X2: X-Men United - Review

I totally forgot how great this movie was! This is one of my favourite X-Men films. It starts off with a kickass scene of Nightcrawler invading the White House with effects that are still impressive to this day. That is one thing that this film has going for it. The effects and the action don't seem out-dated, they seem fresh. There is an action scene in the middle of the film where Wolverine just goes to town of some military soldiers and I felt like I was a 9-year-old kid again. So it's got the superhero action, what else? Well, like the first film, the entire cast gives great performances and each of them has enough depth to make them interesting. William Stryker also made a great villain. Although Ian McKellen's Magneto is still in the film and has great screen presence, William Stryker held his own in this movie and although he isn't a mutant, raised the stakes from the first film by a large amount. Overall, this film hits all the emotional beats that you want from a comic movie. Great characters that are interesting, good humour when it is needed, a slight bit of romance that fit and a compelling story with kick-ass action. The first X-Men film will get you introduced to all the characters and their powers, but X2 is the film that will have you at the edge of your seat!