X2: X-Men United
The short version: Bigger than the first one, better than the first one, but X-2‘s still no work of art.
Let me just say, the one thing X-men has done right is their casting. The actors all act and look very much like how I’d imagine the real life versions of characters to be. OK, they took a lot of liberties with Deathstrike and Kelly Hu but it’s Kelly Hu (Who? Try Scorpion King). Combined with Rebecca Romijn-Staimos, Anna Paquin and that unknown actress whom I could look up but am too lazy to that plays Jean Grey, they make an impressive cast.
Oh there’s men, too (I don’t know why they bother). The most significant additions being Ice Man and Nightcrawler (played perfectly by Alan “I am Inveeeencible!” Cumming from Goldeneye).
Anyways, I liked this better than the first one. Some say the first was more believable. I felt the opposite, especially watching the final scene in the first X-men again recently. If it weren’t for the ending cheese laid on thicker than the double stuffed Pizza Hut square super fat special buffet, I’d have enjoyed it even more. Which is the problem really … the best scene was the opening scene. The worst were the last two. In between, there was lots of fun though and those who heard my doubts about the excess of characters – I was right, there wasn’t much character development but there was more than I thought there’d be and the cameo characters were actually pretty cool.
In 24 hrs: the UK opening of Matrix Reloaded. By then, my friends in North American should be getting ready for their twentieth viewing or something.
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