My Favorite Films: X2 (2003)

     When discussing the greatest superhero movie of all time a few films will come to mind: Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, Richard Donner's Superman, Brad Bird's The Incredibles, Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2 (which I would probably argue for), The Avengers (which I probably wouldn't). The more enthusiastic might be quick to crown Black Panther, Logan, or Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse as the pinnacle of the genre. But one film that isn't really talked about, at least not nearly enough, is X2.

     X2 explores social issues like prejudice, civil rights, race relations, and even disabilities and it tackled these weighty issues in a serious and reflective manner before Christopher Nolan (who is usually credited with the maturation of the genre) did it with his Batman Trilogy. A lot of credit has to go to writer/director Brian Singer, who had a very clear vision of what his X-Men movies should be about. Singer, despite his personal vices, is a talented director and he brought a lot of passion and energy to these movies.

     Singer does not deserve all the credit  however. A host of others, including Michael Dougherty, Dan Harris, David Hayter and Zak Penn, worked on the script. Hayter, in particular, knew the comics really well and mined them for more obscure characters and stories, including "God Loves, Man Kills", the story that introduced William Stryker. In a story focusing on the human/mutant conflict Stryker is a perfect antagonist. Reworking him as Wolverine's creator allowed the filmmakers to continue to explore Logan's backstory in an organic way without taking time away from the central plot. It was Dougherty and Harris who decided to include Lady Deathstrike in the film, a character who serves as an interesting foil for Wolverine and also provides an opportunity for one of the film's most memorable action set-pieces, the fight between her and Logan in the very chamber where Stryker gave him claws.

     More then anything else, it is the script that makes this movie hold up so well. The first film explored Professor X and Magneto's opposing worldviews with the former believing, optimistically, that mutants can peacefully coexist alongside humans and the latter, more pessimistically, thinking that Mutant's need to assert their dominance or live under oppression. Here a third worldview, mirroring that of Magneto's, is presented through Stryker. Both he and Erik Lehnsherr have been powerfully shaped by their pasts. Magneto suffered at the hands if the Nazis during the holocaust while Stryker was tormented by his telepathic mutant son, Jason, whose horrific psychic illusions led his wife to commit suicide. Both men are motivated by fear and hatred of the other race but while Magneto was content, in the first film, to change all of the humans into mutants, Stryker wants to eradicate all of the mutants. After his treatment at Stryker's hands, Magneto becomes even more extreme, adapting Stryker's plan for his own ends, to kill all of the humans instead. As he tells a brainwashed Xavier,  "From here, it doesn't look like they're playing by your rules. Maybe it's time to play by theirs."

     In contrasting these three different viewpoints, X2 achieves a more nuanced exploration of the series' core themes then the first film. While X-Men toyed with the idea that some mutants were so powerful that they might pose a legitimate threat to others and that there powers was more of a gift then a curse this film goes farther, portraying a mutant (Jason Stryker) who is truly a monster. The writers also weave Wolverine's backstory into the narrative in a way that, far from distracting from the main plot, actually contributes to the central theme. Throughout the film Logan is hoping to learn more about his past from his creator, Stryker. When he begins to suspect that Xavier might know more then he's letting on, he goes off on his own. Ultimately, however, he let's Stryker die in favor of helping his new family. Unlike Stryker and Magneto, Wolverine is able, partly because of his memory loss, to let go of his past and he doesn't let it define him. Consequently, X2 is a better adaptation then of "Weapon X" storyline X-Men Origins: Wolverine turned out to be.

     In addition to exploring Wolverine, Eric, Xavier and Striker it also develops Bobby Drake's relationship with Rogue and with his family, who don't know that he's a mutant. He and Rogue, as they continue to develop their powers and come closer to becoming full-fledged X-Men, begin to figure out their relationship. The film does a good job exploring their emotional connection and shared sexual frustration. It is especially helpful that we get to meet Bobby's family and learn where he came from. This is contrasted with Pyro, who has no family, though he clearly wants one. After witnessing Bobby's family reject him after he reveals that he is a mutant (admittedly not the most subtle scene) Pyro becomes increasingly convinced that, perhaps, Magneto has a point, and, in the end, he leaves the X-Men to join with Eric and Raven. Indeed, the film does a good job juggling all the characters, with the exception, alas, of Cyclops (scenes detailing his brainwashing at the hands of Stryker were cut by the studio despite David Hayter's protests). Though there are at least some nice emotional moments between him and Jean, he still ends up as the third wheel in her romantic triangle with him and Logan.

