Day 53: June 22nd, 2010

X-Men 2



A sequel that outshines the original.

An attempt on the Presidents life doesn't help the X-men's cause for peace between mutants and mankind. Magneto is still up to no good and a new enemy surfaces, Stryker, who seems to have a past with Wolverine. Wolverine tries to find answers to his past through this mysterious man who wants to kidnap mutants.

X2 opens with a bang and is one of the best scenes in the entire trilogy. We are introduced to a popular x-men character, who is visualized perfectly and is one of the best character adaptations the films have ever done and the sequence itself is entertaining. So much that it immediately grabs you and tells you that this film is a sequel that outshines the original and it does. Bryan Singer took the flaws of the original and fixed them here, he makes a sequel that is not only bigger, but better. Many times sequels fall under it's own need to do things on a grander scale, but here it works.

We are introduced to some new characters, such as Nightcrawler, Pyro and Lady Deathstrike. All three of these characters shine in this film and elevate it to making this sequel the best in the series. Deathstrike has a brutal and violent fight scene with Wolverine, it seems he has finally me his match this time around. Styker is played by Brian Cox, he is deliciously evil and a nice face to see against the x-men then just having it be Magneto again.

The action sequences are better here, more rough and tough. They are choreographed to make it not only more real, but more entertaining. They fit the comic book form a little more here than in the previous installment. The risk in this film seems a bit greater as well, the stakes are risen in the sequel and it makes us care more about the characters and the outcome then what one would initially think.

Halle Berry and her role as Storm is still one of the weakest parts of the series. Her lines fall flat and her sincerity doesn't seem genuine. Her bits with Nightcrawler seem forced and she somehow manages to take one of the coolest characters from the comics and make her quite lame here. James Marsden improves here as Cyclops, he has more emotional baggage to carry here than last time. It's always hard to act when your eyes are covered, I give him credit despite having less screen time.

This film is darker, not everyone makes it out alive. It sets up one of the best story lines the comics have ever introduced, the Dark Phoenix Saga. The script is tighter as is the acting. Rogue is still an annoying teen, but she has matured a bit since last time. The special effects are improved and the direction is more polished. If I were to point anyone into the direction of an x-men film, this is the one I'd tell them to watch.


8/10

Day 52: June 21st, 2010

X-Men



The comic book film that re-started this generation.

Mutants are feared and hated, they have special abilities that humans don't. Magneto is a mutant who believes a war is brewing between mutants and mankind, so he sets out to turn everyone into a mutant. Professor Xavier and his team of X-Men believe mankind is good and can live peacefully with mutants, they must stop him.

There have been many comic book films before X-Men, the most notable ones are Superman and Batman, yet there have even been lesser known comic book characters getting their big screen debut before the mutants. Tank Girl, Blade and The Crow all got their chance and they did pretty well (well, maybe not tank girl) but I think it was X-Men that kick started this wave of comic book films that we have today. 2 years later we got Spider-Man and then every other film coming out was based on a comic book. X-Men, ten years later, still remains to be one of the better adaptations.

The key role in the success of this film was the casting choices. Patrick Stewart as Professor Charles Xavier is not only a stroke of genius, but the most obvious choice. Newcomer Hugh Jackman gives us a dead on portrayal of Logan aka Wolverine and since this film has become a superstar in Hollywood, even getting his own film, X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Ian McKellen plays the villain Magneto and even though his physical appears make him appear fragile, his use of speech and demeanor make him terrifying in a unique way, you believe that he is as dangerous as they say.

Being a big fan of the comics, I was anticipating this film with a big smile on my face. I liked it then and as I mentioned earlier, it still holds up today. There are some shoddy special effects that jump out at you more now than ever, but as a whole, this comic book adaptation hits the right notes. Bryan Singer uses homosexuality as a comparing theme for mutants. Being a homosexual himself, he seemed to be able to portray the issues of separation and isolation that mutants feel. This is further explored in the sequel.

I can help but feel that by the film's conclusion, they could have gone a little bigger. The conflict between Sabretooth and Wolverine is not as engaging as a fan of the comics would want and the changing of Rogue into the Jubliee character from the animated series might rub some people the wrong way. Sabretooth is not as vicious as he could be and Rogue is an annoying teenage girl.

X-Men is a good film that is shy of being great. Everything that was mishandled here was made right in the sequel. X-Men proved that comic book films can be smart and not just for fans/geeks who collect comics.

7/10