X2: X-Men United Release Date: November 17, 2003 Starring: Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Famke Janssen, Anna Paquin Directed by: Bryan Singer (FOX, $29.98)
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THE MOVIE: Director Bryan Singer clearly relishes the opportunity to refine, expand, and improve on his original X-Men, the most ambitious Hollywood movie ever to take the comic-book adventure genre seriously. Singer adds a couple of new mutants, most notably Nightcrawler (played marvelously by Alan Cumming); he brings in the brilliant Brian Cox as William Stryker, a scientist who hates his mutant son and is determined to destroy his kind; and, now that the menacing Magneto (Ian McKellen) has joined forces with always-humane Xavier (Patrick Stewart) to crush Stryker, Singer tweaks the original themes on the frustrations of love and temptations of violence in fascinating ways. The Wolverine–Jean Grey–Cyclops triangle has gone deliciously melodramatic; young Iceman comes out as a mutant to his family; and the special effects and pacing of the action have been well-nigh perfected.
THE DISC: This two-disc set is so comprehensive in covering all aspects of the shoot and score that it will thoroughly satiate even the most demanding of obsessed fans. There is surprisingly little repetition in all the painstakingly produced extras (two commentary tracks, a detailed featurette on the production, an eye-popping time-lapse videography view of Nightcrawler’s makeup being applied, insightful webcam interviews, a couple of how’d-they-do-it special-effects deconstructions) and a myriad of other very compelling reasons to add this package to one’s DVD collection.
—Howard Karren
Our First Impression
It's by far the best movie adaptation of a comic book, ever. read more
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