X-MEN 2:
X-Men United(2003)
As good as the first X-Men, this one is all about
comradery!! Worth several watches! A
Specials:
History Of The X-Men;
Pre-Production;
Production;
Post Production;
Deleted Scenes;
Galleries;
Trailers!
From IMDb.com:
I think the X-Men films have been so popular because
the X-Men dare to be different. The concept of the X-Men
strays far from superhero conventions. If you approach
the X-Men films thinking you're getting something akin
to Superman, Spider-Man or Batman, forget it.
The unique concept of the X-Men is that humanity is
starting to evolve to the next level and humans all over
the globe are starting to manifest superhuman powers
from the mutant "X" gene. Two mutant leaders, who are
also old friends, take highly contrasting positions. Charles
Xavier starts a school for mutant youths in upstate New
York. His attitude is positive and his goal benign. Eric
Lensherr or Magneto, on the other hand, is fed up with
the paranoia of non-mutants. He starts a "Brotherhood
of Mutants" with a clear attitude of superiority. And, as
they say, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts
absolutely.
You could say that Xavier takes the approach of Martin
Luther King Jr. while Magneto goes the route of Malcolm
X, an interesting comparison.
Although everybody has their favorite, I feel all three
films in the original trilogy are of the same general
quality - "X-Men" (2000), "X2: X-Men United" (2003)
and "X-Men: The Last Stand"(2006).
"X2" is generally considered the best of the three
and goes deeper into the conflict of Xavier's school,
Magneto's Brotherhood and the US Government's
increasing involvement, as laid out in "X-Men." More
mutants are introduced. On Xavier's side: Nightcrawler,
Colossus and Shadowcat. On the villain side: Lady
Deathstrike and Government agent William Stryker.
"X2" has the most depth and features numerous
interesting character-defining moments along
with great action scenes, like the one between
Wolverine and Lady Deathstrike near the end.
There's also a particularly notable clash when
Wolverine and others are forced to confront
Federal agents as they storm Xavier's school. In
other words, the US Government becomes the
proverbial "bad guys." Take note how Wolverine
shows no mercy.
Unfortunately, the film overstays its welcome
and goes on and on well after Wolverine's fight
with Deathstrike, but I'm not complaining. I like
the emphasis on character and the way the
film eschews moronic "blockbuster" conventions.
GRADE: A- - Wuchak
Patrick Stewart ... Professor Charles Xavier
Hugh Jackman ... Logan / Wolverine
Ian McKellen ... Eric Lensherr / Magneto
Halle Berry ... Ororo Munroe / Storm
Famke Janssen ... Jean Grey
James Marsden ... Scott Summers / Cyclops
Anna Paquin ... Marie / Rogue
Rebecca Romijn ... Raven Darkholme / Mystique (as Rebecca Romijn-Stamos)
Brian Cox ... William Stryker
Alan Cumming ... Kurt Wagner / Nightcrawler
Bruce Davison ... Senator Kelly
Aaron Stanford ... John Allerdyce / Pyro
Shawn Ashmore ... Bobby Drake / Iceman
Kelly Hu ... Yuriko Oyama / Lady Deathstrike
Katie Stuart ... Kitty Pryde / Shadowcat
Kea Wong ... Jubilation Lee / Jubilee
Cotter Smith ... President McKenna
Chiara Zanni ... White House Tour Guide
Jackie A. Greenbank ... President's Secretary
Michael Soltis ... White House Checkpoint Agent
Michael David Simms ... Lead White House Agent
David Fabrizio ... Oval Office Agent Fabrizio
Roger R. Cross ... Oval Office Agent Cartwright
Richard Bradshaw ... Special Ops Agent
Bryce Hodgson ... Artie
Glen Curtis ... Museum Teenager #1
Greg Rikaart ... Museum Teenager #2
Shauna Kain ... Theresa Cassidy / Siryn
Ty Olsson ... Mitchell Laurio
Alfonso Quijada ... Federal Bldg. Cleaning Twin #1
Rene Quijada ... Federal Bldg. Cleaning Twin #2
Brad Loree ... Stryker at age 40
Sheri G. Feldman ... Augmentation Room Doctor
Connor Widdows ... Jones
Daniel Cudmore ... Piotr Rasputin / Colossus
Peter Wingfield ... Stryker Soldier Lyman
Charles Siegel ... Dr. Shaw
Steve Bacic ... Dr. Hank McCoy
Michael Reid MacKay ... Jason 143
James Kirk ... Ronny Drake
Jill Teed ... Madeline Drake
Alf Humphreys ... William Drake (as Alfred E. Humphreys)
Michasha Armstrong ... Plastic Prison Guard
Robert Hayley ... Cop
Mark Lukyn ... Cop #1, Lead Cop
Kendall Cross ... Cop #2
Keely Purvis ... Little Girl 143
Dylan Kussman ... Stryker Soldier Wilkins
Jason Whitmer ... Stryker Soldier Smith (as Jason S. Whitmer)
Aaron Pearl ... Stryker Soldier
Aaron Douglas ... Stryker Soldier #1
Colin Lawrence ... Stryker Soldier #2
Richard C. Burton ... Loading Bay Stryker Soldier #1
Michael Joycelyn ... Loading Bay Stryker Soldier #2
Nolan Gerard Funk ... Captured X-Kid (as Nolan Funk)
Devin Douglas Drewitz ... Captured X-Kid
Jermaine Lopez ... Captured X-Kid
Sideah Alladice ... Captured X-Kid
Kurt Max Runte ... Chief of Staff Abrahams
Benjamin Glenday ... Cameraman
Lori Stewart ... F-16 Fighter Pilot
Ted Friend ... News Reporter
Mi-Jung Lee ... News Reporter
Marrett Green ... News Reporter
Jill Krop ... News Reporter
Brian Peck ... News Reporter
Layke Anderson ... Blond X-Kid Dressed in Blue (uncredited)
Emily Hirst ... Ice Cream Girl (uncredited)
David Kaye ... TV Host (uncredited)
Blake Mawson ... X Kid #5 (uncredited)
Darren McGuire ... Stryker Soldier Logan Stabs in Foot (uncredited)
Mike Mitchell ... Guard (uncredited)
Jade Ramsey ... Twin X-Kid (uncredited)
Nikita Ramsey ... Twin X-Kid (uncredited)
Newton Thomas Sigel ... Cop (uncredited)
Bryan Singer ... Prison Security Officer (uncredited)
Valerie Tian ... X-Kid at Museum (uncredited)
Shaina Tianne Unger ... Xavier's Student (uncredited)
COMPLETE LIST OF DVDs
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