XMen 2 - Classic or Classic? (spoilers)

He also thought it was a shame that Rogue just sat in the plane for the second half of the film, but I was just impressed that there was something for everyone else to do. It was a bit later that we realised that there really hadn't been a lot of Professor X either.

Most of what I have to say on this is basically "Arrrgggghhh! Why can't they make movies this good all the time? Is it a lost art?" I mean, would all Big Films be this good with another month on script or editing? Is Bryan Singer just better at telling when a story is done, and how long it will take to shoot?

The trailer for The Italian Job feeds neither my hopes or fears for the film, but confirms that we can add the original to the list of films that would never get okayed today.

The only out-and-out cop out was with Jean. If she's becoming The Phoenix, why not show it? All we saw was a grey thing under the water in the last shot -- a bit lame.

Anyway, one word for this series: tasteful. It's exotic
and exciting and big without being overblown and hammy.
My only complaint is that the characters are still a bit
terse, but oh well, can't have everything my way.

The "death" of Jean Grey allows for some Phoenix shenanigans while also giving Famke an out should she decide to abandon thee franchise. < fanboy > Next movie better show some Sentinel love. Maybe Nimrod? Add a little shape-shifting adaptive pink to the palette? Hmmm? < /fanboy >

Also, what all y'all said re: the movie's strong points (especially Anthony) is spot-on. AND, for my $8.75, it blew the 1st flick out of the water. I am wondering if Halle left her pseudo-African accent at home next to her Oscar, though, unless we are to assume that Storm has REALLY acclamated to America over the course of 6ish months.

In retrospect, this entire post should be bookended by FANBOY tags.

It was missing just one thing...

http://www.spideydude.com/gambit11.jpg

His details came up amongst the records that Mystique flicked through on Stryker's computer.

There's also a very small reference to another mutant character from the comics on the TV in the bar when Mystique is coming on to Magneto's guard.

I thought it was pretty good. Glad to see Colossus in it for a brief time, though as I remarked to one of my pals, why didn't he have a Russian accent (< /geek>). Yeah, the story was well written, much more memorable than the first film, Professor X/Magneto got more in common than differences and all that. I want the whole Dark Phoinex thing in film 3, and through in Maddy Pryor early. Oh, and it'd be great if Mr Sinister was in it, I always kinda liked him, and what about Magneto's kids the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver?

In other words, NO NO NO NO NO. And imagine trying to sell that whole Jean Grey / MP / Sinister boondoggle to Hollywood producers. That's the stuff of multi-part miniseries, not a 120 minute flick.

Come on Daver and Martin, share my vision, it'd be great!

Okay, okay, how about the Hellfire Club?

Good stuff: I was skeptical about the Rogue/Iceman relationship at first, cuz Gambit & Rogue were always my favourites, but it turned out pretty sweet and touching. Nightcrawler's first fighting scenes were l33+, no foolin'. The whole idea of a multi-generational sk00l was a nice way to sneak in more characters (just like in the new cartoon, which is grebt.) Storm a lot less of a bore than in the comic. Hank McCoy cameo (tho really, he should have had a much larger role- he is to the X-Men what Dan Perry is to ILX.)

Bad stuff: They wussed out on the famous civil rights subtext a whole lot (what's with McCarthy being all moderate, anyway?), it was there but very Disneyfied. Cyclops just looked like a total dork, which granted he is in the comic, too, but still. Deathstrike looked nothing like the comic, cheap excuse to get in another hot woman (they should have gotten PSYLOCKE!!), the way Logan offed her was a bit too nasty, too, I know he's a killer and all, but that would have merited quite a stern talking-to from Professor X, especially considering she was under mind control. The ending was unbearably smug- designed to make all the comic fans giggle and go "ha ha, of course only the REAL fans will be able to get this, look at all the sheep!"...the movie should've been self-contained, it's not like this is a LOTR movie or anything where ppl *expected* the ending to not be very, uhm, final in the least.

Daniel is right in my opinion about Deathstrike's death. Also, the way they put off her showing her powers till the end didn't really work either--anyone who's seen a poster for the movie knows she's got the Wolverine-fingers. Was this supposed to be a great reveal?

I think the fact that he was GAGGING FOR IT overrode his normal caution this time.

And I agree with Snowy Mann: mutant vs mutant is fun, mutant killing 10 soldiers at once by triggering their grenades is just mean.

I vaguely remember Banshee having a sister (who was in X-Force, if memory serves me well), so that might've been her; also, Banshee's been a hero for a long long time now.

I liked that they actually let Wolverine be a brutal bad-ass when defending the school instead of just implying it all the time. Also Logan in surbubia ruled...someone has to get a screenshot of the cat/Wolvie bonding.

I was also surprised that they let Jason die, but I didn't mind since the good guys in comics are always doing the moral thing and saving people who are going to fuck them up later.

It also made me happy that Stryker's second in command at the base was Methos from Highlander, although this makes me feel ubergeeky.

What are you pussies even doing at the movies?

