X2

[butterfly]

First off, yay that X2: X-Men United wasn't the title during the beginning credits, just X2.

I adore Wolverine, yes, but my heart was just so breaking for Scott at the end. And James Marsden is pretty enough to make me forget that his name is only three letters off from Marsters. And anyone who can act without needing their eyes is very cool, indeed.

Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler: Amazing. The effects on his teleportation were just gorgeous and Alan Cumming was brilliant. His tiny scene with Mystique was cool, and also a great insight into both of them. And I felt the Storm/Nightcrawler vibe. Do they ever get together in the comics?

Marie D'Ancanto/Rogue: I love her. I have a huge crush on her. Loved the Bobby/Rogue stuff, loved that she slept with Logan's dogtag, loved that she used her powers in a constructive way, loved that those ugly gloves that she wore weren't hers because man, I think she has better taste. And I adore that she wanted to hurt Magneto. Heh.

Logan/Wolverine: Always cool. Loved his scene with Mystique in the tent. I'm going to need to watch that scene a few more times before I can figure out just what that reaction shot means when she turns into Rogue. Because he definitely reacts there.

Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto: Ian McKellen is such an amazing actor. I look at Erik Lehnsherr and I can't see the slightest trace of Gandalf, and vice versa. And he just vibes with everyone in this movie. Loved the scene in the jet where he was talking to Mystique and making her laugh.

Scott Summers/Cyclops: Like I said, he broke my heart at the end. Just, man. He was so sad. *pets Scott*

Mystique/Raven Darkholme: Very cool. She got quite a bit to do, this go-round. And she's incredibly loyal to Erik. And you can see why she shares his point of view, both in her confrontation with the Senator last movie ("People like you are the reason I was afraid to go to school as a child!") and in her scene with Kurt ("We shouldn't have to [look like everyone else].")

Yuriko Oyama/Lady Deathstrike(?): I felt so sorry for her at the end, because she was just being controlled.

Dr. Jean Grey: Loved the whole thing with her powers (the eyes!). Loved the Jean/Scott Romance for the Ages. Wasn't a fan of the Jean/Wolverine kiss. Adored her saving everyone at the end. Also, did she say 'husband' at one point, or was I hallucinating? Adored her repeating the first movie's beginning voice-over at the end of this movie. And was there light from the water at the end? In the (stylized) shape of a bird?

Ororo Munroe/Storm: So much better this time around. That may have been due to her interaction with Kurt, though. I love the head tilt she does when she's using her powers.

Bobby Drake/Iceman: Cool. Hee. I make my own fun. I liked him. Enjoyed seeing his family. Enjoyed the Bobby/Rogue cuteness and his little "I'm her boyfriend." thing with Wolverine.

John Allerdyce/Pyro: I thought I saw people calling him "St. John" online, but I didn't hear anyone call him that in the movie. He was cool. And obviously in love with Bobby. Such a shame that Bobby only had eyes for Rogue, making John more vulnerable to Magneto's advances.

Professor Charles Xavier: Didn't get nearly enough to do.

Dr. Henry 'Hank' McCoy/Beast: Rhade!

But overall, just a kickass movie. Funny, touching, with heart-pounding excitement.

Comments

[montykins.livejournal.com]

And was there light from the water at the end? In the (stylized) shape of a bird?

Darn right there was! Jean Grey's died and come back to life more often than anyone in comic book history. There's a reason her superhero name is "Phoenix".

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I've heard some stuff about Dark Phoenix, but only to the extent of 'Jean dies and goes evil'. Or something like that.

[montykins.livejournal.com]

Yeah, after she comes back as Phoenix, she gets *really* powerful. Like, powerful enough to wink stars out of existence. And that leads to her being, well, not strictly "evil", but certainly a danger to the whole universe. She ended up sacrificing herself (and then coming back, and then dying, and then turning out to have been an alien clone for some of that time, and so on).

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

That's... very confusing. Alien clone? Bwa?

Did it make sense in the comics?

[montykins.livejournal.com]

The part up to where she was Dark Phoenix and sacrificed herself made sense and was actually pretty moving. If you think Cyclops looked sad at Jean's death in the movie, check out the cover of Uncanny X-Men #136 (http://www.comicartpage.net/Will's%20ART%20Editing%20folder/Gallery%20html%20Pages/XMen136cvr.html) some time. In my opinion, a high point in comics history.

Unfortunately, the part about bringing her back to life and deciding that she hadn't *really* been Jean Grey all that time is exactly the sort of nonsense that gives "retcon" the nasty connotation. The Revolving Door of Death (http://www.fortunecity.com/tatooine/niven/142/revolvin/rdd03.html) has a good look at her various deaths.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that sounds... like they were cheapening her death a bit. By bringing her back and making excuses for when she was all-powerful.

[sneezydove.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping Wolverine's reaction was "Dude! Ew!". That's what I'm choosing to see.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Feel free. I just think that it's interesting to show us a close-up shot of his reaction to Rogue. His eyes widened, definitely, from what I remember. I'm sure that they tried to make it ambiguious.