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Release: 05/02/03-(PG-13)-(2:13)-[20TH CENTURY FOX/MARVEL ENTERPRISES]- CAST: PATRICK STEWART, IAN MCKELLAN, HUGH JACKMAN, HALLE BERRY, FAMKE JANSSEN, REBECCA ROMIJIN-STAMOS, BRIAN COX, ALAN CUMMING, BRUCE DAVISON: Each summer we can be sure that several, if not TOO MANY grand epic, super-human, science-fiction save the world type films will be crossing our paths in every sense of the word. They will (and often) do come in all shapes and sizes, assorted colors and a plethora of hidden personas and super talents. NO... I am not speaking of the actors with 25 million dollar salaries... I speak of the SUPER HEROES. The X-Men, possibly the best known and loved franchise of the super-variety beyond the staples of yester-year (Superman and Batman) and the biggest box-office hero of all time (Spider-Man) are the X-Men... a group of mutants residing in a rustic old 'school' in upstate New York. What is fun about this group of characters is that their super-powers are not always intended to save the world and God knows they aren't always the conventional sort of powers to begin with. We met most of these unsavory lot a couple of years ago as the good mutants fought difficult battles with the bad mutants and the pathetic humans often interfered or simply got in the way (to dire consequence). This time around things are not all that much different... but the villain, much like in real life, is a disgruntled parent not pleased with the way a school handled his son. WHOOPS, I guess we will always have to have someone to blame, won't we? But since General William Stryker is a touch imbalanced and not quite in acceptance regarding his now somewhat catatonic mutant son it would make SENSE that he would want to get all the information necessary to build his own CEREBRO and lure the original contraption's brains and power into his trap in order to kill all the mutants on the planet. A lofty goal perhaps... but it would seem that as diabolical characters go, Mr. Stryker is up there in the top echelon of baddies. BUT... the fact remains that he is also up AGAINST some pretty crafty mutants. Back are the ever snarly and sarcastic Wolverine (Jackman), who in X2 learns about a bit of his own past with the bad General, the beautiful Storm (Berry), the crafty Dr. Grey (Janssen), the lovelorn Cyclops (Marsden), the wise professor Xavier (Stewart), the evil but helpful Magneto (Mckellan), the vicious and stunning shape shifter Mystique (Romijn-Stamos), the adorable but lethal Rogue (Paquin), the cuddly but frigid Iceman (Ashmore), the angry pyro (Stanford) and the magnificently German circus act Nightcrawler (Cummings) a teleporter. Quite frankly not much more needs to be said about this rip-roaring fun summer fare. There is a HUGE amount of very likable special effects, eliciting surges of yelping approval from a hardcore audience (and deservedly so). This is pure and utter fantasy fare with the unusual and out-of-the-norm personas being the good guys. Chalk one up for smashing stereotypes. X2 is what summer movies are all about and based on what I saw in this film... there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this franchise will be back to dish out some more mutant fun in summers to come... although one of those mutants will not be returning.... Get out there and have fun in the theaters... (A)
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