The plot is pure comic book, but it's immensely entertaining fun.
Video:
The check discs Fox sent out for review look terrific, so viewers are again in for a visual delight. The screen size I watched measures a wide 2.13:1 anamorphic scope, very close to the film's theatrical release dimensions. The colors are deep and rich and extremely well detailed. Facial tones are a tad dark, but there are very few haloes or moiré effects, very little grain, and very good object delineation.
Audio:
The sound is everything a person could hope for in audio reproduction. It comes in a choice of Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS 5.1, the DD 5.1 that I listened to being wide ranging, dynamic, deep, and loud. Very loud. The surround effects are intense, with precisely directional noises coming from all five-point-one speakers. Everything from explosions to shattering glass and from thundering cascades of water to the inevitable helicopter flyovers produce a startlingly realistic presence.
Extras:
As usual, the bonus items on this special edition set spill well over into a second disc, and as usual the second disc is divided into a multitude of small bits and pieces that could just as easily have been incorporated into a single, longer element. I suspect the studios divide things up this way because they feel it looks more imposing and gives the impression that there's more stuff present than there really is. Nonetheless, the first disc includes the movie and two audio commentaries, one with director Bryan Singer and cinematographer Tom Sigel; and the other with co-producers Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter and co-writers Michael Dougherty, Dan Harris, and David Hayter. In addition, there are a whopping forty scene selections; spoken languages in English, French, and Spanish; and subtitles in English and Spanish.
The second disc is divided into seven parts, each part embracing a number of sub sections. Part one is "The History of the X-Men." It contains "The Secret Origin of X-Men," a fifteen-minute segment on the comic-book characters, utilizing interviews with their creators; and "The Nightcrawler Reborn," a seven-minute piece on the film's most gallant character. Part two is "Pre-Production." It contains "Nightcrawler Attack," a two-minute multi-angle feature; "Evolution in the Details, the Design of X2," about eighteen minutes worth of matter on set and creature designs; and "United Colors of X," about nine minutes on costumes and color. Part three is "Production." It contains the longest and most complete documentaries on the film's making. It starts with a "Wolverine/Deathstrike Fight Rehearsal," about a minute and a half; "The Second Uncanny Issue of X-Men: The Making of X2," at a full hour the most extensive treatment of the subject; "Introducing the Incredible Nightcrawler," nine minutes; a "Nightcrawler Stunt Rehearsal," two minutes; a "Nightcrawler Time Lapse" sequence, three minutes; and "FX2: Visual Effects," all about the special computer graphics and such, which goes on for about twenty-five minutes. Part three alone may keep you up all night.
Part four is "Post Production." It contains "Requiem for Mutants: The Score of X2," an eleven-minute segment on the music of the film; and "X2 Global Webcast Highlights," about seventeen-minutes worth of interviews with the stars. Part five contains eleven deleted or extended scenes in widescreen. Part six contains a number of still galleries that cover such areas as locations, sets, mutant x-rays, Nightcrawler circus posters, on-camera graphics, and the "Unseen X2," more stuff that never made it into the completed film. Finally, Part seven contains three widescreen theatrical trailers, a public service announcement about drugs, and access to "X-Men" Web sites via the DVD-ROM player in one's personal computer.
Parting Thoughts:
When the original "X-Men" was released, I was accused by several readers of not liking it as much as I should have because I was not a fan of the comic book. This is a common complaint made against reviewers who do not share in a fan's enthusiasm for almost any movie translation of a book, comic or not. I can only repeat what every reviewer has probably said in response to this charge: I judge films, not books. Bad books have been known to make good films and good books to make bad films. The movie critic's job is to look at the film, the finished product, and judge its merits with as objective an eye as possible, unclouded by any previous bias for or against something because of liking or not liking what it's based on. Reviewers must evaluate what they see on the screen at the moment, not what could have been, might have been, or should have been.
Anyway, almost everything I found annoying about the first "X-Men" movie has been improved in this second installment. In the case of "X-Men," I found it a near miss. In the case of "X2," I loved it. In short, "X2" is a strong, summertime-style, blockbuster action hit that I can stand behind without reservation.
