Director Bryan Singer

Screenplay Michael Dougherty, Dan Harris and David Hayter

Story Bryan Singer, David Hayter and Zack Penn

Premiere Date May 2, 2003

I only only this once, as the Widescreen version.  I had own the Full Screen version, but upgraded it not too long ago.  Remember that era where they made two copies of each movie?  So weird all the shelf space stores had back then to allow that.  Just buy the widescreen and then zoom in once.  It would almost be better that way.

This DVD, everything I wanted to start it, automatically set itself to show subtitles, super annoying!

Three short years after the original film, we were given the most anticipated and better sequel, it was well worth the wait!  It ranks at the top of my list of the films but I’m not sure what I would rank as the next two to make a Top Three list.  First Class and then The Wolverine, or I might swap the two of them.  I’m not ready to commit yet.

At this point, 2003, I was wired into the Internet – but I would consider it casual compared to how much I am now with my three websites I go to daily and my one that I go to at least once an hour.

When Nightcrawler was announced as joining the cast, I was so happy.  He’s my third favorite X-Man and I would argue that you can’t have an X-Men movie with Kurt but I also understood why an actor might not want to play the role.  He’s played by Alan Cummings – who I had known prior to this but have become a fan of his since his portrayal.  He’s been in such films as GoldenEye, Romy & Michelle’s High School Reunion, Spice World, The Anniversary Party, Josie and the Pussycats and my favorite, Reefer Madness.

I refer to this film as X-Men 2 but they marketed as X2.  Like how X-Men 3 is X-Men Last Stand but who calls it that.  X2 – Mutants United.  Just call it what it is.

This film has the basic premise of God Loves, Man Kills – Stryker wants to kill mutants and Magneto eventually will team up with the X-Men to thwart Stryker’s plan.  God Loves, Man Kills – of course was brought to us by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson.

Now, onto the film!

They held over the X in the FOX gimmick so it does a slow fade.  It is simple but I like it.

The film opens with the White House.  There is a tour going on at the moment.  We see the current President, played by Cotter Smith – who right now is playing the president at NBC’s Revolution – a show I feel like I’m constantly willing to drop but every three episodes, it seems to prove itself again.  ABC’s Once Upon A Time and Revenge sort of do that trick too.  Two or three lesser shows and then they knock one out of the park and then it back again.  I guess Smallville was like that too, tiny amount of characterization, it would be mostly undone by the end of the episode but then they would do a mythology episode and I’ll be hooked all over again.

0:02:29, we hear our first Bamf and at :32, we see our first Bamf.  I swear, as soon as that one two punch happened, I was smiling and the movie could do no wrong.

We see Nightcrawler, still hidden by white face and a trenchcoat, posing like the famous Kennedy portrait.  We do see a blue tail, as the first big action piece happened.  Kurt starts bouncing and bamfing and we see that if he was a villain, he would be pretty hard to beat.

The Secret Service gets five guys in front of the President, as it should be.  They are doing their job.

I’m not a fan of the character design for Nightcrawler.  With all of the tattoos that seem silly.  Later, we learn that he made the markings himself to be closer to God.  Which is nice and all but I mean really, unnecessary.  We probably could have gotten Cummings to be in the third film if his makeup process wasn’t so soul crushing.  If they went with the simple blue skin or better, fine layer of blue fur, it would have cut the process down in half and he could have had a better time of it.

I do like how they made Kurt’s tail functional, as it grabs a knife to kill the President.  He gets shot and dropped the knife which has on it “Mutant Freedom Now” marked on it.

Such a great way to open the film!

0:05:39, we see the back of Wolverine’s head, making him the first X-Man of the film.  He’s gone to Alkali Lake where Xavier has told him the Weapon X facility should be located.  He walks through a small barrier, sees a wolf and that’s it.  There is no building or any infrastructure to speak of.  I’m not sure where he thinks people parked back in the day but I couldn’t figure it out.

Wolverine is smoking a cigar, this is before Quesada’s no smoking rule in the comics.

That wolf shows Wolverine the respect.

Hugh Jackman still looks young in this film but not as baby faced as he was in the first film.

Wolverine’s face segues into a wolf’s face at a museum.  We hear Storm’s voice before seeing her.  Halle Berry’s wig is so much better than in the first film.

We see a blonde girl eating ice cream and one of the mutant boys sees her, they make eye contact and he sticks his tongue out at her, revealing a lizard tongue.  No wonder humans don’t like mutants, they can be jerks sometimes.  To be fair, she did stick her tongue out at first but she doesn’t have a lizard tongue.  You’ll think before they got to the museum, Xavier would have took the kid aside and tell him, “if you are not going to one think, please make it this – don’t stick out your tongue.”  Xavier is working hard on keeping his school for the gifted a secret, he doesn’t need some kid ruining everything.  Storm calls him Artie, which is cool but if he’s going to be Artie, let’s make him at least very pink.  I get why they didn’t go the whole “big blank white eyes and pink spots” route but he could have been pinker.  Also, Artie but no Leech?  That’s not right.

Cut to a sabretooth tiger statue, that’s a call back.

We see Famke Jannsen back as Jean, also with a proper hairstyle now.  It is shorter and better.  Jason Marsden as Cyclops, yeah buddy!

Jean’s telepathy is out of control and starts messing with the television sets around the museum.  Scott tries to calm her down.  He references that it has been out of control for a month now, since Ellis Island.  Meaning that the first film was only a month ago.  Wolverine took his sweet time getting to Alkali Lake.  Also, was the president from the previous film in his final days in office and that’s why we got a new president now?  It must be!  So the year is still 2000 then (or around then) and this film must be in late January or early February.

