X2 (2003)

X2: X-Men United is an improvement over its predecessor in just about every way. Better story, better effects, better action, and more interesting mutants. It's the best of the original X-Men films and a high point for early 2000s comic book moviemaking. Worth watching for the Wolverine vs Lady Deathstrike fight alone.

Good watch, might watch again, and can recommend. Again, horrible "comic book movie", good stand alone movie. Wolverine was the most interesting thing about the last movie, and this is a surprising instance of a studio realizing audience feedback and basically just made the first Wolverine origin movie, because that's what this is. Comic continuity aside, and Wolverine aside, the war of the Brotherhood of Mutants is fairly compelling angle to take, and it is refreshing they did it from the human's side, but if you look at it closer, then we're just looking at another race war. It sort of takes the fuel out of the fire when you realize how "real" your super power problem story is. While this has a slightly better premise, and good plot skeleton, there is a lot of "(mostly Wolverine does) something cool here" stuff, but there are at least 2 large exceptions with multiple mutants working together that end up being a "lot of cool stuff", but also add some significance to the story and heavily progress the plot. I'd honestly recommend anyone watch this over the original.

Strong sequel. I didn't quite enjoy 'X2' as much as 'X-Men', though not by much in truth. This follow-up film is still something I'd class as entertaining. Hugh Jackman (Wolverine) again impresses, though those behind him are - though all good - a little meh in my opinion; especially newcomer Brian Cox (Stryker), who underwhelmed me. All in all, it's a film that is totally worth watching and is a sequel that is worth its salt. /copied directly from my Letterboxd review

I think this is better than the first film though I still find Patrick Stewart's "Picard"-in-a-chair character really irritating. Anyway, this time we have a good baddie in Scotsman Brian Cox ("Stryker"). He is a determined military man who manages to get the US President to give him carte blanche to take on and eliminate the mutants after a failed attempt to assassinate him in the White House. "Magneto" (Ian McKellen), meantime, is still locked up in his plastic prison but his shape-shifting blue protegé "Mystique" (Rebecca Romijn) concocts a cunning pan to free him; and just in time too! "Stryker" has discovered the existence of "Cerebro" and determined to control it, attacks the "Xavier" school neutralising many of the students and leaving only "Logan" (Hugh Jackman)," Scott" (James Marsden) and "Rogue" (Anna Paquin) to lead what's left of their team to extricate the now captured professor. Needs must, as they say, and an unlikely alliance forms with "Magneto", but will it hold and as we build to quite an exciting denouement, we realise that there is still plenty of scheming and plotting going on. Cox is not really a very versatile actor, but here he provides a solid fulcrum for a story that has plenty of action. There is much less emphasis on the moralising, hormonal, frat-style storyline of the 2000 version; the characters are older and better developed and can control, therefore use, their powers to more dramatic effect for those watching. The story is still a bit thinly predictable, but the visual effects team pull out all the stops keeping this 2¼ marathon moving along surprisingly effortlessly. I'm now very much in team "Magneto" - bring on X3!

**X2 takes the X-Men far beyond the scope of the first movie with exciting new characters, manipulative villains, and bigger effects and stories.** X2 forever stands as one of my favorite sequels of all time. It deepens its characters' backstories, expands the universe, increases the stakes, and creates new conflicts lasting beyond this franchise entry, promising more to come. The opening scene blew my mind when I first saw it and really showcased the power a single mutant could possess. The struggle between light and dark, both in humanity and mutants, was a theme throughout and highlighted in a multitude of ways. Exploring Wolverine's mysterious past and tying it into the overall conflict of the X-Men was a wise choice rather than having Logan search for answers alone. In addition, the women of the X-Men, Jean Grey and Storm, along with Mystique, saw more significant roles and character development. X2 was the Empire Strikes Back of the original X-Men trilogy- better in every way, with exciting new characters, threats, stories, and effects. X2 deserves a place as one of the greatest comic book movies and sequels of all time.