X2 - X-Men United (Full Screen Edition)

Buy This Item X2 - X-Men United (Full Screen Edition) by 20th Century Fox  Available from Amazon  $12.99  on 11-29-2008     The evolution continues in this "exhilarating thrill ride" (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) that features the extraordinary original X-Men - along with amazing new mutants possessing fantastic powers that have to be seen to be believed. In the wake of a shocking attack on the President, the X-Men face their most dangerous mission ever. They must stand united with their deadliest enemies to combat a menace that threatens every mutant on the planet. But could this new alliance backfire and annihilate the human race? Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman, Hale Berry, Famke Janssen and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos star in this breathtaking, action-packed spectacle that "may be the best superhero movie yet made!" (San Francisco Examiner) Reader Reviews While there's still a good bit of Wolverine in this second entry into the franchise, X-2, as I had hoped it would, also gives the chance for other members of the team to shine. We join them as Wolverine returns to Prof. Xavier's school after a fruitless journey to Alkali Lake in Alaska, where he believed he might find clues to how he became what he is. Meanwhile, anti-mutant hysteria is mounting in Washington, fed by the sinister Southerner William Stryker, who has a secret agenda. In pursuit of it, he interrogates the imprisoned Magneto under drugs and learns of Prof. Xavier's supercomputer, Cerebro, with which the Professor can literally find any human mind in the world--or even billions of them at a time. Stryker captures Xavier and Cyclops while they are visiting Magneto's prison and sends a Special Forces detachment to invade the school, knowing that Storm and Jean Gray are away. The only thing that saves most of the students from capture is Wolvie, who proves to be a ferocious fighter in their defense and delays the military long enough for the bulk of them to escape through a series of secret tunnels. Meanwhile, Magneto's cohort Mystique arranges his escape from prison, and he seeks out Xavier's pupils, knowing that in order to save mutantkind from extermination they must find and rescue the Professor. I was delighted to see in this film the introduction of one of my favorite X-ers, Kurt Wagner/The Incredible Nightcrawler, a demonic-looking teleport (and devout Catholic). There's also a brief view of someone whom I suspect is Colossus, the young Russian who can transform his body into steel. The effects, of course, are fantastic, and the scenes in the beleaguered school and in Stryker's secret base under Alkali Lake (where Wolverine finally learns the truth about himself--or at least part of it) are non-stop thrill-a-minute action told with wonderful pace and careful attention to necessary exposition. Magneto displays once again the flashes of decency that make him one of the most intriguing of Marvel villains. And, of course, Xavier and his team are splendid. This film has convinced me that I definitely want the X-Men to have shelf space in my DVD collection, and I'll be adding both it and its predecessor as soon as I can.

X2 - X-Men United (Full Screen Edition) Available from Amazon Price: $12.99 Updated on 11-29-2008.

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