Scott also references that Jean has nightmares at night and when they wake up, all the items have been scattered.  Xavier still letting them share a bed, those naughty mutants!

0:09:30, Rogue, Iceman and Pyro are sitting around a table.  I forgot that Aaron Stanford has joined the cast as Pyro.  The bad boy to Shawn Ashmore’s Iceman.  They are not just opposites by their powers but also by their temperaments.

I do like seeing a Junior class of X-Men forming.

The three of them are being harassed by two idiot boys.  They really want to borrow Pyro’s lighter.  Which I get Pyro being a jerk to them, but shouldn’t those two boys have their own lighter(s) if they have their own cigarettes?  Also, is it cool to smoke in the eatery of a museum?

For some odd reason, Singer has decided to give us a look down Anna Paguin’s blouse.  This is the first of two times he gives us a look.  I wonder if he was trying to help her secure the True Blood role?  This one isn’t even the good look.  Maybe it wasn’t Singer’s decision but DP Netwon Thomas Segal’s?

Pyro gets tired of the two boys’ attitude and finally gives them his lighter.  At first, they can’t get it to work and when they do, there is a big burst of flame.  Iceman has to put the flame out with his ice blast.

The boys freak out and then they stop.

Patrick Stewart as Xavier has stopped everyone who isn’t a mutant in the scene.  Now, that’s power.  Stewart is looking good here.  There is some footage of X:DoFP that makes him look old but then I saw him on a few talk shows and it is only make up, he still looks good at 73.  And this film was 11 years ago so he was 61 at the time.  Boy, do I do a lot of math on this blog.

I like how we get a news alert on one of the televisions, a nice way to show that time is still moving, only the people around Xavier are frozen in place.  The news is stating that a mutant attack on the White House has occurred.  Looks like mutants might need to be put in line.  Though really, someone would recognize this as an act of one person and not deemed an entire culture are violent.  There should be a word for such an assumption.

0:11:17, the Xavier Mansion!  I like that the senior team are huddled and talking about next steps.  Scott thinks Magneto might behind this, but the telepaths shut this down.  Xavier is trying to track the mutant but can’t get a lock on him.

0:12:30, Brian Cox officially joins the film!  Once he was announced as playing William Stryker, I was excited as God Loves, Man Kills is such a great piece of work.  Except instead of Reverend Stryker, he plays Colonel Stryker.  Essentially the same character but it sort of frames how the rest of the movie is going to be.  I really like Brian Cox as well.  He’s been in Rushmore, Braveheart, Super Troopers, 25th Hour, Match Point and RED.

Styrker comments about wanting to speak to the President about school reform, very clever.

Bruce Davison is back as Senator Kelly but really, it is Mystique.  We are not shown this just yet but we do know that Kelly has become Pro-Mutant in the past month.

Also joining the cast, Kelly Hu – playing Lady Deathstrike.  Which is pretty cool that Lady Deathstrike made it into live action.  Unfortunately, I only know her really from Scorpion King.  I know she was on Nash Bridges, and I only saw the first episode Stone Cold Steve Austin did and the episode, Wild Card, that reunited both Don Johnson with Philip Michael Thomas – from Miami Vice and Tommy Chong with Cheech Marin.  I’m a sucker for shows that have fun casting like that, though I remember being completely lost but they knew that they were going to get new viewers so it was pretty viewer friendly.  I know Kelly Hu is either on or will be on soon, Arrow – but I can only watch that show every three weeks or so when I’m not recording at least one other show on Wednesday nights at that time slot.  I’m hoping to catch up during the summer reruns.

Lady Deathstrike is waiting in the waiting room, cracking her knuckles and causing a disturbance with how loud it is.

Senator Kelly mentions Erik Lehnsherr and Styrker calls him Magneto.  Stryker also refers to a mutant facility in Westchester.  He shows a picture of a jet coming out of the basketball court.  Was there a helicopter above there that I didn’t see last film?  Who took that picture?

The President gives the okay to go into the school but he doesn’t want to see anyhdead children on the news.

Senator Kelly meets Yuriko, introduced as Stryker’s assistant, she hurts his hand when they shake.  Which is a nice detail.

Kelly wants to see Magneto, Stryker informs him that it isn’t a petting zoo.  Styrker also references that he was in Vietnam was Kelly was still nursing as a baby.

We get the unnecessary Mystique reveal with Kelly’s eyes turning yellow.  We get it.

0:15:35, we see Colossus played by Daniel Cudmore, he gets a much more substantial role in the next film but he does okay here.  He’s painting.  He is Volturi Felix in the Twilight films but I don’t recognize him from those.

Bobby and Rogue are playing and generally goofing around.  Then Bobby wants to ruin the time with an awkward moment.  We can tell that Rogue wants to kiss him back but she isn’t sure.  Bobby wants to try, at least, of course he does.  Get it under control!

Colossus draws a picture of what would happen if they do kiss, Rogue sucking Bobby’s face.  What a jerk, Colossus!

0:16:14, Logan is back at the school!  Rogue greets him, so happy.  She begins to introduce Bobby to Logan.  Bobby is the one who refers to himself as her boyfriend.  So awkward.  Made worst by when Logan shakes Bobby’s hand, Bobby purposely freeze’s Logan’s hand in return.  I never realized what such jerks these mutants are.  And they are the good ones!  Logan wants to know how the two of them function as a couple.  Rogue thinks he means physically but I get the impression that he meant, by chemistry.  He happens to be her age so she dates him.

Rogue hugs him and then moves on as Bobby has embarrassed her.

