Xtreme Mutant Mayhem
X2 is Xcellent

Ten years ago, if you had said that X-Men movies would be all the rage by 2003, I would have laughed. I have loved comics since I was a kid, but I would never have believed that The Uncanny X-Men -- the most bankable title in the Marvel Comics universe -- would make it to the big screen. After X-Men debuted on the big screen in 2000, all bets were off. Not only was the film wildly successful, but characters like Wolverine, Storm, and Rogue became pop culture icons.

Now, three years later, X2 is hitting theaters. The big question on everyone's mind is whether or not it can live up to the high standards set by the original. Not only does it manage to recreate the style and feel of the first, but it does so while raising the bar. The story, not tethered down by a need to explain what a mutant is or why humans fear them, hits the ground running. The result is a film with the action and pacing of a comic book, but without skimping on plot.

In a nutshell, the human/mutant tension that began in the first film continues to grow. The hysteria is heightened when a mutant breaks into the White House to attack the President of the United States. The blue-skinned acrobatic teleporter Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming) makes short order of the Secret Service and leaves behind a large knife embedded in the President's desk with a ribbon proclaiming "Mutant Freedom NOW!"

Meanwhile at the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, the X-Men and their fearless leader Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) decide that catching this mutant "terrorist" will help human/mutant relations, so Storm (Halle Berry) and Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) take off to Boston in hopes of tracking down the teleporter's last known whereabouts. As the Professor and Cyclops leave to visit the imprisoned Magneto (Ian McKellen), the returning Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is asked to watch over the school until they return.

All of which leads to a tangled skein of stories as a new bad guy, General William Stryker (Brian Cox), enacts a plot to infiltrate the X-mansion in the dead of night and initiate mutant genocide on a global scale. The only thing capable of stopping Stryker from achieving his goal may be a coalition of forces, as the X-Men and the Brotherhood (led by Magneto) put aside their political differences to prevent their own extermination.

The story also includes a budding romance between two of the younger X-Men, a love-triangle among the older set, and some allegiances that may or may not survive the plot twists in the film. In the wake of September 11, there is also a strong message to be considered. Perhaps we are two quick to label people "terrorists" because of their genetic origin. We should consider each person separate from the group and let one's actions define their true nature.

While the special effects in any summer film are destined to be of the highest caliber, the work in X2 is often nothing short of miraculous. From the special abilities of each of the mutants to the sheer magnitude of the sets and settings, the show blazes with an overall "blockbuster" feel. This is as good as summer movies get!

The story, too, is solid. While devotees of the comic book will find layers of subtext to the mannerisms and foreshadowing throughout the film, the average viewer should fair pretty well too. The real draw for the geek crowd (me included) are the small details that pop up in various places. I won't spoil the surprises by enumerating them here, but keep a sharp eye out for X-Men to be.

In the end, whether or not X2 is considered a good movie may come down to personal taste. For those who thrilled to Spider-Man last summer and Daredevil this spring, X2 has all the makings of a well-spent two hours.

MY RATING: 9 out of 10.

RATED: PG-13
RUN TIME: 124 min.