X-Men United

 

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Rated: PG13

reviewed by Charity Bishop

It's pretty difficult to ignore the single largest worldwide box office opening of all time, even if you're NOT a mutant fan. X2: X-Men United is far and above its predecessor; this is one movie to blast you out of your seat and keep you riveted on the edge of it at the same time. For older viewers it's an excellent summer blockbuster, but leave the little tots at home... the violence level is extreme, the plot complex, and there's a little dash of sensuality in the form of Mystique, a mutant "clothed" in blue paint and scales. But beyond the amazing special effects is a story worth telling with messages teens would be wise to heed.

The film opens with an attempted assassination in the long corridors of the White House by a blue-scaled mutant capable of teleporting himself from one place to another. His attempt failed but aroused unwanted publicity toward a mostly docile race of super-humans schooled at the institution of Professor Xavier in upstate New York. Concerned for this mutant's life, Xavier (Patrick Stewart) sends two of his most trusted X-Men, Storm and Jean (Halle Berry and Famke Janssen), to track him down before the police can find him. But what they learn is shocking... the mutant, who calls himself "Nightcrawler," is a docile, fearful young man with a strong Catholic faith (Alan Cumming). Is this the villain who flaunted national security and left a knife blade as a memento in the president's desk?

One of the White House's top scientists William Stryker believes the mutant to be linked to a network of terrorists. He has manipulated Xavier's former friend and now most powerful adversary, the imprisoned Magneto (Ian McKellen), into revealing the secrets of Cerebro, the machine he and Xavier built as a tracking device for human-mutant brain waves. The scientist also has ties to Wolverine, a social outcast with an indestructible metal grafted to his skeleton and incredible healing powers. Xavier knows of Wolverine's past, but insists the mutant learn the truth for himself. "Sometimes," he says, "the mind needs to discover things for itself." Believing Magneto may shed some light on Stryker's plans, the wheelchair-bound Xavier visits him in prison. In his absence the school is left entirely under the protection of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and the "amateur X-Men," Rogue (Anna Paquin), who can absorb the powers of anyone she touches, Iceman (Sean Ashmore), who can freeze anything liquid or solid, and Pyro (Aaron Stanford), a young man capable of controlling and manipulating fire. But Stryker has convinced the White House that Xavier is training armature terrorists... soon the school will be under attack.

X2 has a lot going for it. The special effects are incredible. The characters are easy to empathize with. The villain is a true black-hearted fiend who reveals a horrific purpose behind his methodical madness by the ending credits. The climax is one of psychological intensity, a virtual reality in mind manipulation which proves intense and emotionally exciting. We still follow the story of Rogue, Wolverine, and Jean Gray from the first film, but with more depth as they question themselves, fight for a common good, and eventually make sacrifices. The director has done a fine job with a stellar cast; Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, and Hugh Jackman turn in stand-up performances, while the younger slew of actors (including Oscar-winning child actress Anna Paquin) don't pull punches. Full of humor, excitement, romance, and constant surprises, X2 is a great summer blockbuster; it's a lot of fun to watch but also leaves you with some food for thought... oh, yes, and has a certain cliffhanger ending which leaves the floodgates wide open for a sequel. Even so, it's not for everyone. If you liked the first film, you'll probably love this one. If not, or if you haven't seen the first film, you won't understand who characters are, what motivations drive them, and where the story is leading. Children should stay out of the theater, as well as squeamish adults. No film is perfect, and this one pushes the envelope a little more than its predecessor.

The shapely Mystique is clothed in skin-tight blue rubber. She also provides the films only two questionable scenes. In a scheme to free Magneto from prison, she comes on heavily to his security guard, lures him into the bathroom, and then injects him with a fatal hypodermic. Later she assumes the shape of Jean Gray, Wolverines love interest; they kiss passionately in a compromising position before he realizes who she is and tells her to get out. Rogue's kiss with Bobby/Iceman turns dangerous. Wolverine is seen apparently nude in a silhouette (no details) in a flashback. Violence remains a definite issue, and Marvel Comics is used to pushing the envelope. Spider-Man was pretty violent. Daredevil was worse. X2 borders on an R-rating. The body count is high. Mutants kick, punch, slash, and slam. Wolverine kills his opponents with his iron blades; one of the final scenes pits him against Deathstrike, a female mutant with ten claws. Their fight gets nasty but remains bloodless; still it's cringe-worthy due to the conclusion -- when one of them is injected with liquid metal, which oozes out of the eyes, nose and mouth. Children in the school are shot with knockout darts. Pyro gets out of hand and causes mass devastation, exploding several police cars and sending fire at local authorities.

Magneto's guard clubs him over the head out of sheer spite (this is implied to be a regular atrocity); Magneto has his revenge later in arguably the film's most squeamish scene -- by extracting the iron ore out of his blood, leaving him bloodstained and dead. Profanity is mild but does contain three s-words and two crude anatomical references. Mystique briefly gives a profane hand gesture. I was also disappointed in the choice of one of the main characters, when he purposely left the villain in the way of harm. The bad guy does deserve to die; he's a low-down slime ball capable of every atrocity known to man. But our hero had a choice to leave him to certain death or set him free, and chose wrongly. Despite the weighty violence and unfortunate few minutes of borderline sexuality, there are many good moral lessons in X2. A member of the X-Men team willingly chooses a selfless act to save her friends (resulting in her own death). Prejudice is dealt with heavily, encouraging tolerance and forgiveness. One of the X-Men is forced to choose between remaining faithful to her fiance or falling to temptation; she makes the right choice, something both men come to acknowledge and respect. Even Mystique's attempted seduction of Wolverine could be used as a conversation starter for teens; for refuting temptation.

Nightcrawler's Catholic faith is prominently present; he talks often of God, wears a cross with symbolism inscribed on it, and has Latin religious markings on his body. He is shown praying, putting his life on the line numerous times for both friend and foe, and recites the Lord's Prayer -- once when faced with personal fear, another time over a fallen comrade. He tells Storm releasing hatred and anger and choosing faith can help one survive. Instead of blaming God (an irony since the film's premise of mutation hinges on evolution) for his curse of being different, he instead believes God is testing him in order to make him stronger. It could be argued that spiritual parallels run amuck, and in many ways they do; Professor Xavier could be considered a God-figure. A compassionate, forgiving man willing to fight for Magneto's very soul, he remains one of the film's strongest and most likable characters. Viewers, if they choose to run the gauntlet of X2's few but predominant flaws, should keep their eyes open for glimpses of goodness. Truth, like mutation in the world of comic book heroes, reveals itself in many forms of life... sometimes in the most unexpected of places.