The check discs Fox sent out for review look terrific, so viewers are again in for a visual delight. The screen size I watched measures a wide 2.13:1 anamorphic scope, very close to the film's theatrical release dimensions. The colors are deep and rich and extremely well detailed. Facial tones are a tad dark, but there are very few haloes or moiré effects, very little grain, and very good object delineation.
Audio:
The sound is everything a person could hope for in audio reproduction. It comes in a choice of Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS 5.1, the DD 5.1 that I listened to being wide ranging, dynamic, deep, and loud. Very loud. The surround effects are intense, with precisely directional noises coming from all five-point-one speakers. Everything from explosions to shattering glass and from thundering cascades of water to the inevitable helicopter flyovers produce a startlingly realistic presence.
Extras:
As usual, the bonus items on this special edition set spill well over into a second disc, and as usual the second disc is divided into a multitude of small bits and pieces that could just as easily have been incorporated into a single, longer element. I suspect the studios divide things up this way because they feel it looks more imposing and gives the impression that there's more stuff present than there really is. Nonetheless, the first disc includes the movie and two audio commentaries, one with director Bryan Singer and cinematographer Tom Sigel; and the other with co-producers Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter and co-writers Michael Dougherty, Dan Harris, and David Hayter. In addition, there are a whopping forty scene selections; spoken languages in English, French, and Spanish; and subtitles in English and Spanish.
The second disc is divided into seven parts, each part embracing a number of sub sections. Part one is "The History of the X-Men." It contains "The Secret Origin of X-Men," a fifteen-minute segment on the comic-book characters, utilizing interviews with their creators; and "The Nightcrawler Reborn," a seven-minute piece on the film's most gallant character. Part two is "Pre-Production." It contains "Nightcrawler Attack," a two-minute multi-angle feature; "Evolution in the Details, the Design of X2," about eighteen minutes worth of matter on set and creature designs; and "United Colors of X," about nine minutes on costumes and color. Part three is "Production." It contains the longest and most complete documentaries on the film's making. It starts with a "Wolverine/Deathstrike Fight Rehearsal," about a minute and a half; "The Second Uncanny Issue of X-Men: The Making of X2," at a full hour the most extensive treatment of the subject; "Introducing the Incredible Nightcrawler," nine minutes; a "Nightcrawler Stunt Rehearsal," two minutes; a "Nightcrawler Time Lapse" sequence, three minutes; and "FX2: Visual Effects," all about the special computer graphics and such, which goes on for about twenty-five minutes. Part three alone may keep you up all night.
Part four is "Post Production." It contains "Requiem for Mutants: The Score of X2," an eleven-minute segment on the music of the film; and "X2 Global Webcast Highlights," about seventeen-minutes worth of interviews with the stars. Part five contains eleven deleted or extended scenes in widescreen. Part six contains a number of still galleries that cover such areas as locations, sets, mutant x-rays, Nightcrawler circus posters, on-camera graphics, and the "Unseen X2," more stuff that never made it into the completed film. Finally, Part seven contains three widescreen theatrical trailers, a public service announcement about drugs, and access to "X-Men" Web sites via the DVD-ROM player in one's personal computer.
Parting Thoughts:
When the original "X-Men" was released, I was accused by several readers of not liking it as much as I should have because I was not a fan of the comic book. This is a common complaint made against reviewers who do not share in a fan's enthusiasm for almost any movie translation of a book, comic or not. I can only repeat what every reviewer has probably said in response to this charge: I judge films, not books. Bad books have been known to make good films and good books to make bad films. The movie critic's job is to look at the film, the finished product, and judge its merits with as objective an eye as possible, unclouded by any previous bias for or against something because of liking or not liking what it's based on. Reviewers must evaluate what they see on the screen at the moment, not what could have been, might have been, or should have been.
Anyway, almost everything I found annoying about the first "X-Men" movie has been improved in this second installment. In the case of "X-Men," I found it a near miss. In the case of "X2," I loved it. In short, "X2" is a strong, summertime-style, blockbuster action hit that I can stand behind without reservation.
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]11101[/release]