What Makes X2 So Great?

What Makes X2 So Great?

Thursday night, as I left Guardians of the Galaxy, I thought to myself, "is this the greatest comic book movie of all time?" After a lot of debate, I decided that although amazing, it does not hold that title. That belongs to X2: X-Men United.

Editorial Opinion
By SuperShowdown - Aug 04, 2014 02:08 PM EST
Filed Under: X2: X-Men United


So here we are, eleven years and a few dozen superhero movies later, and this sequel to the surprise hit X-Men is still regarded as one of the best of its kind. For some like myself, it stands as the greatest movie of all time. What made X2: X-Men United so great? Here are some of the highlights:

That Theme:



Right from the start, this movie was epic. Even though the theme was only featured briefly at the start, it was enough to make you want to get up and join the mutant fight. As it played while the credits rolled, there was nothing else to do besides swing around your imaginary Wolverine claws. Not only did it sound awesome, but it made you feel awesome.

That Nightcrawler Scene:



It's eerie yet cool. A lost tourist on a White House tour gets questioned by a guard. Intriguing, but not fascinating. Then the tail comes up. There are a few things I love about this scene. The first is the background music. The classical score creates a mysterious and creepy tone that is unlike anything else in the film. Second, are the special effects. Nightcrawler's teleporting looks and sounds just as a comic book reader would imagine it. You can practically see the "BAMFs" written inside the little puffs he leaves behind. The slow-mo really enchances the attacks as well. The third thing I really enjoyed about this scene is often overlooked: Nightcrawler losing his disguise. As he teleports, he teleports out of his makeup, looking more and more like Nightcrawler with each action. It's a neat little thing to watch for. Finally, is the most awesome part of this scene. It's fun to watch and fun to describe. As Nightcrawler kicks a guy, he telports, and kicks another guy with the same kick. It's all one motion and a great way to show his powers. (See 1:42 in the embedded video)

That Rogue: 



Keep in mind that I was five years old when this movie came out. My contact with females had been limited. I'll be completely honest here, Anna Paquin's Rogue was my first crush. Yes, she's the girl that got me interested in girls. Whether it was the white hair, the awful accent, or the gap in her teeth, five-year-old me found Rogue extremely attractive. And part of me still does.

That Wolverine Rampage During the Mansion Raid:



Running? Check. Screaming? Check. Slashing wildly? Check. I actually love Wolverine's battle strategy. Just straight up murder the guys. It seems silly, but it's wildly entertaining.



There, just watch. He just plunges his claws into a man's chest. Awesome.

The rest of the mansion raid is a cool scene too. There some nice cameos from Kitty Pryde, Siryn, and Colossus. It's a mini showcase of everyone's powers. 

That Phoenix in the Water:



It's subtle, it's barely visible, but it's there. During Jean Grey's narration at the end of the film, we get a glimpse of a Phoenix-like figure in the water. Though I didn't understand what it meant at first, I was curious. And even now I still get excited to see the Phoenix Saga in the next installment. I know they botched it, but this shadow gives me hope every time I see it.

The End

There are plenty of other things that make this movie great. Sound off with your top moments in the comments below!

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UltimateCookie
UltimateCookie - 8/4/2014, 2:48 PM
Good observation and I love the X-Men franchise. Thumb!
DrKinsolving
DrKinsolving - 8/4/2014, 2:49 PM
kinghulk
kinghulk - 8/4/2014, 3:02 PM
loved it but IMO x2 is not the best comic book movie of all time. it changes for me every time i rewatch a CBM like avengers, TDK, iron man, X2, blade 2......
sikwon
sikwon - 8/4/2014, 3:33 PM
Am I the only one that think all wolverine does in the movies is whine and get his ass kicked?
gamecreatorjj
gamecreatorjj - 8/4/2014, 3:39 PM
X2 is a legend of a CBM, it is easily one of the best Marvel ones, I have seen it so many times, and I never get bored of it.
MightyZeus
MightyZeus - 8/4/2014, 5:33 PM
I really liked X-men 2 and from what you've mentioned makes the film all the more enjoyable. Personally, i don't feel it's the best comic book movie ever especially for everyone. I do think that DOFP is the best X-men film.
Snotzo
Snotzo - 8/4/2014, 6:40 PM
What Makes X2 So Great? To answer your question in a word, nothing.
RobGrizzly
RobGrizzly - 8/5/2014, 12:21 AM
Lol @BlueLanternKnight and Rogue at 5 years old.
Love this movie. Imo, still easily the best of the X-Men franchise. The new ones still don't have moments that compete with all of these. Though "Days of Future Past" does have the Quicksilver scene which comes pretty close. (DoFP also reprises X2's great superhero theme)

