Barbelith Underground > Film, TV & Theatre > X Men 2 (HUGE FUCKING SPOILERS)

This has been a great thread to read; A lot of really smart comments and I wanted to post my thoughts as I finally got round to seeing X-Men last night. I’d read through this thread before I saw X2; I’m not too bothered about spoiler really. Not a lot to spoil anyway; these films are always easy to read. Actually, a lot of the analysis here helped me to frame the film (despite being easy to read, with this and with the first one, I was often left wondering as to what the actual point IS with the x-men); I’m not particularly an x-fan, although I do love comics, the marvel ethos, and big in-yer-cheese special fx busters. Strangely, I think the film expressed to me most clearly why the x-men never appealed.
I didn’t much enjoy the film to be honest and I’ll explain why.

Firstly; they are a serious bunch despite the their clownish looks (or is that the point?)

Secondly; their powers are too rich and varied for the audience to really fear for their survival. (plus, they’re homo-superior, they’re more than one of them, and they make us look shit. Why should I like them?)

Thirdly: The franchise would be so much better as a tv series. Far too many people, not enough time to expand on nuances, details and characterisation. I’ve niggles about the handling of Pyro as others have too; I certainly don’t feel like a three year wait to find out what fun he’s having on the other side. 3 weeks yes. 3 years? In three years we’ll all be able to zap fireballs from our fingers. I believe the Ascended Onion already can.

And: the cigarette burn on the neck was a cheap way to balance the plot; it’s a kind of foolishness found only in comic books and is a device which Milligan kindly tears to shreds in The Pink Mink. This was (un)fortunately kept in check by the equivalent mutant trick ;which is to have any power under the sun to match the problem encountered. At no point did I feel the mutants were under the cosh; I’d ask for a sensible example from a fellow poster if there is one. This could be read as empowering; where there’s a will, there’s quite literally, a way; on film instead, it reads as dumb, nullifying narrative; the stuff of Spider Man and his Amazing Friends cartoons; a perfect tonic for depressed teens and hyperactive 8 year olds, but frankly not good enough to be considered at the front end of the new wave of all-inclusive entertainment, probably heralded by the Matrix.

The powers were poorly defined, as others have noted. I was unsure as to what the breaking point was for any of the leads. Xavier’s ability to ‘stop time’ simply another handy story-telling shortcut. I was actually gob-smacked at the amount of ‘cheating’ going on in order to roll the plot. So gob-smacked I had learned to accept and expect it by the time of Jean’s weird, pointless sacrifice.

At least this time, with the absence of Toad, and the good natured Nightcrawler’s presence, the set-up wasn’t; bad mutants – ugly; good mutants – beautiful; a glaring clangar in the PC heavy and wildly over-rated starter.

And if your gob still remains unsmacked, surely the fact that Cerebra could link to all human minds too (in order to make us all grind our teeth) knocked you square on the jaw!?

No? Then you’re a bigger fan than I.

I’d always thought x-men comic was less about the big action scenes and the tired tensions they bring than the internal messy soap opera with no definite end. So, while Singer had no option but to bend the film into an action movie rather than a 2 hour soap, any comparisons with Empire or even Wrath are redundant. I’d have to agree with the criticisms of these allusions. Spock’s death was far more iconic than Jean Grey’s (who?) sacrifice could be considered; and by the end of empire, the good guys had been hacked to pieces and sold off as sculpture. Both of those films saw the good guys take a serious beating throughout the film; I was genuinely concerned that Darth had won the day.

I’d have to say that X2 was completely devoid of such tensions and this ruined it as a story for me. That’s why I wish this franchise had gone down the buffy route, but I know that’s another debate.

I enjoyed this film in a limited way. The fx were stunning in parts (nightcrawler and magneto demonstrating their powers) and some pleasing choreography helped me get through it but Superman 2 remains my vote for greatest superhero film of all time.