Posted: 05/06/2003

X2: X-Men United

(2003)

by Joe Steiff

X-Men opens the floodgates of summer blockbusters and sweeps us along quite nicely!

Okay, I’ll admit it. I’ve never watched the X-Men animated series, nor have I read the comics. For years, the closest I ever came to the X-Men was one of those samples bins at Walgreen’s. You know the kind: bins of bite sized soap and shots of mouthwash for ill-prepared travelers and unexpected overnighters. During one of those of my own—an ill prepared trip, not an unexpected overnighter—I discovered that I had not packed as well as I had thought. My rush to the airport resulted in a late night scavenger hunt at a Walgreen’s to find all the little things to make me smell better, smile brighter and look more groomed. I grabbed a hairbrush for 99 cents, and it was only after I got my treasures home that I saw the Wolverine decal on its handle. Though it endeared me to my boyfriend of the time, an avid comics fan, I really had no idea of who Wolverine was.

All of that changed a couple of years ago when Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects, Apt Pupil) brought a less colorful but definitely more vibrant X-Men to the big screen. Not being familiar with the characters or basic story premise of all that had come before, I found the film entertaining, the characters likeable and the subtexts intriguing. I know that the film didn’t necessarily provide 100% satisfaction to long-time fans, but for the novice, it was a great introduction to the Marvelous world of mutants.

Picking up soon after the first film, the new X-Men film continues with several threads left hanging from the first film and creates a few new ones to carry us into a third. Wolverine and Rogue are back, and though the first film seemed to be built around their stories, this time the story line seems a bit more evenly distributed. Most of the key “good guys” from the first film are back: Professor Xavier, Jean Grey, Storm and Cyclops. But Magneto’s camp is a bit smaller, only bringing back Mystique who shape shifts from being Senator Kelly to a variety of convenient appearances allowing her to coordinate Magneto’s escape from his plastic prison. Magneto remains an ambivalent villain, and through the course of the film he finds more allies.

Introduced in the first film as Rogue’s classmates and possible suitors, Iceman and Pyro have more prevalent roles this time, and she has clearly chosen. We do see a few more of the children studying at the School, most notably Colossus who helps defend the school from attack, but if there’s a standout mutant in X2, it’s the Dracula-esque devoutly religious Nightcrawler.

Each of the mutants (and their corresponding actors) gets a turn in the spotlight, and all rise to the occasion. Halle Berry has finally found her comfort zone as Storm (probably one of the weakest links in the first film but now clearly holding her own), and Famke Janssen (Jean Grey) gets several vital action sequences. We get to see the softer side of James Marsden, and Hugh Jackman remains the embodiment of the enigmatic Wolverine. And as before, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart provide the necessary weight to anchor this mutant universe. But as you can already guess, Alan Cumming delivers big as Nightcrawler, combining humor and piety with some beautifully smoky effects as he teleports himself and others in a variety of situations.

Which leads me to the most impressive aspect of this film: making intelligent use of all the mutant’s powers. Rogue’s value to the team is demonstrated clearly, as is each member’s, and these demonstrations are not just for show but actually figure into and propel the narrative. Everything is efficient and linked in a way that makes the film experience, once over, feel very finely constructed. As much as I loved X-Men, this film is far better.

The title for this second film, X2: X-Men United, seems particularly apt. Most of the villains this time are human rather than superhuman. As a result, the battles seem a bit scaled down, yet they remain thrilling. The film moves along nicely as various allegiances are formed and dissolved in the attempt to stop the destruction of either all mutants or all humans, depending upon who’s calling the shots. Professor Xavier confronts a form of doppelganger, but this time the connections are implied more through Guy Dyas’ production design than through story conventions, making it a much more satisfying “echo” than the one Patrick Stewart experienced in the last Star Trek outing.

Bryan Singer has crafted an intriguing story along with Zak Penn and David Hayter (scripted by Daniel P. Harris). But he couldn’t have done it without the uncredited creators of the comic book, John Byrne, Chris Claremont, Dave Cockrum, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and Len Wein. Kudos to them all. X-Men stand for all of us who have felt different, wanting to be recognized for our own special talents even if at first it’s hard to understand their value. And despite its origin as a comic book, it reminds us that nothing is ever black and white, that any of us is driven by a series of complex relationships and histories. And that at numerous points, we make decisions that align us with right or wrong, even if it’s sometimes hard to tell which is which when we’re in the thick of it all.

Joe Steiff has super powers, he just hasn’t figured them out yet. But he does know that using them for good is very important. Such as writing reviews for Film Monthly!

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