I really thought Magento's prison escape would be on here. Nobody had ever seen anything like it. Creative, inventive, and totally unforgettable, it's almost an epiphany how terrifyingly dangerous Magneto can truly be.

But X2 is a showcase for practically the entire cast:
-Marks the first time seeing Mystique (Rebecca Romaijn) without the makeup, with a great seduction scene of the guard.
-Cyclops got some hand-to-hand combat, a welcome change from just standing there and letting the CGI artists do all the work.
-Storm summoned tornadoes, effectively making me realize she may be the most powerful mutant on the team!
-Pyro stood out as a troubled young man with a nice little arc. Loved both the food court and police scenes.
-Iceman got some development with the metaphorical "coming out" scene at his parents' house.
-Lady Deathstrike didn't do much, but after all these years, she remains Wolverine's best on-screen fight and adversary.
-Professor Xavier freezing people with his mind. Holy #@&! This movie took his ability to the next level, which I loved.

Clearly I have lot of love for the film. But I can't call it the BEST comic book movie. Not when it still gets a lot about the X-Men source material wrong,(FOX is mostly to blame there). But even purism aside, just as a film it tends to drag in parts.

But as superhero entertainment, X2 is easily in the Top 10. Maybe even Top 5. But there are still other movies that are either more epic (Avengers), more thought provoking (The Dark Knight), or more fun (Spider-Man 2) that keep X-Men United from taking the crown for me.
matthuliz
matthuliz - 8/5/2014, 1:58 AM
What makes X2 so great?!? The black leather costumes :-S

Seriously, it's not great and it never was. When it was released, people are still thinking of 1978 Superman and 1989 Batman, as the best ones, while 2002 Spider-Man as the close runner-up.
Right now, most fans would say any one of Nolan's Batman movies can easily claim that title.

Personally, I would include Watchmen, Sin City, and 300 as one of the best.


:-P
CherryBomb
CherryBomb - 8/5/2014, 3:17 AM
Love X2, whoever says it isn't awesome, well....

Enphlieuwince
Enphlieuwince - 8/5/2014, 7:08 AM
It did not age well at all. But, I realize more and more each day that the GOAT debate is a generational thing. Most ppl in your age group have this infatuation with this movie, and, it makes sense to me. Most of these guys were introduced to the X-Men through these movies first so the mistakes the movie made aren't as glaring. It's a good film and all but nowhere near the crown.
Tainted87
Tainted87 - 8/5/2014, 7:19 AM
It's certainly my favorite of the X-Men movies. Saw it four times in the theater when I was 17 years old and had a super disposable income and my first job bagging groceries for Publix.

I always thought Stryker was kind of annoying, but I loved everyone else. I always turn the volume up during the Blackbird chase - the sound effect the first missile makes when Jean makes it blow up is like a howl, pretty neat. I really liked Magneto working with the X-Men to get what he wants, I really enjoyed Mystique's expanded role, I loved Nightcrawler, but that ending sacrifice was probably the greatest scene in the movie.
Great editing, lots of shots comprise it - with Jean flipping the switches, raising the ramp, and keeping Kurt from teleporting - while Scott shouts helplessly for everyone to do something. Using Charles to talk to Scott instead of just being a disembodied voice in his head was the best decision, as not only does everyone in the cockpit hear it, but it's a total farewell.

