Nerds That Geek Movie Review - 'X2: X-Men United'

​Written by Scotty

This action packed sequel quickly fell upon us and without knowing what adventures would come next, it was a pleasant follow up to the first X-Men movie. With more mutants than you can shake a stick at, it was great to see some new characters being introduced, along with rejoining several of our favorites. As the mutant problem has become a worldwide issue, there is a new player in the game that is looking to eradicate it before they are able to gain too much power, but he is only inciting a war that no normal man will be able to win.

As Logan returns to the mansion after his long road trip, he is surprised to discover that he will be left alone with all of the children in the school and when meeting Rogue’s boyfriend Bobby (Iceman), he is given a somewhat cold reception. While hearing about the assassination attempt on the President of the United States, the Wolverine does not know what might be coming for him and his fellow mutants, but quickly finds out as a face from his past enters the school.  After William Stryker receives the go ahead to handle the mutant problem head on, he will stop at nothing to capture and study all of the mutants he can get his hands on, especially the one that left him in his prime.

Storm and Jean have been sent off to Boston to track down the mutant that tried to kill the President and while they don’t know who or what they will find, they wind up in an abandoned church that is said to be haunted.  Seeing their target, the two teachers are able to convince Kurt Wagner also known as the Nightcrawler to come back home with them. But the group does not know what is happening at the mansion and what has happened to the rest of the X-Men and without being able to get a signal on the phone, they are flying blind.  All the while, Jean is having problems focusing and is starting to release her inner fire that has been kept away for so long.  Not knowing what is happening to her, Jean tries to hide it as best that she can, but she can only do so much as lives are being put on the line.

While visiting Eric Lensherr in his plastic prison, Professor Xavier and Scott Summers are captured by William Stryker who only has one plan, to kill all of the mutants. With Stryker in possession of a mind control serum that works on mutants, he is able to command any mutant that is in the vicinity. Being able to break into the mansion, Stryker gains the components and knowledge to Cerebro necessary to realign it for a more nefarious purpose. With one of the most powerful mutants in Xavier in his grasp, Stryker is ready to put his plan into action, but when he sees that there are visitors at his lake side hideout, he will have to move even faster. With Lady Deathstrike by his side, Stryker and his men will have to battle off the mutant menace for long enough to allow Xavier and Cerebro to finish the plan that he started.

But this movie is not all about the action on the screen, it focuses on family, love and finding some place to belong. While Logan, Rogue, Bobby and John are able to find safety at Bobby’s house, you find out that John (Pyro) never had one growing up. While he is doing everything to try and fit in, he knows that he has the power of the gods at his fingertips and will not allow harm come to himself or his friends. While he loses his grasp on being the ‘good guy’, meeting Magneto and Mystique may be the best thing for him. Bobby in the meantime sees how much his mother and father love him, but he also finds out how jealous his little brother is of him. Fitting in with humanity is not the problem, being allowed to live their lives as who they are is the issue and with the world trying to single them out, the fight may never end.

As sequels go, this movie is aces in my book. I loved seeing new mutants come to the screen and showcase their powers, but this is just a taste of what is coming up next. I do not know why there has not been an origin story for Eric Lensherr (Magneto) yet, he is one of the most prominent characters in the series and who would not want to know more about him and his backstory.  One of my favorite parts about this movie is watching the foes unite for a common cause. Even though Magneto wants to end the war before it could begin, he values the lives of his fellow mutants and will use his abilities in any way that he sees fit to protect them. The breakdown of Jean is key in this movie as well, since she is no longer able to control her abilities, but she is still able to make it work to protect her friends and family, even if it means that she will be killed. I really enjoyed the story between Stryker and Wolverine as you find out his origin, but not why he has lost his memory.  Well, the next movie on the docket is The Last Stand, time to get fired up.

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