It’s a rare occurrence indeed when a sequel actually receives reviews that it is nearly as good as, if not sometimes called better than the original, especially when we’re talking about a big-budget summer action movie. Yet, I’m surprised to find that the new X-Men sequel has actually done just that.
CNN: It’s a rare occurrence indeed for a sequel to be anywhere near as good as the original film. But that’s the case with “X2: X-Men United.” In fact, the new film may be better than the original.
NY Times: “X2” has more of these [troubled, impossibly muscled characters] than its precursor, and 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.
MSNBC: The movie’s multitude of visual effects, exotic makeup, stunts and miniatures blends smoothly together to create a comic book world that feels real. A big plus this outing is John Ottman’s rousing, full-throttle score, which really drives the movie.
Star Ledger: “X2: X-Men United” hums with the dynamism of America at the top of her game. It’s a marvel of entertainment engineering.
Only a few reviewers disagree, including the Washington Times, which says warns that “‘X2,’ the second in what could become an X-tensive movie franchise for Marvel Comics’ X- Men superheroes, fails to guard against creeping tedium, absurdity and overcompensation.” And from the UK’s Independent, reviewer Charlotte O’Sullivan seems less than imperssed, hawking on the lack of pandering to viewers who missed the original: “Have I lost you yet? X-Men 2 is a snobby creature, geared to fans who know X-Men backwards and are already dizzy with excitement about X-Men 3.”
Seems to me like this might actually be a better-than-expected movie. I was just going to see the effects, and from the reviews, there might even be a story involved. I can’t wait!