*I* have always had a crush on Famke Janssen, since GoldenEye. It was really terrific seeing her step up to the plate, even if it meant her "dying". First time we all say it, my little sister cried (she was 9) uncontrollably, and I had to tell her than no, she's not really dead. That got me a punch, and I think her response was "I know it's not real, stupid", but I told her the character will be returning, and explained the phoenix in the water. Kind of brightened her up.
SuperShowdown
SuperShowdown - 8/5/2014, 8:20 AM
@Enphlieuwince It really is a generational thing. A person's favorite movie is not only the one with their favorite story or characters, but also one that's been with them a long time. I think it's because when you see the movie the first time as a kid, you don't notice the mistakes. As you get older and see the mistakes, you overlook them or learn to love them because you can't turn your back on a movie you've always loved. And the longer the movie stays at the top of your list, the less likely you are to give that spot away.

@Maxi91291 Exactly what I'm talking about. Brilliant.
TucksFrom2015
TucksFrom2015 - 8/5/2014, 8:29 AM
please watch this for your salvation

Tainted87
Tainted87 - 8/5/2014, 12:55 PM
WTF? I sincerely hope that was a joke...
GeekyCheekyChic
GeekyCheekyChic - 8/6/2014, 4:38 AM
Nope. Not even top 10 anymore.
Batman Begins
Avengers
Dark Knight
Iron Man
Winter Soldier
DOFP
Guardians
Spider-Man 2
Man of Steel
Watchmen
First Class
these are all better. But hey if its number one for you then thats all that matters right?
BobbyDrakeApproaches
BobbyDrakeApproaches - 8/6/2014, 7:16 AM
It cracks me up to hear the way people so emphatically state their opinion, as if it were fact. Of course, anyone who says that X-2 is not a great movie is just as correct as you are in saying that it's one the greatest, because when it comes to opinions, there is no right or wrong.

With that said, I am definitely in the camp of people who think it's one of the best. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this article, and your love for this movie shines through while reading it.
BobbyDrakeApproaches
BobbyDrakeApproaches - 8/6/2014, 7:26 AM
My only complaint is that this article should be much longer. There are so many great scenes in this movie. I know someone already wrote a list of these moments in the comment section, but I will write a list of my own anyway, excluding what is already in your article:

-Iceman makes a wall of ice to protect Wolverine.

-Magneto's prison escape scene.

-Storm's spiritual discussion with Nightcrawler, one of the most interesting scene in any comic book movie, in my opinion.

-Pyro fighting the police, and then Rogue stopping him by taking his powers. Few people seem to acknowledge this is the only X-Men movie that makes Rogue a hero, both in this scene, and when she manages to fly the jet later in the movie.

-The entire scene in the X-Jet is awesome. Storm's tornadoes, Jean disabling a missile, Nightcrawler saving Rogue's life, Magneto catching them.
matthuliz
matthuliz - 8/6/2014, 10:07 AM
@HypeExMachina
Wow, what an expose!!!

There should really be a law prohibiting homosexuals from making superhero movies!

:-P
MrFantastic
MrFantastic - 8/15/2014, 3:33 AM
@ RobGrizzly

Plus, we actually see Cyclops' power for what what it can do- i.e- when he's brainwashed and faces off with Jean in the third act. Supposedly the writers were unhappy about the scenes where Stryker messes with his head, because they felt James Marsden deserved more screen time.

Also, Cyke gets to show more range- his protectiveness towards Jean in the beginning and how he tries to save her in the end. That scene where he breaks down emotionally was great- especially since we saw Jean telling Logan earlier on that she chose Scott.

This all came to mind recently after reading an interview with Zak Penn (who co-wrote X-Men Last Stand), who said killing Cyclops off unceremoniously was partially because it is "hard to relate to a character whose eyes you can't see."

Umm, Jamie Foxx won an Oscar for playing Ray Charles, and we got to see him without glasses in a dream sequence. Surely, the powers that be at Fox can give Cyclops something compelling to do in the next films….
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