Aaron Stanford, Alan Cumming, Anna Paquin

The X-Men band together to find a mutant assassin who has made an attempt on the President's life, while the Mutant Academy is attacked by military forces.

Flixster Users

84% liked it

659,010 ratings

Critics

88% liked it

219 critics

PG-13, 132 min.

Directed by: Bryan Singer

Release Date: May 2, 2003

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DVD Release Date: November 25, 2003

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Flixster Reviews (35,352)


  • September 16, 2009
    I like the way they explore the ideas of being a mutant and how that would work in a modern society. I really liked the 'School under attack' scene. It's my favourite of the trilogy.
  • May 5, 2009
    Possibly the better of the three, though they are all rather dodgey, just the right amount of characters (I like Nightcrawler) and the effects are ok. The action is alittle more serious and darker which is always a winner and the story is not too complicated unlike the third whic...( read more)h is overkill.
  • April 22, 2009
    Nightcrawler: Guten tag.
    Wolverine: Who the hell are you? Who the hell is this?
    Nightcrawler: Kurt Wagner. But in the Munich circus, I was known as The Incredible Nightcrawler!
    Wolverine: Yeah, save it.

    Now the ball has been set in motion. Despite the fact that there are way to...( read more)o many characters, this one succeeds at being better than the original due to going more balls out with its potential. It looks great and is a lot of non stop fun.

    One of the main reasons is of course because of Nightcrawler, my favorite X-Man, who gets a kick ass setup right at the beginning of the movie. Another reason is the lack of Cyclops.

    Bobby: This is Cyclops' car.
    Wolverine: Oh, yeah?
    [pops his middle claw, and uses it to turn the ignition]

    The plot this time around involves a high powered man, William Stryker played by Brian Cox, who is leading a strike team to go after mutants for his own intentions. It is up to the X-men and the possible alliance with their rivals to find out how to stop him and his plans.

    This movie is more fun than the original and given a good, hefty running time to at least try and maintain how packed this movie is. It is also more violent with some good moments of Wolverine beserker rage to go around.

    Policeman: Put the knives down!
    Wolverine: I can't.

    Director Brian Singer once again injects his non-blockbuster style into this film, which has a way of making everything seem more effective, along with once again injecting some other themes beneath the surface.

    That being said, there are some stand out action scenes in this film including the mentioned Nightcrawler intro, as well as a sequence involving Storm using tornadoes to take out some jets in a plane chase.

    The welcome dose of solid performances again from McKellan, Stewart, Jackman, Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler, and Famke Janseen as Jean Grey, along with a dose of humor further help to make this movie very watchable.

    Mixed with great action and special effects to go along with a strong enough plot (that almost steers away from being too much of the Wolverine show), this is the best example yet of how to handle an X-Man movie.

    Magneto: When will these people learn how to fly?
  • April 18, 2009
    Hands down the best of the three.

    p.s. the third film is an abortion.
  • April 14, 2009
    An adreniline pumping and spectacular action-packed adventure. A sensational ride. It favors in characters and emotions and has a solid story. Great performances by the cast. Its packs on plenty of fun and excitment. A great film thats slick, smart, funny, thrilling, suspensful ...( read more)and loaded with explosive non-stop hard-core action, great special effects and energy. It's awsome and relentless entertainment. It dosent fail to satisfy for a single moment. Better than the first film, a rare sequel thats better than the predessor.
  • November 8, 2009
    This is by my reckoning the best of the origanal trilogy
  • November 8, 2009
    The only good X-Men film. But it was very confusing.
  • November 7, 2009
    Excellent sequel for X-Men and I own it, so I can watch it anytime I want to!
  • November 6, 2009
    The best of the X-Men trilogy and one of the best superhero movies of all time. Excellent pacing and story.
  • November 2, 2009
    Best one
    Brain Cox is probably one of the best villains.

Critic Reviews


May 8, 2003
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

A summer firecracker. full review

May 4, 2003
David Edelstein, Slate

Busier, funnier, and more involving. full review

May 2, 2003
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

A wonderfully populated adventure, with the franchise even more compelling the second time out because of our familiarity with the characters. full review

May 2, 2003
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Overplotted, a soulless maze of special effects and relentless action. full review

May 2, 2003
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Dumb, but good. full review

May 2, 2003
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

This snazzy sequel to Bryan Singer's comic-book smash X-Men is sleek and sexy, filled with delicious characters and effects. Just don't compare it to the original. full review

May 1, 2003
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

It succeeds pretty well in rising to the challenge that most sequels face: how to give the audience more of what it responded to the first time while feeding its appetite for novelty. full review

View more X2 reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • awiseman2
    June 14, 2007
    hey, for all you anime fans, i've created the new naruto, bleach, pokemon, yu-gi-oh, zatch bell, inuyasha, full metal alchemist, sailor moon, gunslinger girl, dragonball z, and gundam wing skins i've created. just click on my profile and click on skins i've created and then you can just scroll down the page and see what you like. thanks
  • hallykell1974
    February 26, 2007
    What X-Men fan wouldn't be happy with this one? When sequels are usually disappointing it is refreshing to see one that kicks just as much ass as the first. The new characters keep it interesting and by the end you feel like you know the originals as if they were friends. I loved it!!!
  • sarahrachelemma
    November 12, 2006
    Wonderful movie!
    I LOVE X-Men!!!!!!!!!!! (1+2 only!!!)
  • glittergurl101
    September 15, 2006
    This movie was the bomb it was great!!
  • Donegal
    June 13, 2006
    The first time I saw this movie, I was SUPER HAPPY about it. I was like, "OMG MUTANTS NIGHTCRAWLER YAY! ^___^"...you know what I mean. But, like with the third one, I started thinking about it, and I became dissatisfied with it. Mostly because of Nightcrawler. Not at ALL how Nightcrawler should be, or at least that's what I think. So basically, every time I watch the movie my opinion of it slips lower.
  • edwindcardona
    May 29, 2006
    THIS IS A BOMB ASS MOVIE CAUSE NIGHTCRAWLER CAME OUT N HIS POWERS ARE TIGHT I WISH I COULD TO THAT LOL.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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