X-Men 2 is Xtreme fun

The plot of X-Men 2 seems somewhat ashamed of itself. It skulks around, peeping out between the killer action sequences, briefly surfacing, then vanishing whenever its presence is no longer required. But plot there is, and for a superhero movie, that's good enough.

The fact that X-Men 2: United, managed to maintain a storyline despite its amazing fighting scenes is quite impressive. This is not a movie for the weak of heart. Whereas the first X-Men was relatively slow and thoughtful, especially for this genre, X2 is one fast-paced, mind-blowing, blood-pumping adrenaline rush. Director Bryan Singer has created a radical departure from the lower-budget style of the first movie. X2 isn't necessarily better, at least not in all of its aspects, but it provides two hours of escapist bliss.

X2 is all about creativity. One of the primary problems with superhero movies is that there is only one star—Batman, Superman, Spiderman, whomever—and after awhile, every scene is the same. As neat as webslinging looks, Spiderman kicks butt in relatively the same fashion each fight, and it's obvious how he'll escape from a threatening situation. Nightcrawler and Wolverine, however, fight radically differently, and Singer makes use of each mutant's bizarre powers in wonderfully innovative ways.

Picking up where X-Men left off, X2 begins with Wolverine's (Hugh Jackman) return from Alkali Lake, a military complex that supposedly holds the key to his mysterious past. Finding nothing but crumbling arctic ruins, he returns to Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Children, a.k.a. Mutant High. However, following a mysterious attack on the President by a new mutant, Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming), Commander William Stryker (Brian Cox) is given permission to raid the school. Taking several mutant children with him, he withdraws to his underground base at Alkali Lake (the one Wolverine seems to have missed), where he sets in motion his devious plot to eradicate mutant kind.

One issue with X2 is that it can be hard to follow. The main mutant fighting force fragments after the first few minutes, and the movie follows their separate stories until they all meet up again at the end. However, anyone paying attention should be able to keep track of most of what's going on, and cutting between locations and characters allows Singer to introduce the element of mystery and surprise into the story, reluctantly revealing tantalizing bits of plot information that tie the subplots together.

Before the attack on the school comes, teachers and X-Men Storm (Halle Berry) and Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), have left to find Nightcrawler. Meanwhile, Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and Cyclops (James Marsden) visit the last movie's villain, Magneto (Ian McKellan) and get captured by Stryker. Wolverine, Rogue (Anna Paquin) and new mutants Iceman (Shawn Ashmore) and Pyro (Aaron Stanford) escape from the school and travel to Boston, where they meet Iceman's parents. Eventually everyone converges on Alkali Lake to save the world.

The X-Men series holds an ace up its sleeve, and the surprise is a pleasant one: depth. The plight of the mutants, who are hated and feared by the rest of society, is comparable to the struggles of other persecuted minorities in the real world. The mutant registration bill of the first X-Men bares eerie resemblance to Nazi policies towards Jews during World War II. When Iceman, a.k.a. Bobby Drake, reveals his mutation to his parents in X2, he faces a reaction similar to that often experienced by homosexuals coming out to friends and family. The moral overtones and allegorical aspects of X-Men are understated, but quietly and firmly implanted throughout the films, adding another layer to the already convoluted plot.

X2 introduces many awesome new characters that bring variety to the film. Nightcrawler is by far the coolest. His mutant power is teleportation, and Singer's use of it during the opening attack on the President is fabulous. Disappearing and reappearing instantaneously, Nightcrawler is a blur of blue as he takes out the entire Secret Service and a SWAT team in about a minute. Pyro's display of firepower is neat, but his Anakin Skywalker overtones start to grate after awhile. Considering the hype surrounding her, X2 didn't make nearly enough of Lady Deathstrike (Kelly Hu), a Wolverine-esque mutant controlled by Stryker. She shines in her one fight scene, but is nearly absent from the rest of the film. However, the film's use of the mutant powers is so original, it makes up for character deficiencies.

After Spiderman saves the day and the girl, he goes home and ignores his spidey powers. Not so with the X-Men and their pupils. X2 really demonstrates how intertwined the mutations are in the lives of the characters. One kid is a human remote control—when he blinks, the channel changes. Iceman freezes soft drinks with his touch. To escape Stryker's forces, one girl falls through the floor. The thrilling, devastating awesomeness that is Magneto uses his power in the best prison escape in the history of the big screen. This attention to detail makes even the few plodding moments of X2 interesting.

X2 is a sleeker, flashier, updated version of the original, however, in some aspects it falls short of its predecessor. Though both movies have the same cast and X2 introduces the Tony-award winning power of Cummings, the first X-Men allowed its brilliant cast, British-imports Stewart and McKellan in particular, more opportunity to show us puny Americans how acting is really done. Furthermore, the campier design of the original, though less high-tech, pays homage to the comic series in a way absent from X2, and X2 loses a certain level of sincerity because of its focus on fights. Also, the dynamic between Rogue and Wolverine explored in X-Men is absent from the sequel, as Wolverine is replaced by the far less complex Iceman in Rogue's affections.

Problems aside, the cool-o-meter of X2 rockets skyward, and X2 kicks off the summer with a flash of lightning, a slash of claws, and once again, a naked blue chick. What more could you ask?

X-Men 2: United (2 hr 14 min), is rated PG-13 for Sci/Fi action/violence, some sexuality, and brief language.