I like how this scene plays out with how people heard Rogue and so everyone feels the need to come downstairs to visit Wolverine.  Storm is first down the stairs.  She walks down the stairs in a goofy way, I’m not sure how to describe it further.  Storm lets him know that the adults are leaving at night so he is on babysitting duty.  That’s good timing!

Jean sees him next, she’s wearing a red shirt.  Who is she, a Power Ranger?  Also, the shirt has a bit of a flame thing to it, foreshadow, much?

Storm and Jean are heading to Boston and Scott and Xavier are going to visit Magneto.

Jean informs him of the attack on the White House, Wolverine is surprised that it is a confirmed mutant attack.

Logan can think of a few reasons to stick around, after Jean jokes about him running away.

Then Scott is Logan.  Jean kisses Scott, right in front of Logan!  Logan throws Scott’s keys to his own motorcycle at him, telling him that his bike needs gas.  Marsden takes an awesome beat, and chucks the keys right back at Logan, telling him that he needs to fill the motorcycle with gas then.  Mutants are such jerks!

0:17:58, Magneto!  He is reading Once and Future King by T.H. White, a book I’ve been tempted to read because of this film but I can’t seem to pull the trigger on buying a copy.

Magneto is sentenced to be in this plastic cell forever.  The guards don’t care for him.  Especially the main one, Mitchell Laurio, played by Ty Olsson, who has done a slew of TV.

Stryker has a meeting with Magneto, informing him that he’s not there forever, just until Stryker has all the information he needs.

Laurio hits Magneto with the back of a plastic baton!  Then we see the drug and the insertion point on the back of Magneto’s neck.  It is a type of truth serum drug.

Today’s task, Styrker wants to know about Cerebro.

Cut to Xavier using Cerebro, what a good edit by John Ottman and Elliot Graham.

Xavier doesn’t like Logan smoking in the mansion but if he insists on smoking in Cerebro, he will rewire Logan’s mind so that he believes he is a six year old girl.  Xavier can’t get the answers Logan wants but he can change his personality.  Limits!

Logan puts the cigar out on his palm, nice way to show us his healing factor as well as the fact that he does feel pain, he’s just not a baby about it.  It isn’t much of a wound, so it instantly heals.

We are treated to a better graphic display for Cerebro.  Logan can see what Xavier sees, which must be an artistic choice as, does it make any sense?  White lights are humans, evil red lights are mutants – what an odd choice by Xavier to set that as the settings.  We see that there are like millions of mutants around.

Wolverine informs Xavier that there was nothing at Alkali Lake.

Xavier tells Logan that he can’t locate the mutant.  Which is odd as Jean has already told Logan that they are going to Boston so they must know where Nightcrawler already is.  Maybe Xavier is just trying to reconfirm his location.

Xavier informs Logan that he could kill the mutant using Cerebro if he wanted to, but instead, he is trying to pinpoint his location.  We see that Nightcrawler is praying the rosary.  He’s a good Catholic.

Logan wants Xavier to read his mind again and Xavier puts it off but tells Logan that he ha to watch the children tonight as they are all leaving.

Jean & Storm are taking the Blackbird.  Jean flies and Storm navigates.  It is a bigger plane now.

We follow Senator Kelly as he transforms into Lady Deathstrike.  I really like the use of the pillars, it s a money saving technique but I also like it for how simple it is.

0:23:39, Mystique is shown in full form!  Rebecca Romijn is back in the role.

Instead of using passwords, they use voice recognition which of course Mystique can work around as she tries to hack into Styrker’s computer.  Such a silly security measure and it isn’t a safer one.

On the computer screen, we see files with the real names of the following characters – Sabretooth, Lila Cheney, Polaris, Iceman, Blob, Gambit, Multiple Man, Karma, two Maximoffs, Proteus, Dani Moonstar and Storm.

Weird how the files categories go from right to left, the government isn’t using Mac Finder.

Additional names are shown as – Garrison Kane and Artie Maddicks

Mystique knows what building Magneto is in now.

Even more names – Omega Red and Franklin Richards (so the X-Men films take place after both Fantastic Four films, I suppose)

Besides names, we also get names of projects or operations – Project Wideawake, Muri Island and Cerebro.  There is a clean Cerebro I and a ghetto Cerebro II.

She clicks on Cerebro II, but when she calls up the location of it, it states it is Classified.

Lady Deathstrike is seen entering the building.  With her entrance, comes the first musical cue I’ve noticed.  Score is done by John Ottman and he starts with the suspense music.  Is Mystique going to get caught?  Mystique starts printing pages but the papers are coming out so slow!

Lady Deathstrike comes into the room and Mystique is nowhere to be found.  Then Lady Deathstrike turns and we all see the custodian with a trashcan full of papers, oh that Mystique is a clever minx.

0:26:07, in Boston, the gate outside the church as graffiti that states, Nature Laughs Last.  So true.  The Nightcrawler scene has begun.  Jean and Storm enter the church, and I like how individualized the two uniforms are.  Kurt’s voice is heard from different locations and Jean, with a smirk, states that he is a teleporter.  She’s so smart.

Kurt falls from the ceiling, Jean freezes him in place.  We learn his name is Kurt Wagner.  From his room, we see flyers from various German circus performances.  He explains his religious tattoos.

Logan dreams of the Weapon X project, and it is all in this sickly green and machines and dudes drinking champagne.  He wakes up and goes to the kitchen.

On his way there, he sees a boy on the couch, blinking his eyes to change the channels every second.  Must be so annoying to watch television with that kid, or not watch it.  There is a cute line about how the boy asks Logan if he can’t sleep and Logan responds with “how can you tell?” “You are awake”.  Gives the actor something to do and its cute.

