X2 (film)

X2
X2 theatrical poster
Directed by	Bryan Singer
Written by	Comic Book: Stan Lee Jack Kirby Story: David Hayter Bryan Singer Zak Penn Screenplay: Michael Dougherty Dan Harris David Hayter
Produced by	Stan Lee Tom DeSanto Avi Arad Bryan Singer Ralph Winter Lauren Shuler Donner
Starring	Hugh Jackman Patrick Stewart Ian McKellen Famke Janssen Brian Cox Alan Cumming Anna Paquin Halle Berry Shawn Ashmore James Marsden
Cinematography	Newton Thomas Sigel
Edited by	John Ottman Elliot Graham
Music by	John Ottman
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release dates	May 2, 2003
Running time	133 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$110 million
Box office	$407,557,613

X2 is a 2003 superhero film based on the fictional characters the X-Men. In promotional materials, it also called X2: X-Men United, X-Men 2: X-Men United and X-Men 2. The film is the second part of a trilogy, following X-Men and preceding X-Men: The Last Stand. It was directed by Bryan Singer, and starred an ensemble cast including Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Rebecca Romijn, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Anna Paquin, Brian Cox, Shawn Ashmore, Kelly Hu and Alan Cumming.

The film is loosely based on the 1982 X-Men graphic novel God Loves, Man Kills. In the film, William Stryker is a high-ranking army colonel who leads an assault into Professor Xavier's school to build his own version of Xavier's mutant-tracking computer Cerebro in order to destroy every mutant on Earth. The X-Men are forced to ally with Magneto and Mystique to defeat Stryker. X2, which introduced Nightcrawler to filmgoers, surpassed the initial film at the box office, earning approximately $215 million in North America compared to $157.3 million for X-Men, making the sequel one of the top ten movies of 2003.

Plot

A mutant named Nightcrawler attempts to assassinate President McKenna, but he fails when he seems to come to his senses. Dr. Jean Grey is confronted by Cyclops, where she admits she has been having bad feelings about the future. Wolverine reappears after discovering nothing at Alkali Lake and is immediately asked to look after the children of the school. After some difficulty, Professor Xavier locates Nightcrawler with Cerebro and sends Storm and Jean to retrieve him. They find Nightcrawler who willingly leaves with them, explaining that he had no control over his actions in the White House. Cyclops and Professor X visit Magneto in his plastic prison to see if he had any part in the attack on the President. Reading Magneto's mind, Professor X discovers that a covert government operative, William Stryker, has been extracting information from Magneto. A trap is sprung and Cyclops and Professor X are captured via Stryker and Lady Deathstrike. A military invasion of the school begins, with the soldiers sedating every mutant they find. Siryn wakes everybody up with one of her sonic screams and Colossus and Wolverine round up a number of the students. Wolverine stays behind to confront the attackers, and finds them led by William Stryker. Stryker offers Wolverine the truth about his past, but before Wolverine answers, Iceman creates a thick wall of ice between them.

File:Mutantgroup.jpg

The X-Men join with Magneto and Mystique to stop Stryker.

Impersonating Senator Robert Kelly, and Stryker's assistant Yuriko Oyama, Mystique gains information about Magneto's prison and provides a means for him to escape. Mystique tricks one of Magneto's Security Guards, implanting large amounts of iron in his body which was later on extracted by Magneto via force of magnetism. Wolverine, along with Pyro, Iceman and Rogue, heads to Iceman's home in Boston. After a 911 call by Bobby's brother Ronnie, the police arrive just as the group is about to leave. After a policeman shoots Wolverine in the head, Pyro begins using his abilities to attack the officers and destroy their cars. Rogue manages to stop him just as the X-Jet arrives to pick them all up. The X-Jet is targeted by two Air Force fighter jets who attempt to force a landing. After the X-Jet refuses to land, the pilots fire missiles. Storm tries to distract the pilots with several tornadoes but the last pilot fires two missiles. Jean is able to destroy one of the missiles, but the other detonates directly behind the jet. The jet, en route to a crash landing, is stopped at the last moment by Magneto, who is standing on the ground. Magneto has learned that Stryker orchestrated the attack on the President, and has been experimenting on mutants. Jean reads Nightcrawler's mind and determines that Stryker's base is located at Alkali Lake, inside the dam. Stryker has been using a drug, injected directly into the back of the neck, to control mutants. He has also stolen enough equipment from Xavier's own Cerebro unit to build a second Cerebro; he plans to use Professor X to kill all of the mutants in the world. The X-Men and Magneto join together in an effort to stop Stryker. On the way to Alkali Lake, Pyro has a conversation with Magneto about how the world perceives them.

