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 X-Men
2: United
Starring: Sir Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry,
Alan Cumming, Anna Paqui, Patrick Stewart etc…etc.
Directed By: Bryan Singer
Rated: PG13
X-Men
2: United is everything a super hero movie should be!
Director Bryan Singer and his crew have created not so much the
feared and dreaded "sequel" but an evolution of the
first film. All the usual suspects are here; Wolverine, Magneto,
Cyclops, Storm, Rogue etc. But we are introduced to a few more
colorful mutants from the infamous Marvel™©®
comic, like Nightcrawler and Deathstrike and one helluva big blue
meany human scum pod from the comic named Styker. There's so much
going on if you're not familiar with the series you may need Cliff©
notes or a comic-speak friend to translate.
Story
goes…a mutant named Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming) has attacked
the president of the United States. This causes the government
to panic and immediately set forth the Mutant Registration Act.
The act is to be enforced by a military chap named Stryker (Brian
Cox).
Stryker
is known in the mutant community as a man who delights in terrible
hush-hush experiments and is none too keen on mutant survival.
It becomes immediately clear he doesn't just want these folks
registered, but destroyed —permanently! He's figured
out he can make Xavier (Patrick Stewart), the world's strongest
telepath, use his own devise to simultaneously assassinate every
mutant on Earth! (<- Insert dramatic music here for effect).
Since
the sinister Stryker knows only Xavier himself can control the
devise for this sinister plan, he attacks Xavier's School for
the Gifted (X-Mansion), which we all know is a haven for young
mutants, grabs Xavier (chair-n-all) and using an evil serum he's
created, he shall make Xavier, himself, do the horrible deed!
(<- Again a crescendoing bit of dramatic music here for effect)
The
X-Men barely escape the attack and realize this nutcase is hell
bent on putting the X in X-Men in a whole new way! It's looking
pretty bad for their kind.
So
bad is the situation in fact, they must join forces with Magneto
(Sir Ian McKellen- looking quite sexy), the villainous mutant,
if they have any hopes of defeating Stryker.
That's
it. That's the story. But believe me within all the comic book
thin plot excitement is umpteen special effects, fantastic fight
sequences, lovely insights into the mutant world and of course
studly Wolverine snarling in his skin-tight leather gear —
what's not to
love?
Thespian
extraordinaire Alan Cumming joins the cast
in the role of Kurt Wagner, aka Nightcrawler, and it is he who
steals the film. He plays a soulful ex-Carny mutant that isn't
what he appears to be. It's a wonderful performance.
 Then
there's that sexy werewolfy manly man Wolverine, er, Hugh
Jackman. Jackman is simply delish, like a heaping helping
of Hungarian gypsy manstew! Again he's gorgeous as the moody brooding
mutant with an exceptionally formed figure a gal would glady get
X- communicated for! But in X2 he's thrown into a silly
love triangle (that follows the Marvel©®™
comic) with Cyclops (James Marsden) and Jean Grey (Famke
Janssen) which just wastes his screen time - it just takes
two to skidoo - and three's a crowd - see. Though fear not fans
of Marvel ©®™, Wolvie
does come close to discovering his dark past - thanks
to Stryker…
Rogue (Anna Paquin) and the Iceman
(Shawn Ashmore) cometh to terms with their  complicated
relationship. Halle Berry's Storm is kind of ripped off. She gets
very little to do except one or two notes of "Stormy Weather."
Rebecca Romijn-Stamos aka Mystique is practically naked this time
around - breathe feline lovers....breathe.
Bluntly
Speaking: X-Men2:United is just a big old action packed
movie that doesn't live up to the first - how could it - but certainly
stands respectfully beside it.
Snack
recommendation: Nightcrawlers© and a diet coke
Official
site
Trailers
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