We finally get the 30 minute mark!  Bobby is in the kitchen.  This is a fun scene.  Logan asks if there is any beer.  Bobby tells him it is a school.  Logan responds with an awesome, so no beer?  Which is great, as why can’t there be beer still?  Logan grabs a Dr. Pepper, guess who was a sponsor?  It is warm.  Luckily, Bobby is sitting right there, with no words, Logan puts the bottle in front of Bobby, he breathes into it and now Logan has something cold to drink.  I like seeing the powers being used in practical ways.  It is almost why the students are at that school.  Not to be part of a military arm to a man’s dream but to learn how to live and operate their powers.

Next, Xavier is visiting Magneto.  Poor James Marsden doesn’t get to do much in this film.  Though one of the guards says, “nice glasses” and his quiet “thanks” is haunting!

I get the impression that whenever Xavier visits Magneto, Magneto’s opening line is always, you hear to rescue me?

Xavier asks if Magneto knows anything about the attack on the White House, I like how this is an ongoing plot point.

Xavier notices there is something off with his friend.  Magneto tells him about the visits with Stryker.  The three of them have a shred history, that is only hinted at here.  Magneto implies that Xavier’s work with Wolverine is redemption for his lack of work with Jason, Styker’s son.

Back with Logan and Bobby.  Bobby tells him that his parents don’t know what type of school he is at.  They think it is a prep school.  They start talking about Rogue.  Bobby wants their relationship to be closer, seriously misreading his new friendship with Logan.  Then he ruins it some more by implying Logan and Ms. Grey have a relationship that is the same as Bobby and Rogue.

Magneto and Xavier.  Magneto hints about how Xavier knows more about Logan’s past than what Xavier has told Logan.  Which is interesting and isn’t picked up later.  Magneto calls the X-Men by name, and Xavier knows that something is up.  Magneto answers Xavier’s question of what has he told Stryker with a terrifying, everything.  Then they start getting gassed.

Cyclops doesn’t like the look of that and starts fighting the guards, doing a good job of it too!  Then Lady Deathstrike comes in and pretty much beats him up.  I like that we see that Cyclops has good close quarters fighting skills as his main power is a range attack.

Where the guards sit, there is a television and the audio states, when the mother is away – the babies are helpless.  Such an awesome line that sets up the second big action sequence and it is awesome!

The military starts invading the school!

Logan hears something and it is on!

0:36:01, Kitty Pryde!

Portraying Kitty Pryde in this film is Katie Stuart.

Highly disappointed that Kitty and Kurt don’t share any screen time together.  I remember Katie Stuart being announced as joining the cast and at the time, I felt that meant she was going to have a substantial role in this film.  She doesn’t have as much screen time as Sumela Kay got in the first film but she got to phase through more walls so that’s something.

She phases and holds the screen time for twelve whole seconds as she escapes.  It is awesome!

Bobby is about to be taken out when Logan saves him, we get our first, Bub, of the film.

Siryn wakes up and starts screaming – she makes for a great alarm system!

0:37:00, the Claws come out!  It is on!  Wolverine definitely starts killing soldiers.  I like how the fridge has claw puncture holes in it now.  Good follow through.

Colossus and Pyro are roommates.  Colossus armors up, and saves Siryn.

We see that there is a clear Boys side and a Girls side.

Colossus leads a group of students away, no wonder he gets promoted to the big team next film, he’s not afraid to take action.

Wolverine turns Colossus down for help, Colossus’ main goal has to be to save the students.

Bobby and Pyro finally locate Rogue.

I really do enjoy how not only are there emergency exits behind walls but that the students have practiced escaping from the school.

I’m not sure if “small army” full describes the assault on the school but soldiers keep landing helicopters and climbing into the school.

0:40:00, Logan jumps off the banister and clearly kills two more soldiers.  Logan joins the three junior members and now we have our second group of X-Men that we will be following for the rest of the film.

Stryker and Wolverine finally see each other with an entire hallway separating them.  Stryker knows the name, Wolverine, which pauses Logan in his tracks.  Stryker enjoys seeing Wolverine in a school environment.

Stryker implies it has been 15 years since he has seen Logan last.  So if this movie still takes place in the year 2000, then Wolverine Origins takes place during 1985 but with First Class throwing the entire timeline off, who knows what year anything is.  Just like in the comics!

Rogue convinces the boys to go back for Wolverine.  Bobby creates a giant ice cube to further separate Logan and Stryker.  There is a nice visual of Stryker’s hand forming a shadow and Wolverine putting his hand on the shadow hand.

Rogue convinces Wolverine to come with them.  I like that Logan is all like “I can handle myself” but she gets him to come along by saying that the three teenagers won’t be.  Logan matured right there.

0:42:44, Pyro wants to drive and Logan pushes him out of the way.  Logan starts the car with his claw going into the key hole, would that really work?  I doubt it but how else were they going to leave?  One would think with all of the cars Xavier owns, that the keys will be left in the ignition.  Are we expected to believe that there is a giant wall of keys in his office with all the keys on it?

That was an awesome 7 minutes of film!

Pyro turns on the radio and we get to listen to NSYNC’s Bye Bye Bye.  No one is happy to hear it.  One thing is for sure, it doesn’t date the film at all.  The song came out in 1999, so maybe this is suppose to be a sign that the film takes place in the year 2000.  That’ll be pretty impressive, if it was planned like that.  Funny being 11 years from when the film came out, and how far Justin Timberlake has come.  Two others have danced on Dancing with the Stars, Joey and Lance.  Did you know Lance took Danielle Fisher to her prom?  How depressing would that have been.

Wolverine tells the teens that they are heading to Boston, Bobby pipes up with the fact that his parents live in Boston.