Stryker gains control over Professor Xavier through his son, Jason Stryker, who is able to project powerful visions in the mind, blinding a person to reality. Professor X is instructed to use Cerebro to find and kill all existing mutants. Mystique infiltrates the base disguised as Wolverine. Mystique manages to take over the control room, opening up the main gates for the X-Men. Storm and Nightcrawler pair off, searching for the kidnapped students. Jean, Magneto, and Mystique are attacked by a brainwashed Cyclops on their way to rescue Professor X. Cyclops' optic blast causes damage to the generators that keep the dam from collapsing. Jean gets Cyclops to return to his normal self by telling him she loves him. Wolverine finds Stryker in an adamantium smelting room along with Lady Deathstrike. Wolverine and Lady Deathstrike begin fighting, which ends with Wolverine pumping Deathstrike full of molten adamantium metal, killing her. Wolverine finds Stryker on a landing pad and stabs him in the stomach. Stryker attempts to bargain with Wolverine, telling him that if he comes with him he can tell him about his past. Wolverine refuses and straps the wounded Stryker to the helicopter wheel. Mystique, disguised as Stryker, uses Jason to convince Professor X to kill all humans. Magneto and Mystique escape on the helicopter, alongside with Pyro who has decided to join them. Meanwhile, Nightcrawler teleports Storm inside of Cerebro, from where she frees the Professor from his telepathic illusion. A malfunction aboard the X-Jet prevents it from taking off and the dam finally bursts. The flood gets stronger, drowning Stryker. Jean leaves the jet and creates a telekinetic wall in order to stop the wave, and at the same time raises the jet above the flood waters; all the while surrounded by a corona of fire. Jean activates the X-Jet's primary engines, before releasing the torrent of water down on herself.

Back at the White House, the President prepares to address the country on the perceived mutant threat. Just as he begins his speech the X-Men appear before him. Rogue gives him the files from Stryker's private offices while Professor X tells him about the events of the last few days. Then Professor X warns him that humans and mutants must work together to build peace, or they will destroy each other through war. Back at the mansion, Xavier states that Jean Grey always felt left behind compared to others. Wolverine then reveals to Cyclops that Jean Grey truly loved Scott, and chose to be with him. The film ends with a voiceover by Jean Grey, on the process of evolution. The camera floats over Alkali Lake, showing a vague shape of a Phoenix in the lake.

Cast

File:X2cast.jpg

The cast of X2. Left to right: Professor Xavier, Rogue, Cyclops, Iceman, Jean Grey, Storm, Wolverine

