Berserker rage!
Oh, and hello, all!
If there’s a sense of tonal continuity between the original X-MEN movie and its sequel, X2: X-MEN UNITED, that isn’t just because of the same cast effectively being in both films. Rather, it’s because the same director [Bryan Singer] took the helm for the second go ‘round, and he knocks it out of the park with this one.
Those who are familiar with Singer probably recall a fantastic noir film he directed before this film, THE USUAL SUSPECTS. Just like that film had a solid antagonist, this one does, too, with the original Hannibal Lecter, Brian Cox, playing the foil to our merry band of mutated pranksters. Okay, so Keyser Soze is clearly a more memorable movie villain than Col. Stryker, but still, a movie like this needs a good villain, and Cox serves up a good performance of a role that thankfully isn’t scripted as some one-dimensional schlub.
Comic book films sometimes fail because they don’t respect the source material or assume that the audience is familiar with it. Of course, it would be better to have seen the original film before watching this sequel, but it largely works in the world it creates without depending on the previous film. Within that world, the engine that drives this film is the dynamic between Wolverine [played with full berserker rage aplomb by Hugh Jackman] and Col. Stryker. Whoever planned out this particular series of films must have realized that they had a star around which to build a franchise with Jackman as Wolverine. That’s probably one reason why the third installment derailed so badly when it tried to pivot to the Dark Phoenix plotline… but I digress.
Considering Singer’s background, it probably isn’t all that surprising that he took on the first two films in this series, nor that the subtext of not fitting in would factor significantly in the development of the plot in this sequel. It’s a nuance that doesn’t need to be pigeonholed into one particular camp over another, and is probably another reason why the movie managed to be emotionally resonant despite having such a plethora of characters. Even the death of one of the more one-dimensional baddies manages to evoke a little bit of pathos, and that’s no small achievement.
Sidebar: When you’re at Xavier’s school and your power is changing the channel by blinking and you’ve got someone who can create a tornado sitting next to you, how badly would that suck?
That's a lot of channels in just a second. [Anyone who's seen the flick might remember the channel-changing kid.]
Anyway, this is the kind of film that you get when you have a good cast, a sharp script, and a healthy budget. Maybe superhero flicks aren’t really your thing, and that’s okay; but, if you’re avoiding the movie on the basis of the fantastical bits alone, you’re missing out on quite a few good flicks, including this one. Enjoy!
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - THE DARK KNIGHT; Day 2 - DESPERADO; Day 3 - THE ROAD WARRIOR]
Oh, and hello, all!
If there’s a sense of tonal continuity between the original X-MEN movie and its sequel, X2: X-MEN UNITED, that isn’t just because of the same cast effectively being in both films. Rather, it’s because the same director [Bryan Singer] took the helm for the second go ‘round, and he knocks it out of the park with this one.
Those who are familiar with Singer probably recall a fantastic noir film he directed before this film, THE USUAL SUSPECTS. Just like that film had a solid antagonist, this one does, too, with the original Hannibal Lecter, Brian Cox, playing the foil to our merry band of mutated pranksters. Okay, so Keyser Soze is clearly a more memorable movie villain than Col. Stryker, but still, a movie like this needs a good villain, and Cox serves up a good performance of a role that thankfully isn’t scripted as some one-dimensional schlub.
Comic book films sometimes fail because they don’t respect the source material or assume that the audience is familiar with it. Of course, it would be better to have seen the original film before watching this sequel, but it largely works in the world it creates without depending on the previous film. Within that world, the engine that drives this film is the dynamic between Wolverine [played with full berserker rage aplomb by Hugh Jackman] and Col. Stryker. Whoever planned out this particular series of films must have realized that they had a star around which to build a franchise with Jackman as Wolverine. That’s probably one reason why the third installment derailed so badly when it tried to pivot to the Dark Phoenix plotline… but I digress.
Considering Singer’s background, it probably isn’t all that surprising that he took on the first two films in this series, nor that the subtext of not fitting in would factor significantly in the development of the plot in this sequel. It’s a nuance that doesn’t need to be pigeonholed into one particular camp over another, and is probably another reason why the movie managed to be emotionally resonant despite having such a plethora of characters. Even the death of one of the more one-dimensional baddies manages to evoke a little bit of pathos, and that’s no small achievement.
Sidebar: When you’re at Xavier’s school and your power is changing the channel by blinking and you’ve got someone who can create a tornado sitting next to you, how badly would that suck?
That's a lot of channels in just a second. [Anyone who's seen the flick might remember the channel-changing kid.]
Anyway, this is the kind of film that you get when you have a good cast, a sharp script, and a healthy budget. Maybe superhero flicks aren’t really your thing, and that’s okay; but, if you’re avoiding the movie on the basis of the fantastical bits alone, you’re missing out on quite a few good flicks, including this one. Enjoy!
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - THE DARK KNIGHT; Day 2 - DESPERADO; Day 3 - THE ROAD WARRIOR]