As Stryker exits the elevator, real quick, you can see the word, DANGER, on the opposite door.  He turns to the left and heads towards Cerebro.  He is told that the military was able to capture six of the students.

The Bar Scene.  Most likely Rebecca Romijn’s favorite day of shooting as she just needed her face makeup that day.

On the television, is a panel discussing the latest anti-mutant riots.  One of the speakes, is a very non-blue Hank McCoy.  How old must he be?  He looks like he is in his 30s or 40s.  But if he’s 20 in 1960, ooof!

Guard Laurio is there, drinking away.  Rebecca walks over, she’s wearing a dark blue dress with some black scales on it (get it?).  She’s pretty so he accepts her free drinks and her offer to go to the men’s bathroom.  Its that type of bar.  Before they head over there, when she sits down, we get this shot of her legs, going up her dress.  Super unnecessary and it must have played even better on the big screen but come on already.

She’s super aggressive, he comments on how he can’t believe his luck.  She gives him another drink with a pill on the bottom.  She takes off his pants, he has velcro on his pants.  She pretends she likes it, but that has to be weird for him.  All of his work clothes don’t have any metal on them.  But he wears a uniform, so it can’t be that weird.  He passes out, she pushes him forward, and takes his pants farther off.  Then she gives him an iron injection to the butt.  Blue Mystique gives a, bottoms up!  She’s having fun.

Does she transform back to Rebecca as she leaves the bar?  She would have to right?  So that Laurio doesn’t get himself checked out.

Xavier wakes up at what we know later to be the underground base of Alkali Lake.  Stryker is there to confront Xavier, but first tells him to not get up.  What a bully!  Xavier has a neuro-inhibitor on his head, a device Stryker himself created.  Xavier needs to wear the helmet as the drug won’t have any affect on him.

Xavier wants to know where Scott is and Stryker tells him that Scott is getting re-educated.

Stryker mentions that Xavier failed his son, Jason.  Xavier rebuttals with, mutations can’t be undone.  To which Stryker states, yet.

We get Jason’s origin.  He tortured his mother and his father with his mind powers.  To the point where his mother put a drill to her skull to stop it.  What a horrible way to go!

Lady Deathstrike’s eyes start to dart around.  Xavier notices.

Jason has illusion powers.

Stryker gives Lady Deathstrike another dose of serum.

Xavier figures out that it was Stryker who was behind the attack on the White House.

Stryker doesn’t hate mutants as long as he can control them.

Mutant 143 is Jason, not sure if that number has any signance to the writers or something as the only 143 I know is the X-Men Christmas issue where Kitty proves herself against the N’Garai.

Xavier’s mind is too strong for the drug but Stryker figures Jason’s powers are stronger.  Stryker needs Xavier to locate all of the mutants.

Michael Reid McKay plays Jason.  He was in Apt Pupil, Batman & Robin as Pre-Bane, Se7en as Sloth victim.  McKay is the Doug Jones of pain!

Stryker positions both mutants, who are in wheelchairs, so that they are facing each other.  Jason’s wheelchair puts him in a horrible position.  The mind games begin!

0:50:23, the Drake Home.

Bobby gets to pick Rogue’s outfit, using his mother’s clothes, so that’s not weird.  He finds her a pair of gloves, and the outfit that goes with the gloves.

Rogue begins to get undressed.  Bobby turns his back to give her privacy.  Which, really, he should have just left the room and let Rogue find him later.  To make matters worst, he takes a peak at her too.

Pyro is seen looking at the pictures on the walls.  He’s judging Bobby’s upbringing.

Since Bobby saw Rogue in various stages of undress, he’s in a kissing mood.  Which they do.  Which I don’t get the problem, clearly they can kiss with pauses between kisses.  They can never have full on make out sessions but kissing is clearly an option.  Rogue gets to breathe chill, so that’s one benefit.

0:52:41, Wolverine gets startled while looking for something to drink, turns and extends his claws.  The cat licking the tip of his claw was in every single commercial.  We could not escape this moment that summer.

Logan opens the fridge and sniffs out the beer.  Which is odd, as it is clearly right there at the front of the fridge.

Bobby’s parents and his brother, Ronnie, come home.  They take an intruder in their home, rather well.

Bobby comes down the stairs and introduces his teacher as, Professor Logan.  It’ll take the comics ten years to make this happen, prove that they don’t make every change in the film translate into the comic.

We begin the third big action sequence.  Laurio comes to give Magneto his meal.  The metal detector notices something is off but then settles down.  Once Laurio is in front of Magneto, Magneto can sense the extra metal in his system.

Magneto rips all of the extra iron out of Laurio’s body, who is definitely dead after that.  This prison break sequence is pretty cool to see.  Magneto forms the iron into three balls.  Then turns one of them into a platform so he can float to the guard station.

If he had stayed, Magneto’s dinner would have been chicken nuggets, bread and mashed potatoes.

I do like how once he begins the escape, we see what the procedures should have been.  His prison is hung with a few wires.  As soon as he starts breaking glass, the ramp that connects the guard station and the prison starts to recoil.  That might have worked if he didn’t have the extra metal.  Also, there is a warning on the floor stating that there is a 100 foot drop.  We see on the ground a doorway, I wonder where that goes?

Back at the Drake Home.  Pyro is bored.

Xavier’s is a school for the gifted, indeed.

Bobby’s mother’s response of, we still love you, is so weird.  Of course you would.  I never understood how one lifestyle choice from a child all of a sudden turns parents against their own child.  Who cares if they are gay, get behind it and be supportive.  We live in an age now where you can still get grandbabies with adoption procedures so not being selfish and take your heads out of your ass.

