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X-Men 2 is a far more ambitious film than its predecessor. With a running time almost half an hour longer than the original, it packs in more characters, action and plot, but this isn't just a case of throwing money at the screen - it is a hugely accomplished sequel, and exemplifies exactly what a sequel should do. The film improves upon the first instalment in numerous and varied ways, while not forgetting that the major success of that film was its personality. X-Men 2 still has at its focus Wolverine's (Hugh Jackman) search for his identity, an intimate storyline that is used as a springboard for a large-scale humans-versus-mutants conflict.
The first X-Men and Superman Returns both would appear to suggest that Bryan Singer isn't a director who is entirely comfortable with action. Well, there is no evidence that this is the case in X-Men 2, as it is filled with exciting, elaborate and memorable set-pieces, the first of which is a highly entertaining mutant attack on the White House, involving new character Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming). Indeed, this impressive opening, which makes great use of Nightcrawler's teleporting ability, may be the most memorable part of the film, but that is not to suggest that the rest is a letdown. The final extended action sequence lasts a good 40 minutes, and intricately interweaves numerous subplots, resolving most in highly satisfying ways and providing several crowd-pleasing face-offs, the best of which being the fight between Wolverine and his female equivalent Lady Deathstrike (Kelly Hu).
Unavoidably, not all characters receive the screen time they deserve. While Jackman is again superb and other returning figures seem, if anything, more at ease in their characters than before, James Marsden's Cyclops is not given much to do, spending a lengthy portion of the film off screen. That means that there's less of an opportunity for the entertaining banter between him and Wolverine, but the comedy quotient is filled here mostly by Nightcrawler. Wearing prosthetics that took hours to apply each day, Cumming crafts an extremely sympathetic and amusing character. This time the villainous force is fronted by Colonel Stryker, who, working for the US government, schemes to brainwash mutants and use them as puppets for his own purposes. Brian Cox plays the part with menacing glee.
The dark edge that was present in the original can still be seen here; in particular, the way in which Magneto's (Ian McKellen) escape is orchestrated is surprisingly gruesome. Again, Singer makes sure to touch on wider real-world issues like racism and homophobia, with one particular scene involving a student at the mutant academy "coming out" to his parents - i.e. revealing that he has mutant powers - provoking laughs for its obvious subtext. The director clearly prefers his blockbusters to provide some brain food along with the exciting action, and X-Men 2 is one that successfully delivers on both fronts.
The extras
This set provides as thorough and comprehensive a look at the film's production as could possibly be hoped for from two discs. Disc 1 contains two commentaries; the first from Bryan Singer and cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel is pretty good, and the second involving five people (two producers, three writers) is fascinating. I often find writers' commentaries extremely interesting as they are able to elaborate on the creative choices made during production, an opportunity that these participants do not miss.
Disc 2's main menu has seven choices: History of the X-Men, Pre-Production, Production, Post-Production, Deleted Scenes, Galleries and Trailers. Select one and you get to a submenu with plenty more choices. That should give some idea of how much there is on the disc. The most substantial feature is the hour-long documentary "The Second Uncanny Issue of X-Men: Making of X2". It's a top-notch chronicle of the production, at the start of which Bryan Singer openly admits to some of the first film's problems - most of which he rectified in this sequel. There are numerous other featurettes too, looking at almost every aspect of the filmmaking, from production design to costumes to music, and more. The character of Nightcrawler receives a lot of the attention in the extras, with featurettes such as one detailing the character's history, a multi-angle study of the opening White House action sequence and a time lapse montage of Alan Cumming getting the make-up applied. "X2 Global Webcast Highlights" is a compilation of interviews with Bryan Singer and much of the principal cast, who actually provide some interesting and illuminating answers (some are clearly more comfortable than others, however). The eleven deleted scenes, presented strangely out of order, are certainly worth watching and none would do any harm to the film had they been left in. Some surprisingly interesting photo galleries and three trailers fill up what space remains on the disc.
The summary
X-Men 2 thoroughly deserves its reputation as one of the best comic book adaptations yet. It's also a prime example of how to make a sequel, as it is unquestionably better than the first film.
