by Nik Amanovic in London on April 28 2003
Quite simply, had it not been for "X-Men‘s" success at the box office in 2000 we may not have seen the likes of BEN AFFLECK in "Daredevil", rising star ERIC BANA in the upcoming "Incredible Hulk" or TOBEY MAGUIRE in last year‘s box office smash "Spiderman". The film that paved the way for the current spate of comic book screen adaptations has returned with this hotly anticipated sequel, helmed once again by BRYAN SINGER. As a lifelong X-Men fan and collector you could imagine how excited I was when I went to see this film, and I‘m glad to tell you that I was not disappointed.
We find the X-Men in peril once again as they attempt to cement the uneasy relationship between humans and mutantkind. Following a failed assassination attempt on the President of the US by a mutant, the passing of the Mutant Registration Act becomes ever more likely, threatening an apartheid upon all mutants. We are introduced to General William Stryker, played by BRIAN COX, a military leader who is fanatically anti-mutant and his silent but deadly assistant Yuriko Oyama a.k.a. Lady Deathstrike played by KELLY HU. With links to HUGH JACKMAN‘S Wolverine and PATRICK STEWART‘S Professor X himself, Stryker and his army assault the school that the young mutants call their home. Meanwhile, using the knowledge that the imprisoned Magneto (IAN MCKELLEN) has of the X-mansion‘s computer Cerebro, Stryker puts into motion a ploy to rid the world of all mutants. The X-Men are thus forced to form an uneasy alliance with a mortal enemy if they are to prevent this genocide.
Adapted from the classic X-Men storyline "God Loves, Man Kills" the film has many sub-plots running through it. Essentially, the cast are split up into teams and we follow each of them on their way towards the final confrontation. Oscar-winning actress HALLE BERRY resplendent with new wig as Storm, and FAMKE JANSSEN as Dr. Jean Grey hunt the mutant responsible for the attempt on the President‘s life, while Wolverine, Iceman (SHAWN ASHMORE), newcomer Pyro (AARON STANFORD) and Oscar-winner ANNA PAQUIN as Rogue travel to Iceman‘s home. British actor ALAN CUMMING is introduced as the mysterious German mutant Nightcrawler while the lovely REBECCA ROMIJN-STAMOS reprises her role as master of disguise Mystique and this time we even get to see her without her make-up!
The word on the street is that "X-Men 2" is bigger and better than its predecessor; given the first film‘s success it is unsurprising that BRYAN SINGER has been rewarded with a larger budget to play with, and this is plain to see throughout the film as the calibre of stars is high and the special effects are amazing. SINGER directs in a more relaxed manner this time round, and the film is laced with humour and moments of romance which I found refreshing as it could have taken itself a bit too seriously given that the subject matter is bleak. Die-hard fans should be sated with the cameos by lesser-known X-Men such as Colossus, Siryn and Dr. Hank McCoy a.k.a. "Beast". Finally, special mention must go to HUGH JACKMAN who further consolidates his superstar status; after seeing his portrayal of Wolverine in the both films I was impressed how close he really was to the comic book character he portrays.
Without giving too much away, the film ends with more than a hint that there will be a third instalment. The Phoenix will arise…so sink your claws into this one now!
UK release: 1st May 2003
Celebrities Worldwide Rating: 8 out of 10
David Jensen Photography:
https://www.davidjensen.co.uk/