We find out that he is Professor Logan of Art.

Bobby freezes the coffee and the cat starts licking it.  Ronnie runs upstairs as he can’t keep his disgust to himself.

Pyro states that it is the male’s who carry the mutant gene, so it is Bobby’s father’s ‘fault’ after the mother claims it is her fault.

Ronnie is upstairs and I finally noticed his shirt has a Phoenix bird on it.  Subtle!

Ronnie is watching the news that has the announcement that there is an underground mutant organization in Westchester.

The Blackbird.  Storm can’t get anyone to respond to her calls.  Jean will keep trying.  Storm goes to chat with Kurt.  Storm has anger issues.  Kurt prays.

Kurt further explains his tattoos, which I believe the writers really want to explain why the costume department went in this direction.  The tattoos are Angelic symbols from the Archangel Gabriel.

Kurt asks how both Storm and Jean are school teachers.  It is an odd thing that we accept as fans.  They are superheroes but they are also school teachers during the day.

Kurt was liked in the circus but when he was outside of the tent, he was treated cruelly.  He didn’t hate them, they were just scared.  People will never understand anything that is beyond their ability to see with their eyes.

Kurt finds Storm to be beautiful.  She uses anger and he uses faith to survive.

0:59:25, Logan gets a call from Jean.  He informs her of what happened at the mansion.  Storm wonders about the children.  Jean tells Logan that she can’t get in touch with either Xavier or Scott.

The mother does the other moment that was in all the commercials, have you tried to not be a mutant?  What a jerk!

We finally get to the hour mark!  An hour and a half to go!  Sorry I didn’t realize this was going to be this long of a post!  It is already an extra third of what the first film was but I really like this film.

Logan sees police in the window reflection.  The fourth action sequence is about to begin!

Poor Boston Police, just doing their jobs.

“Drop the knives and put your hands in the air” Logan responds with a, I can’t, but he really could have just retracted the claws and explain what is happening.  Also, it would show that he is in control of his powers and not a menace.

I never noticed this until this viewing but Logan retracts his claws and the split second later, is shot in the head.  I’ve been under the impression that he gets shot and that causes him to retract his claws.

Pyro decides this is the moment to become a fool.  He announces a lame, “you know all of those dangerous mutants people always talk about?  I’m the worst one!” and starts to flame blast officers.  Who I’m not even sure should survive the experience.  If they do, they have to have some serious lasting burns.  Also, he’s not even in the top 20 worst villains or dangerous mutants (as the second group should include the potential of some of the X-Men to turn or be turned).

Rogue finally takes off one of her gloves, we get to look down her blouse (much better view than the first glimpse – once again, pales in what we’ve seen in True Blood – or watch that show! or Google it, don’t let me tell you how to live your lives).  She absorbs his powers and he can’t use them anymore.  Who knows what memories she gets from him, as the film doesn’t go in that direction.  Imagine what memories or thoughts she absorbs from Iceman in those kissing moments?

The Blackbird lands, the four mutants board.

We get our first taste of Wolverine’s fear of flying.

I like immediate Logan sees Kurt and wants to know who this guy is.  Kurt’s instant answer of “Kurt Wagner but back in the circus I was down as the Amazing Nightcrawler” and how he has a whole introduction at the ready is perfect.  These two, I wish got more scenes together as they are best friends in the comics.  At least we got this interactions.  Wolverine also being unimpressed is pretty nice too.

Two jets show up, one of the pilots is a lady.  The commentary track by Singer states that they got some kudos for having a female pilot as women were only recently the Air Force allowed ladies to pilot jets.

Storm creates some tornadoes (which may be the worst response to jets yet) so she destroys one jet but at what cost?  We see that the tornadoes do touch ground so there is property damage or at least, trees should be knocked down.

For some reason, Storm has to stop with the weather but misses one rocket.  Jean tries to stop it but she isn’t hitting mega levels of powers, yet.  The rocket hits and the Blackbird loses its tail.

Rogue gets sucked out and has to be saved.  I remember right before the movie came out, Brian Michael Bendis had to announce that a story element from X2 appears in Ultimate Spider-Man 43 and how he had written the scene months before even knowing about the film or its scene but he tried to not give any spoilers.  In the comic, Geldoff (Ultimate Universe’s first new character) woke up and freaks out in the Blackbird and explodes the tail end of the plane from inside of it and Spider-Man gets sucked out of the plane.

Nightcrawler saves Rogue, which is another pairing I wish we got more of as well.  Kurt and Storm, not two characters I was crazy got the most amount of time together.  In the comics, they are adopted siblings.

The Blackbird starts to crash land, Jean can’t stop this as well (why she would think she can stop the plane’s fall when she couldn’t stop a missile is beyond me).  Luckily, Magneto and Mystique just happen to be in that spot of the woods (?) and Magneto stops the plane in one of his only real feats of power.  It isn’t until X3 that we see him do something even more powerful.

Magneto quips about when the X-Men are going to learn to fly.  Which is awesome as most of the ones on the plane should be flying as they do in the comics – Jean, Storm and Rogue.

Rogue thanks Nightcrawler for saving her life, she’s a good Southern gal.  She then puts the idea in his head to get closer to the meeting.

The mutants decide to unite (hence the subtitle).  There is an awesome scene of them around the fire, making up a plan.

Magneto informs them of Stryker’s involvement in the day’s events.  It isn’t until now have I realized that the bulk of the film up to this point as taken place over the course of two days.  Logan arrives, then the military attacks that night.  Then the Drake home and Magneto in the woods are a second day.  I’m a real sucker for movies that take place over a course of one day.  Also, films about four male friends.  That’s my jam.

