Kath and I saw “X-Men II” today and, yes, it’s that rare animal: A sequel better than the original. It’s no longer the “Wolverine and a Buncha Guys” show. This time around, we get a real sense of the true emotional depth and breadth of the Marvel Mutantverse. From the pure “Cabaret”-esque showmanship of Nightcrawler to the ticking timebomb of Pyro, to the sure-to-provoke-cheers cameos of Colossus and Hank McCoy, this one’s got it all.
And more than anything, it has real-world resonance. There are some who have called being a Mutant a metaphor for being gay. Never seemed more convincing a take than when one teen mutant “comes out” to his family. And then, of course, there’s the concept of curtailing freedoms, midnight raids, a police state…all in the name of security. However much it was featured in the first film, it seemed more abstract; now it sends chills down your spine. Unless, of course, you’re one of those who cheers the loss of personal liberty in the name of “security.” Then…well, I’m not sure.
There’s many “little” moments, including a devil-may-care encounter between Mystique and some pursuing soldiers, and–oh yes–Cyclop’s part. Easily the X-Man least served by the script, he disappears…as they said in “Shakespeare in Love”–for the length of a bible. Storm, however, has a better wig and appears to have abandoned the arch delivery of the first film. The way she was talking this time out, she could have sold the “What happens to toads when they’re struck by lightning” line.
Film did have some pacing problems, plus I kept waiting to check in on a group of fugitive mutants led by Colossus. Odd to say that the film seemed long and yet they could have added at least half an hour to it with an entire additional storyline.
Great stuff.
Talk amongst yourselves.
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