     Newcomers Alan Cumming, Brian Cox, and Aaron Stanford all do a great job here. Cumming really captures Nightcrawler's sense of optimism and reluctant heroism. He's not the swashbuckler from the comics but he does provide a fresher, and less world weary, outlook. As a Catholic myself, I greatly appreciate the positive portrayal of Kurt's Catholicism. Brian Cox is perfectly cast as William Stryker. Though despicable and monstrous in his actions, he is not an altogether unsympathetic character and Cox manages to make him feel more human. Aaron Stanford is appropriately jerky as Pyro and convincingly pulls off the character's turn to "the dark side." Kelly Hu and Michael Reid McKay also acquit themselves admirably in there rather limited roles as Deathstrike and Jason Stryker respectively.

     The returning cast members, taking advantage of the more character driven script, all put in some of their best performances here. Patrick Stewart is able to stretch his muscles a little more this time around, especially in the scenes where he is psychologically manipulated by Jason. Ian McKellen too displays greater range as a Magneto who is both more sympathetic and more evil then he was in the first film. Famke Janssen continues to show that she was a great pick to play Jean Grey, as the character struggles with her own doubts and fears while continuing to support her fellow X-Men. James Marsden's best scenes come early in the film, as he offers Jean moral support. Halle Berry gets more to do as Storm and has some great exchanges with Alan Cumming's Nightcrawler. Rebecca Romijn once again has a blast as Mystique and, for once, gets to do a scene without her elaborate make-up. Anna Paquin doesn't get as much screen-time as the first film but her character does experience character growth and Paquin's performance conveys Rogue's increased sense of confidence. Shawn Ashmore has a much more involved role this time around, and has good chemistry with Paquin, Stanford and Jackman. Finally, Hugh Jackman comes closer to truly embodying Wolverine here then almost anywhere else as we finally get to see him really let loose with animalistic fury during the the X-Mansion attack sequence. This film really focuses in on Wolverine's psychology and his relation to the team and Jackman rises to the occasion.

     Even outside of the character and thematic exploration, X2 is wonderfully nuanced and filled with subtle, humorous little character moments. Wolverine putting out his cigar on his own hand when asked to by Xavier not to smoke in the Cerebro chamber, Bobby chilling Logan's soda with his ice powers, Pyro playing with his lighter during Ice Man's "coming out" scene, little details like this make the characters come alive. The sets too, designed by Guy Dyas, are beautifully detailed, from the replica of the White House, to the (re-constructed) X-Mansion, to Stryker's gloomy, cavernous military base at Alkali Lake. Newton Thomas Sigel, a frequent collaborator of Singer's, does a great job with the cinematography as well. A lot of incorporative lighting was built into the sets, giving the film a really unique, naturalistic look.

     X2 has some of the most consistently well directed action set pieces of any superhero movie, from the amazing opening attack on the White House by Nightcrawler (though they kind of used their best trick too early) to the attack on the X-Mansion, to the fight between Wolverine and Lady Deathstrike. The White House attack, in particular, is a triumph of camerawork and visual effects, one that Singer would try to top in his later entries in the series. The fight between Wolverine and Deathstrike is also shot and edited really dynamically. Especially impressive is a shot where the camera pans downward toward the two combatants only to bounce back when Deathstrike is stabbed in the gut.

     John Ottman, another Singer collaborator, provides a fine score for X2, one which is much more motificly driven then Micheal Kamen's score for the first film. Ottman has worked, not only as a composer, but as a director and editor as well. He has an acute sense of using score to help tell the story. The main theme for the film has deservedly become the signature theme for the series despite other talented composers (Micheal Kamen, John Powell, Henry Jackman) coming up with there own take. In addition to the X-Men theme various characters, including Magneto, Jean and Pyro, are given there own musical motifs and most of them are pretty memorable. The composer uses a variety of timbre, mainly traditionally orchestration with a little choral work and some interesting percussive effects thrown in, but the score is left a little flat because of what sounds like a rather dampened recording. It's not quite up there with William's Superman score or Elfman's work on Batman, but it's a strong score nonetheless.

     Along with it's predecessor X2 builds its own universe and continuity which is distinct from the comics: Stryker creating Wolverine at Alkali Lake, Magneto helping Professor X to build Cerebro, the Father/daughter relationship between Wolverine and Rogue, all of these things, though not from the comics, now feel like a natural part of X-Men continuity. That fact that it strays so far from the comics, while still staying true to the original, allegorical vision for the X-Men and the soap opera nature of the stories, is a credit to the versatility of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's creation.

     This film somehow succeeds as a swashbuckling adventure, a topical science fiction story, and as an ensemble character piece. Few superhero films made before it feel quite as confident or slick in their execution (the original Superman probably being the only exception). Few films since have been able to balance tone with as much finesse or to handle an ensemble cast so effortlessly. X2 remains a true classic of the genre.