Magneto tells them about Stryker’s intentions with Cerebro.  Storm asks the question about how could even have knowledge of Cerebro.  I love how McKellen takes a breath here and then has to own up to how he told Stryker.

Magneto reveals how he help develop Cerebro.  He also hints that he knew of Stryker from back in the day, as did Xavier – also that Xavier clearly knew about Wolverine’s past.

Magneto states that one among them knows the location of Stryker’s base.  Wolverine is quick to say that he doesn’t know where it is and Magneto has to laugh at him again.  This is twice now that Wolverine thinks he is the center of the plot.  No, Magneto meant Nightcrawler as they all look up.

They notice that Nightcrawler is eavesdropping.  Jean reads Kurt’s mind and they learn that Stryker is at Alkali Lake.  Logan states that he was just there, and there isn’t anything there.  Jean has to tell him that it was underground.  Logan really should have looked there.  I wonder why Stryker went all the way to Boston, grab Kurt, brought him all the way back to Canada, dose him and then send him all the way back to Maryland?  Maybe they are on the East Coast of Canada and I keep mentally picturing it taking place towards the Western part of the county.  Probably because Alkali reminds me of Alaska, Alk, that’s what I’m going with.

At one point, we actually get Kurt and Mystique communicating.  He asks her, why if she can change her appearance, she doesn’t make herself always look not blue.  She tells him she shouldn’t have too, which is an incredible answer.

Jean and Logan finally get to chat.  She tells him that she’s the type of lady who marries the good guy.  Logan tells her he can be a good boy.  She doesn’t believe him. She wants Scott, as he’s awesome and better than Wolverine.

Later that night, Mystique wants some of Logan.  In what had to be a fun scene for Jackman, Mystique shifts into all of the X-Ladies.  Starts with Jean, then herself, to Storm to Rogue (?) back to Jean, then herself to Stryker.  Its pretty twisted.  None are pleasing enough for Wolverine to take advantage of.  I’m sure if there is a porn version of X2 (is there?) that this scene goes a different route.

Because of Mystique’s trick, we get to see what it would look like if Jean and Logan made out.

I like how the Blackbird carries at least 15 tents at any given time.

We get a fun transition scene of the mutants flying toward Alkali Lake.

Rogue wants a uniform, as does Bobby.  Wolverine tells them that their uniforms are already ordered, they will be there in a few years.  Rogue turns as she sees Magneto and Mystique laughing.  Magneto quips about loving Rogue’s new hairstyle.  Rogue takes off her glove and Bobby holds her back, as he does.

It is nice to see Magneto and Mystique in the Blackbird.  They are not suppose to be in there!  Pyro asks about Magneto’s ‘dorky’ helmet.  That dorky helmet is going to save Magneto from the real bad guys.

Magneto talks to Pyro, asking what his name is.  Pyro, like the fool that he is, tells him that it is, John.  Not the name your mom gave you, your real name – Magneto has to waste time asking.  No wonder Pyro goes with Magneto at the end, he keeps him in line.  Also, when Pyro confesses to Magneto that he can only control the fire and not create it.  Magneto’s “You are a god amongst insects” is so wonderful of a line.

Stryker is lightly torturing the captive students.

We see Xavier completely falling for Jason’s trick.  Jason has taken the form of a young girl who leads Xavier to Cerebro and he wants to impress her (for some reason) and puts the ol’ helmet on.

As the X-Men get closer to Alkali Lake, they realize they need to form a plan.  Nightcrawler reveals that he has to see where he is teleporting.  Wolverine has history with Stryker so he wants to go in first.  Magneto tells him how dumb of a move that is, as Wolverine is being hot headed at the time.  Magneto has a better idea.

We begin the fifth big action sequence.  Well, a slew of action pieces but all of them rapid style!

Wolverine does walk up to the door.  Stryker lets him in – as he has nothing to lose – also he is under the impression that Wolverine has come home.  Soldiers come out and cuff Wolverine in this weird device that was already built.  Wolverine gets inside, Stryker gets one look at him and realizes that isn’t Wolverine and to open fire.  Mystique reveals the trick and starts taking out military guys.  They try to lock down the room but she slides under the door and flips everyone off in the process.

Turns out Mystique had taken Stryker’s form as he takes out the soldiers in the control room.  Mystique has located where Xavier is and where the six students are.  She also opens the doors so that the X-Men can come inside.  Mystique locks the control room doors and Stryker and his men show up and she is in Stryker’s form and Cox gets to kiss himself a wave goodbye.

Magneto frees Mystique of the locked room.

Storm and Kurt go looking for the students as everyone else goes for Xavier.

Stryker tells Jason start the process of having Xavier kill all the mutants.  Stryker exists Cerebro II and tells his guards to not let anyone, including himself inside the Cerebro II.

As they are heading towards Xavier, Cyclops shows up and lets them know that they are in trouble.  Jean states that she will hang back.  Magneto quips (he’s so fun in this movie) that they will be having a lover’s quarrel.  I like how Mystique always there to either smile or laugh at his jokes.

Jean and Cyclops have a decent fight.  Jean is able to actually block one of Cyclops’ optic blasts.  Due to their actions, the dam takes too much damage as it slowly leaks.  Jean hits him so hard that he snaps out of it.

1:30:00 mark, Xavier is still trying to locate all the mutants.

Wolverine finds the room that he was made into Weapon X.  We get a flashback and get to see Nudervine!  Wolverine finds Stryker but has to fight Lady Deathstrike first.  It is a pretty decent fight.  I like how two films in and Wolverine has had to fight two bad arse women as only women are Wolverine’s equal.  or something like that.  They both have a healing factor so it is a pretty narly fight as they can really cut into each other.  He straight up kills her by pumping adamantium into her body, filling her up.  It is one of the worst ways to die.

