X-Men 2

"Mutants. Since the discovery of their existence they have been regarded with fear, suspicion, often hatred. Across the planet, debate rages. Are mutants the next link in the evolutionary chain or simply a new species of humanity fighting for their share of the world? Either way it is a historical fact: Sharing the world has never been humanity's defining attribute." - Professor Xavier

release year: 2003
genre: superhero action
viewing setting: home Bluray 3/16/17 and home DVD, 8/25/12 and 8/8/05 and 11/30/03 and theater, 5/3/03

synopsis: Both mutant sides - X-Men and Magneto - face a common menace as a psychotic government villain tries to eliminate ALL mutants in the world.

impressions: Pretty good. There were some things I didn't care for, but I can't name them here without spoiling the plot. Cool things: brief Colossus scene, Nightcrawler fight scene, Wolverine-Deathstrike fight scene, plane chase scene, mansion invasion, Magneto escape scene. Overall, I'll say that I was/am kind of rooting for Magneto's concept, if not execution: there is always going to be trouble due to bigots, and it's better to be ready for it. I'm not saying it's okay to turn all humans into mutants or kill all humans, I'm saying that people like Stryker need to be stepped on, hard - before they inevitably kill or cause to be killed someone you care about.

acting: Damn, so many actors and actresses...where to focus? Iceman and Storm got more screen time than in the first movie, Cyclops got less. The guy who played Stryker did a good enough job that you really wanted some harm to come to him. The semi-revelations about Wolverine's origin were good, and added a lot to the character.

final word: Another outstanding comic-book movie.

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