abides by the cardinal rulesof sequel success: it's bigger, badder, and in every waybetter than its predecessor. Whereas the first film wasactually more of a prequel that set the stage and introducedthe main players of a comic universe that rivals the Biblein its number of names and characters, this second, moreambitious installment hits the ground running.

For the uninitiated, the X-Men are a group of mutants,possibly the next stage of human evolution. Their leaderis the powerful telepath professor Charles Xavier (PatrickStewart), who believes mutants and humans can peacefullyco-exist. To accomplish that dream, he runs a trainingfacility that masquerades as a school for the gifted. There,mutants learn to harness their abilities in exchange forprotection from the hostile outside world, which hatesand fears their kind.

The newest threat to mutant life is William Stryker (Brian Cox),a megalomaniacal ex-military White House adviser and formerassociate of Xavier's who is bent on destroying all mutants.He has enslaved several via mind control, and has used themto carry out the first part of his plan, the aim of whichis to harness the power of Cerebro, the X-Men's telepathicallypowered computer. If all goes according to Stryker's plan,Xavier himself will annihilate his own kind through Cerebro.Stryker also drags out several skeletons from the mysteriousWolverine's (Hugh Jackman) past, about which we learnslightly more this time around.

In the meantime, several romances continue to develop. Thetriangle previously established between Dr. Jean Grey (FamkeJanssen), Scott "Cyclops" Summers (James Marsden) and Wolverinebecomes further complicated when Jean reveals her hiddendesire for bad-boy Wolverine, though the tension and conflictbetween the three never heats up to the degree that it should.Rogue (Anna Paquin) and Bobby "Iceman" Drake (Shawn Ashmore),find themselves in a similar predicament that arises from theformer's inability to touch another human being without fatalconsequences.

New characters...Yuriko "Lady Deathstrike" Oyama (Kelly Hu),John "Pyro" Allerdyce (Aaron Stanford), Kurt "Nightcrawler"Wagner (Alan Cumming)...abound, and comic book fans will recognizeColossus (Daniel Cudmore) and Kitty Pryde (Katie Stuart) insupporting roles. The only downside to all of those new charactersis their lack of screen time. Although the plot is rich withtwists, action and suspense, Singer at times has difficultykeeping up with all the subplots and cast members, each of whomhas their own story to tell. Despite its more than two-hourrunning time, X2 is still not long enough to give themthe attention they require. Fans, who will at least be morefamiliar with all the back stories, might feel cheated by thefight scene between Wolverine and Lady Deathstrike, who isgiven little character development.

For the most part, Singer manages to keep things moving andmaintain interest, showing far more assurance this time aroundin terms of pacing and narrative structure. With the backgroundof the X-Men universe having been filled in during the previousinstallment, the director now gets to tell a real story. Healso advances the intriguing idea of the impending war betweenmutants and humans. The thinly veiled allegory of bigotry andracism, which was given slightly more attention in the firstfilm, lends the story a certain maturity and realism not foundin more fantasy-oriented comic book stories.

The stunts and special effects, both of which have improvedsince the last time, wisely serve to enhance the film ratherthan upstage its story. Casting for each new character remainsimpeccable as always...the combination of actor and makeup makeseach a spitting image of their comic-book counterpart, andall without the aid of a computer-generated Hulk. At times,the dialog tends toward the melodramatic, but this is acomic-book movie after all. Singer makes the best of hisstar-studded cast and gets excellent performances from Stewart,Cox and Sir Ian McKellen especially.

X2 wisely pushes the limits of its PG-13 rating withincreased violence and sexual tension, but it also knows whennot to take itself too seriously with some well-placed momentsof humor. It's a more grown-up X-Men tale that will pleasefans and newcomers alike and leave both camps hungering forthe impending third installment of a saga that continues toevolve in much the same manner as that of its titular characters.