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X2 is the second X-Men movie to become a certified blockbuster after just one weekend at the box office. It’s also the first big movie of the year to deserve all of the hype it’s been getting.
All of the familiar characters are back from the first movie, they’re played by the same actors, and the plot is loaded with similarities, too. Like any sequel worth the price of admission, there are a couple of new additions to the cast, plus enough twists in the plot to keep it fresh. The biggest twist comes when the X-Men join forces with Magneto (the bad guy) to fight a new, more evil threat to the existence of mutants.
The special effects budget got doubled from what it was in the first movie, and the money was very well spent. From the opening scenes when the President is attacked by a mysterious new mutant in the Oval Office to the film’s climax, the effects are breath-taking and realistic. (Well, as realistic as flying people, ray blasts from a man’s eyes, and twelve-inch razor sharp fingernails can get.) The effects are better than the ones in Daredevil and much better than the ones in the clip for next month’s Hulk.
There are still inside jokes that only a true fan of the comic book will notice. The jokes won’t distract you from enjoying the movie if you haven’t been following the X-Men since the 1960s. In fact, you won’t even know they’re there. What you will notice is all of the ways the letter X gets worked into the sets and backgrounds of the movie.
The area in which this movie is clearly better than the first is the characterization. Last time around, the film had to spend time introducing all of the players and letting the viewers figure out their motivations. This time around, we get to skip all of that and get right down to business. The characters are more fully developed and closer to what the fans of the comic books are used to. When the big tragic moment occurs, it actually will mean something to the people in the theater.
The lines were huge this past weekend but it was worth the wait. Go see X2 — you’ll have a blast.