Pyro gets bored of waiting in the Blackbird and exists.  What were those three talking about in there?  It must feel like forever in the plane.

Stryker gets outside and close to his helicopter.  Wolverine catches up and Stryker begs for his life by telling him he will reveal Logan’s secrets to him.  Wolverine passes on the deal and stabs Stryker.  Wolverine makes an amazing comment when he asks Stryker how it feels to have adamantium in him.  What a twisted line!  Wolverine ties Stryker to the helicopter.

Storm and Kurt find the students.

Xavier starts killing mutants but first, everyone gets headaches.  Magneto doesn’t as he is wearing his helmet.  Safety first!

Magneto kills all the guards outside of Cerebro II, he does it by pulling all the grenades on their belts.  That is also a horrible way to die.  If you don’t die from your own grenade then you are probably dying by the guy next to you’s grenade.

The smoke clears and Magneto and Mystique are ready for their plan.  Mystique becomes Stryker, goes inside, tells Jason that the plan has changed and now he wants him to kill all the humans.  So Xavier starts doing that and we get glimpses of humans in pain.  The President is shown and it looks like he isn’t in quite as much pain as the people in the Oval Office.

Since they got what they wanted – Magneto, Mystique and Pyro all get on Stryker’s helicopter and take off.  Before they leave, Magneto tightens the chains around Stryker.

Outside of Cerebro II, the X-Men have to figure out how to get in there.  It is risky if Kurt blind teleports in as he could miss and as we all know, Cerebro is a deathtrap as you can fall to your death, like, extremely easily.  They need some hand rails in there.

Storm wants Kurt to aid her in her plan.  Cyclops realizes he has no idea who this blue guy in a trenchcoat and Kurt starts his “I’m Kurt Wagner but in the …” and Cyclops has no time for an introduction that requires ‘and.’

Kurt decides to risk it, he teleports himself and Storm inside.  Storm starts freezing Cerebro II, which wakes up Xavier from his trap.  Kurt teleports everyone back outside.  The X-Men flee as the dam is falling apart.

Wolverine and the X-Men all escape with the students, in one of my favorite visuals of the film.  There has to be a picture somewhere of it.  There are like twenty people on screen as the camera pans around to get everyone in the shot.

Wolverine gets one more scene with Stryker and Artie is being held by Wolverine and Artie sticks his tongue out at Stryker.  The last thing that guy sees before he drowns.

Rogue flies slash crashes the Blackbird.  The X-Men get on it.  They notice Pyro is gone.

The dam bursts, and the Blackbird can’t take off.  Jean goes outside and lifts the plane and sends it on its way.  Why she couldn’t do that inside the plane is beyond me.  I left the theater with that being the biggest gripe of the film.  Jean uses Xavier to tell Scott that she loves him.  Scott has to yell at Xavier’s face to have Jean come back inside but she isn’t going to – for some reason.

Jean and Stryker and a slew of soldiers are left for dead.  Wolverine, like a jerk, starts repeating over and over (I suppose he is in grief or awestruck) and Cyclops tells Logan to shut up.  Then Cyclops starts to cry and Wolverine gets to hug Cyclops.  It is pretty tender.

The two hour mark happens during this next scene.

Cut to the Oval Office.  One moment, the President is giving a speech on live television, the room goes dark and the X-Men are now present.  Xavier has Rogue (who is in costume as is Iceman) gives the President files from Stryker’s personal office.  When asked how they got the files, Xavier tells him that they know a girl who can walk through walls – Kitty Pryde shout out!

I like how the President and Nightcrawler make eye contact and it is as awkward as it should be.

So the X-Men leave, and the lights turn back on.  Which, the President was doing a live address, so what did people think watching from home?  How does the President address that?

At the school.  Xavier, Cyclops and Wolverine are talking about Jean.  The two X-Men leave so Xavier can teach his class.  Before Scott can get too far, Logan tells him that Jean choose to be with Scott.  Which, to Scott, must be confusing as Jean was living with him and dating him, officially.  Of course, she choose Scott.  It was Wolverine being a dick that was in question not who did Jean actually love.

Xavier’s lesson of the day is going to be a reading from Once and Future King.

Before the credits roll, we get Jean repeating the opening line about mutants and evolution taking a jump.  Then we see a faint Phoenix bird under the water.  Oh how I was excited about the prospects of the Phoenix and the third X-Men film.  I was going to break my golden rule of hating all modern adventures of the X-Men that deal with them going into space (it never works out well).  Especially as it meant that the world of the X-Men was going to expand to other worlds.  Of course, we didn’t get that film.  I wonder what Signer’s actual plans would have been.  He chose to make Superman Returns with James Marsden and so Marsden gets screwed out of X3, and we get another film altogether.

During the credits, Katie Stuart is listed with all of the other big name actors, twice!  The actors, starting with Patrick Stewart, all get one name cards.  Then Anna Paquin gets the ‘and’ credit.  Right after that is a two name credit of Katie Stewart with Kea Wong below her name (who plays Jubilee) then after that is the casting director, Roger Mussenden’s title card.

Then the proper credits starts and we see where everyone ranks in this order.  Towards the end, Kitty Pryde is listed third from last – It is Lady Deathstrike, Kitty Pryde, Jubilee (who is one of the captured students) and President McKenna.  Then the ‘Cast in Order of Appearance” starts.  How awesome is that?  The character goes from fourth from last of the entire cast to being third from last of the main cast.  That’s quite the improvement that only gets better with the next film.