• Hugh Jackman as Logan / Wolverine: A mutant who lost memory of his life before he was grafted with an indestructable adamantium skeleton. Wolverine is a loner, but is in love with Jean Grey and acts as a father figure to Rogue. He wields three blades that come out of his fists, has a keen sense of smell and the ability to heal from any injury.
• Patrick Stewart as Professor Charles Xavier: A powerful telepathic mutant confined to a wheelchair who founded a School for "Gifted Youngsters", Xavier is a pacifist who believes humans and mutants can live together in harmony. He uses the Cerebro device, designed by Magneto and himself, to track and locate mutants across the world. A natural genius, Xavier is regarded as an authority on genetic mutation.
• Ian McKellen as Eric Lehnsherr / Magneto: Once Xavier's ally, Magneto now believes mutants are superior to humans. Magneto wields the ability to manipulate metal magnetically and wears a helmet that renders him immune to Xavier's powers. Imprisoned after his scheme in the first film, he is drugged by William Stryker for information over Cerebro, before making his escape and forming an alliance with the X-Men to stop Stryker. He has demonstrated sophisticated knowledge in matters of genetic manipulation and engineering.
• Brian Cox as Colonel William Stryker: A human military scientist who plans a worldwide genocide of mutants using Xavier and Cerebro. Stryker has experimented on mutants in the past, including Wolverine, and uses a serum to control them.
• Alan Cumming as Kurt Wagner / Nightcrawler: A kindly German mutant with a strong Christian faith, yet ironically he has the appearance of a blue demon. Nightcrawler was used by Stryker in an assassination attempt on the President of the United States, and gives help to the X-Men. He is capable of teleporting himself (and others) instantly from one location to another. On his body are many tattoos, one for every sin.
• Anna Paquin as Marie D'Ancanto / Rogue: A girl who can absorb any person's memories and abilities by touching them. As she cannot control this power, Rogue can easily kill anybody and thus is unable to be close to anyone.
• Shawn Ashmore as Bobby Drake / Iceman: Rogue's boyfriend, he can freeze objects and create ice. His family is unaware that he is a mutant and simply believe he is at a boarding school, and returning home Bobby reveals to them what he actually is, much to his brother's derision.
• Aaron Stanford as John Allerdyce / Pyro: A friend of Bobby and Rogue, Pyro has anti-social tendencies and has the ability to control (although not create) fire. Magneto tells him that "You are a God amongst insects; never let anyone tell you different."
• Famke Janssen as Dr. Jean Grey: A teacher at Xavier's school and the X-Mansion's doctor, Jean has begun to experience a growth in her telepathy and telekinetic powers since the X-Men's battle with Magneto. She is in love with Cyclops, even though she is attracted to Wolverine.
• Rebecca Romijn as Mystique: Magneto's henchwoman, she is a shapeshifter. Mystique is blue, naked and covered in scales, and acts as a spy. She injects a prison guard with metal for Magneto to make his escape with, and also sexually tempts Wolverine.
• James Marsden as Scott Summers / Cyclops: Jean's fiance, field leader of the X-Men, and a teacher at Xavier's Institute, he shoots uncontrollable beams of concussive force from his eyes and wears a visor to control them. Cyclops is taken prisoner by Stryker.
• Halle Berry as Ororo Munroe / Storm: An African mutant and teacher at Xavier's School who can manipulate the weather. Storm befriends Nightcrawler.
• Kelly Hu as Yuriko Oyama / Lady Deathstrike: A woman, who like Wolverine, has a healing ability, and is controlled by Stryker. She wields long adamantium fingernails.
• Michael Reid McKay as Jason Stryker / Mutant 143: William Stryker's son. He was sent to Xavier's school in an attempt to "cure" his ability to create illusions. Returning home, Jason tortured his parents until his mother committed suicide. His father lobotomized him and uses a fluid from his brain to control mutants. Xavier's mind is too strong for the fluid however, and Jason is used instead in order to manipulate him in Stryker's genocidal scheme.

Although the character of Senator Robert Kelly was killed in the first film, Bruce Davison reprised the role for scenes where Mystique uses his persona to infiltrate the government. In other cameos, Katie Stuart appeared as Kitty Pryde, a girl who can walk through walls, Bryce Hodgson as Artie, Kea Wong as Jubilee, Daniel Cudmore as Peter Rasputin / Colossus, who can transform his skin into metal and aides Wolverine, and Shauna Kain as Siryn, who is able to emit loud screams that alert the students to Stryker's attack. Also in the final scene with Xavier, a girl is seen dressed in a Native American style jacket, as well as a blond haired boy dressed in blue, played by Layke Anderson. These were confirmed to be Dani Moonstar and Douglas Ramsey.

Mutant files

• When Mystique was going through the files on Yuriko's computer, among the following mutant files are of Gambit, Cannonball, Husk, Silver Samurai, Garrison Kane, Magneto, Artie Maddicks, Multiple Man, Karma, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Proteus, Danielle Moonstar, Storm, Beast, Feral, Banshee, Black Tom Cassidy, Lila Cheney, Sabretooth, Sunspot, Polaris, Iceman, Blob, Skin and Wild Child.
  • There are also folders seen on the desk. These folders listed some well-known individuals or places from the X-Men universe, including Omega Red, Project Wideawake, Franklin Richards and Cerebro.
  • Closer inspection reveals that Stryker is keeping files on Pyro, Sabra, Dr. Ceclia Reyes, Synch, Penance, Nightcrawler, Mystique, Lady Deathstrike, Copycat, Deadpool, Cyclops, Dazzler, Fenris, Jamie Braddock, David North, Sunfire, Boom Boom, Mimic, Dr. Nathaniel Essex, Toad, Wolfsbane, Strong Guy, Kitty Pryde, Sauron and Forge. There were no files for Jean Grey or Wolverine.
  • There are also files on Alpha, Beta and Gamma Flights, Weapon X, Project Wide Awake, Dept H, the Brotherhood, Graymalkin, Zero Tolerance, Massachussets Academy, Blackbird, the Danger Room, Legacy, Morlocks, Xavier's School, Omega Red, Cerebro, the Salem Centre, Franklin Richards, Kevin McTaggart and Trash.