Was Jason in anyway related to that guy Morph that used to be an X-Man but went insane? He had similar yellow skin and insane eyes, but he like, didn't move about so much.

nyeh, death to servants of the overlords.

ah but Daniel the last time i read an X-Men comic with B/shee in it was probably >30 years ago.....

so - anyone heard rumopurs about what goodies/super-villians we might get next time ?
Sentinels, as mentioned above ?
i'm hoping to see iceman do the proper 'icing over' thing next time, and Colossus as a major character too

(I hope this 'phoenix' doesn't appear actually - iirc she's too cosmic-uber-being powerful)

I'd also like to see Juggernaut!
(although his power seemed a bit vaguely specified - 'once he's moving in a certain direction, he just can't be stopped!' - he still wasn't as bizarre as The Blob - 'once i get me feet set, i just cant be moved!' => he's a real threat as long as he stands still)

Well, be fair....Magneto IS a villain, after all.

I saw it yesterday and practically wept at how great it was.

Ha-hem. Not that I care about films or anything. HSA and my geeky comic book friends dragged me. I had no say in the matter.

But at least they got two more good films out of it than they perhaps have a right to hope for. And Grant Morrison on the comic books, Rah!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/hottopics/superheroes/images/xmen.jpg

Now if only I could find some pictures of his ASS then my world would be complete.

But Columbus is a shit director, and made two films which are only good because the source material is great and Warner Bros. held a gun to his head to make sure he didn't fuck up the franchise.

Point taken, though. I'd certainly watch Alfonso Cuaron's X3, or (the perennial example), Terry Gilliam's anything ever. I suspect that if they were to shop it around, rather than turn it into the Alien franchise, they'd give it to one of the many directors who can make shiny shit. They might even give it to Joel Schumacher, and the irony would just fucking kill me.

And also there are inherent problems: the current cast is 11 people, not counting Colossus/Kitty/Siryn. Which people will expect to see in the next film. Though this is part of why the XMen comics became a victim of their own success.

I like the idea of these "serials" (which is really what they are, just with longer-than-usual delays b/t episodes) being sort of a force-unto-themselves and not subject to the creatives ups and downs of their directors and screenwriters. I'd like to think that they could hold up with just a competent director and some decent committee writing. Part of me wants a franchise like this to defeat the idea of auterism altogether, and help me recover that sense of movies "just being there" that I had when I was a kid. But alas, that probably won't happen.

I really should have avoided this movie seeing as my perving on Anna Paquin has reached new and potentially destructive levels.

(also, wasn't it weird when it cuts back to her and she's trying to fly the jet which is spinning all out of control? did I miss something or did that just come completely out of nowhere? maybe a scene got deleted somewhere that made that make sense)

Does Bryan Singer just want to be the guy what makes X-Men films? (Answer possibly. If given studio carte blanche to make other films in between.)

1. I love how Stryker's Southern accent gets stronger when he is saying particularly eviel things. In American movies, Southern accent = bad.

2. Cyclops acting = scrunching face up looking about to cry. This cracked me up.

3. Mystique is the best. It's good Mystique doesn't allow herself to be herded into the dead-end Mutant ladies' career of Lady Pilot. Rogue is heading this way. Are Female Mutants fit for no other jobs? Mystique changing into different women in the tent with Wolverine: Hound Dawg is funny, too.

4. Female Asian actor in stereotype-defying martial arts expertise and long finger nails shocker! I felt sad for her; it was not her fault she was brainwashed. What a waste of good AdamAntium.

5. It was cute how the teleporter ran on all fours to gain momentum when he was puffing around in the opening scene.

6. Is being an alcoholic part of Logan's character? It was strange how he just helped himself to some beer out of the fridge at the suburban house, like he's been jonesing for a brew ever since leaving the school.

I'm beginning to agree with Slutsky and Felicity that Rogue being sidelined in the second half of this picture was a big mistake. I'm not so sure this can be mapped to gender though since Jean Gray was central to the last, as was Mystique. It's just that Rogue's power is conducive more to big world-historical climaxes than cute-thrilling little set pieces, and she's already been at the center of one X-Men (granted as a damsel in distress).

When I saw this film I was seated next to a guy who decided to leave his cell phone on.

During the previews his cellphone rang and he took the call, loudly.

Me, meekly and (I think) politely: "Don't forget to turn your phone off before the movie starts."
Dude (looking like I had just asked him for spare change): "Um, excuse me?"
Me: "Um, you're not supposed to have your phone on during the movie."
Him (curtly, looking proud of himself): "I need it on for business."

Later, when Xavier first appears, dude cries out, "Yeah! It's Captain Picard!"

And later, during the Mystique-seduced-Wolverine scene that Felicity mentions, he yells, "Hahaha! I know who that is!"

I didn't think Stryker had a southern accent. It seemed to be more of a generic grizzled/setinhisways Old Boy accent, almost reminiscient of Garrison Keiler (sp?).

Yes, Alex, especially if you are the surprise hunky "art teacher" from your son'e prep school who turns up univited in your kitchen!

Also didja like the blatant product placement when Wolverine is told there is no beer and he picks up a soda instead?

Yes! I loved it! Although I have now forgotten the product. A minor soda, like A&W or Dr. Pepper, that's it.

I forgot to mention that I loved the clothes. Mutants have nice leather bmX-Men padded clothes. patches = ~trend. The mutant clothes seem very custom, perhaps there is a mutant named Sweatshopa who can make them all really fast. I particularly love the x-in a circle logo on their belt buckets and jackets because George Herriman used that logo a lot in Krazy Kat.