A virus attack on servers can sometimes be very helpful as it left me with some free time to go and catch this movie I had been desperately wanting to watch since a long time.
A word of Warning: I have revealed the plot somewhat, but I also guarantee that I have revealed it in a way that anyone who reads the review will go on to enjoy the movie.
Cast:
Patrick Stewart is Prof. Charles Xavier
Hugh Jackman is Wolverine
Halle Berry is Storm
Ian McKellen is Magneto
Famke Janssen is Jean Grey
James Marsden is Cyclops
Bruce Davison is Senator Kelly
Rebecca Romijn-Stamos is Mystique
Anna Paquin is Rogue
Alan Cumming is Nightcrawler
Aaron Stanford is Pyro
Shawn Ashmore is Iceman (Brian Cox)
Kelly Hu is Lady Deathstrike
Some Philosophy & The plot:
What if there were some people on earth that are more powerful than us in a unique way. How do we deal with them? There are many choices that we have.
A - We can treat them as part of the society and peacefully co-exist.
B - We can choose to ignore them and pretend that they do not exist.
C - We can perceive them as a threat and try and destroy them.
These gifted people do exist in this movie. Among the gifted, there are two groups: The goody group is led by Charles a.k.a. The Professor. He and his group teach the gifted people (mutants) to harness their power so that they do not harm anyone by mistake. Charles wants to walk path A and goes to great lengths to do so.
The baddies are led by Magneto who takes path C and perceives the humans as a threat and wants to destroy them so he can rule the world. He also locks horns with Charles who is an old friend as they walk different paths.
Among the humans, no one is shown to take path A. The president of the US is shown to act very much like Dubya. The resemblance is to the extent that he even looks like him!! In true Dubya style, He chooses a path somewhere between A and B. There is a guy in his camp called Stryker. This guy even uses a mutant as an energy source, a la matrix style. The sheer brutality of which was very shocking to me.
The whole thing starts when Dubya is attacked by a mutant. This gives Stryker an opportunity to go and take some mutants for ’pooch taach’ (Questioning). The ensuing fight is presented very nicely and at the end of the fight, Stryker holds some mutant kids at ransom so he can unleash an attack on the mutants, a la Mr. India style.
Can Stryker succeed in his plan? What is his secret weapon?
Technicals and Appearance:
Technically, the movie is very good. The special effects are very realistic and are executed nicely. The fight scenes are very good and Wolverine really stands out in them. The scenes involving Nightcrawler are also to watch out for. My advise, do not blink !!
Lady Deathstrike looks deadly and so does Mystique. Jean
Grey looks responsibly beautiful and Rogue is innocence personified. Storm looks ’ugh’ with her white hair!! Cyclops looks smart, but it is Wolverine who will make the ladies swoon with his hot bod. The Prof and Magneto are also aptly cast and carry the role well.
Others are ok.
Likes:
I liked the innovative way by which Magneto escapes from his prison. It is simply great. Another great scene is when a Mutant sacrifices itself (identity deliberately kept neutral) to save all others. It was a touching moment. Also liked the scene when Rogue gives it all and flies the plane to save others. It is a very good example that shows that ordinary people can perform extra ordinary feats in extreme situations.
Dislikes:
The movie has its share of short comings though. There are some events when I felt that ’’This could have been easily avoided by this mutant.’’ More on this in the comments section as it may involve revealing some of the storyline.
More Philosophy:
Whenever I see a great movie that has thought me something, I come out of the theatre with a sense of pride as I feel I know something that others do not. I had this feeling after watching X2.
This movie has thought me to be more tolerant with those people with whom I have a difference of opinion. (But friends are requested not to take this for granted as the effects are usually short lived....lolz)
It also thought me to show more appreciation for the sacrifices that my friends make for me. (They are also requested to show more gratitude when I do the same...lolz)
For those who have reached here, Congratulations on surviving till now. Since you have read the entire review, let me tell you a secret. This is my first movie review !! So do tell me how it was. Thanks for reading !!