X-Men 2

UK Release Date: 1st May 2003

The X-Men band together to find a mutant assassin who has made an attempt on the President's life, while the Mutant Academy is attacked by military forces (www.imdb.com).

Director: Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects, X-Men)

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James Marsden, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, Famke Janssen, Rebecca Romijn, Brian Cox, Alan Cumming, Shawn Ashmore

X-Men 2 surpasses X-Men. And sequels never usually do. Bryan Singer has royally upped his game, with a bigger budget, astonishingly in-depth mutants (old and new) and a story thick with layers. Starting fiercely with a mutant attacking the Whitehouse, X2 focuses on Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and his hazy past with military man William Stryker (Brian Cox), who's now against all mutants after the scare in Washington. The mutant/human divide is constantly marred in various ways. The young Iceman (Shawn Ashmore) struggles to maintain a relationship with the familiar faced Rogue (Anna Paquin). He also has to contend with his family discovering his secret. Mystique (Romijn) breaks out Magneto (McKellen) to form an uneasy alliance with the X-Men, and stand against the opposing government and their new anti-mutant laws. All sub-plots are equally distributed. There's a huge amount to process in 134 minutes, with Singer and writing partners David Hayter and Zak Penn creating a superhero sequel others should inspire to be. Now for the grand finale.  

4/5