Development

With the success of X-Men, a sequel was inevitable, and all of the actors from the first film were ecstatic about returning. Singer felt he wanted to study, "the human perspective, the kind of blind rage that feeds into warmongering and terrorism." 20th Century Fox hired David Hayter and Zak Penn to write two different scripts for the film, with an aim to release the film in December 2002. Around 4-5 months after the release of the first film a basic story outline was written by David Hayter and Bryan Singer with Zak Penn, a fellow X-Men fan coining in as well. It was Hayter who came up with the idea of basing the sequel from God Loves, Man Kills as source material for the primary storyline. Singer approached two close friends of his named Dan Harris and Michael Dougherty to write a screenplay with Hayter, based on a story created by Singer, Hayter, and Penn. Harris and Dougherty were both fans of the first film as well as fans of the X-Men in general. Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris were hired to re-write the script in February 2002, writing around 26 drafts and 150 on set.

Gambit, Beast and Angel were all considered to be the new character in the sequel, but the idea was given to Nightcrawler, because he was the uncommon choice. Dan Harris stated that a cameo with Gambit was shot during the Dark Cerebro scene but was discarded, and the footage remains unknown to this day. Beast made it to the film as a cameo. His name Dr. Hank McCoy, is mentioned on TV in the museum scene and he serves as a panelist in the bar scene. For the Dark Cerebro scene, McCoy was to be shown at a press conference to which he transforms into his blue fur form, right in front of reporters and anti-mutant protesters.

Angel’s wings are referenced in Stryker’s underground lair. As Wolverine is studying the adamantine X-Rays, one of which is a photograph of wings, to which the appearance of Archangel is presumed. Marrow, was to be shown in the Dark Cerebro scene laying on a street in New York City. As was the case for the first film, the Danger Room was to be shown, and the set was even built, with Wolverine in a workout against Sentinels. During production 20th Century Fox cut the budget from $125 million to $115 million, and this caused the delay. The set was put in storage to be used in the future for the third installment. Dan Harris, Michael Dougherty, and David Hayter worked on the script as much as they could to make sure to bring out a definitive film. The script went through 27 drafts until they thought it was ready.

For the role of Kurt Wagner / Nightcrawler, Alan Cumming was always Bryan Singer's original choice. Cumming couldn’t accept the role in the beginning due to scheduling conflicts with theatre work. Luckily the project labored into development long enough for Cumming to return and sign for the role. Between X-Men and X2, Singer tried to helm Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and a brand new Battlestar Galactica television series.

Production began on June 17, 2002 in Vancouver and wrapped by November. Cinesite created 300 visual effects shots, focusing on character animation. Rhythm and Hues created over 100.

Response

As with the original film, X2 garnered praise from critics and won over most of the comic book community, earning more money at the box office, totaling $214.9M for North America and $407.5M worldwide, monstrously beating out its $115 million budget.[1]. Empire magazine called it the best comic book movie of all time in 2006. Wizard named the film's ending as the twenty-second greatest cliffhanger of all time. Due to the success of X2, 20th Century Fox commissioned a third installment immediately.

X2 had a game tie-in on X2: Wolverine's Revenge which has nothing to do with the events of the movie, although it did include Patrick Stewart as the voice of Charles Xavier. There is also another game, X-Men: The Official Game which bridges the gap between X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand. Specifically, it explains Nightcrawler's absence from the third X-Men movie. The comic adaptation of the film was written without its writers knowing the actual ending of X2 as it was kept under wraps and therefore the comic's ending is different from the finished film.

External links

• X2 at IMDb
• X-Men on Marvel.com
• Official Site
• TheXverse.com: X-Men Movie News
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• X2 at Rotten Tomatoes
• X2 at Metacritic

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