Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13154 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-11-10
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Box set, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English, German, Italian
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 128 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
X-Men 2 picks up almost directly where X-Men left off: misguided super-villain Magneto (Ian McKellen) is still a prisoner of the US government, heroic bad-boy Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is up in Canada investigating his mysterious origin, and the events at Liberty Island (which occurred at the conclusion of X-Men) have prompted a rethink in official policy towards mutants--the proposed Mutant Registration Act has been shelved by US Congress. Into this scenario pops wealthy former army commander William Stryker, a man with the President's ear and a personal vendetta against all mutant-kind in general, and the X-Men's leader Professor X (Patrick Stewart) in particular. Once he sets his plans in motion, the X-Men must team-up with their former enemies Magneto and Mystique (Rebecca Romjin-Stamos), as well as some new allies (including Alan Cumming's gregarious, blue-skinned German mutant, Nightcrawler).

The phenomenal global success of X-Men meant that director Bryan Singer had even more money to spend on its sequel, and it shows. Not only is the script better (there's significantly less cheesy dialogue than the original), but the action and effects are also even more stupendous--from Nightcrawler's teleportation sequence through the White House to a thrilling aerial dogfight featuring mutants-vs-missiles to a military assault on the X-Men's school/headquarters to the final showdown at Stryker's sub-Arctic headquarters. Yet at no point do the effects overtake the film or the characters. Moreso than the original, this is an ensemble piece, allowing each character in its even-bigger cast at least one moment in the spotlight (in fact, the cast credits don't even run until the end of the film). And that, perhaps, is part of its problem (though it's a slight one): with so much going on, and nary a recap of what's come before, it's a film that could prove baffling to anyone who missed the first instalment. But that's just a minor quibble--X-Men 2 is that rare thing, a sequel that's actually superior to its predecessor. --Robert Burrow

DVD Description
When new teleporting mutant Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming, Goldeneye) appears inside The White House and attempts to assassinate the President, the X-Mens’s world is thrown into danger. Rebel baddie Stryker (Brian Cox, Manhunter) is behind it and plots an elaborate plan to capture all mutants including the pupils at Professor Xavier’s (Patrick Stewart, Star Trek) School for the ‘Gifted’. It is then up to the indestructible Wolverine (Hugh Jackman, Swordfish) to discover the truth about what is going on, and in the process, the story behind his own identity. Meanwhile, the villainous Magneto (Ian McKellen, Lord of the Rings) breaks free from prison with the help of his shape-shifting comrade, Mystique (Rebecca Romjin-Stamos, Femme Fatale), creating more cataclysmic events for the X-Men. As danger beckons, the mutants call upon their powers to an even greater extent.

Dr Jean Grey (Famke Janssen, Goldeneye) reaches extraordinary new levels using her powers of telepathy alongside weather-manipulator Storm (Academy Award winner Halle Berry, Monster’s Ball), life-force zapper Rogue (Anna Pacquin, Buffalo Soldiers), laser beam Cyclops (James Marsden, Disturbing Behaviour) and the cool Ice-Man (Shawn Ashmore). United with further newcomers including the iron claw-clad Lady Deathstrike (Kelly Hu, The Scorpion King) and fingertip firestarter Pyro (Aaron Stanford), X-Men 2 contains the most spectacular array of super-hero powers you have ever seen!

Special Features
Disc 1:

• Audio commentary from Director Brain Singer, John Ottman and Tom Sigel
  
• Audio commentary from Lauren Shuler Donner, Ralph Winter, Michael Dougherty, Dan Harris and David Hayter

Disc 2:

• History of X-Men featurettes:
  The Secret Origin of X-Men
  Nightcrawler Reborn
  
• Pre-production features:
  Multi-angle sequence – Nighcrawler attack
  Evolution in the Details – Designing X2
  United Colours of X
  
• Production documentaries:
  Wolverine death strike fight rehearsal
  The Second Uncanny Issue of X-Men – Making X-2
  Introducing the incredible Nightcrawler
  Nightcrawler stunt rehearsal
  Nightcrawler time-lapse
  FX2 visual effects
  
• Post-production featurettes:
  Requiem for Mutants
  X2 global webcast highlights
  
• 11 deleted scenes
  
• 8 static image galleries featuring over 800 pictures
  
• 3 trailers
  
• Marvel subscription card

DVD Technical Information:

• Original Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 (16 x 9)
  
• Feature Running Time: 128 minutes
  
• Audio: 5.1/5.1 DTS
  
• Language: English
  
• Subtitles: English for the Hard of Hearing

Customer Reviews

Mutant Heaven
X-Men was a joy to watch when it first came out in the cinema as it was a blockbuster with all the fast moving action that implies but it also tried to give the main characters depth, exploring what it is to have these powers that scare 'ordinary' people so much and showed two ways of handling the situation. Try and take the world over or use your powers for the good of the rest of humankind. I liked also the background to Magneto and the way this meant that why you do all the traditional hating of the bad guy, you still feel a sympathetic understanding towards him, probably in the same way as Charles Xavier himself does and a hope he'll change his mind.

X-men 2 in a sense is more of the same except it builds on what X-men starts. It deepens relationships, especially in a love triangle between 3 of the x-men, and portrays the younger generation coming through and growing up and making their own choices about their lives. There are also a few genuine powerful emotional moments which changes the pace of the film now and again effectively and gives you a chance to catch your breath.
Both are well worth seeing as the films that set the present trend of super heroes films with more humanity and depth than spandex.

As good, if not better, than the first.
It took me a while to see the first x-men movie, despite being a huge fan of marvel, but after thoroughly enjoying it i couldn't wait for the sequel.

What can i say? The tone is even darker for x-men 2, which is great - it is this apocolyptic mood which makes the x-men one of marvel's greatest creations. I like also how the film works as a kind of analogy to the civil rights movement in the US during the 1950s and 60s: Professor Xavier is akin to martin luther king, preaching unity and tolerance between humans and mutants, while Magneto adopts Malcolm x's separatist, confrontational attitude.
As expected, the special effects are spectacular, but for me it is the plot, characters and cast which really propel things along. Ian Mckellen, a giant in the world of acting, is really fantastic as the cynical Magneto. Hugh Jackman has made the wolverine role his own, while Patrick Stewart seems to have finally shaken off the Captain picard persona in his portrayal of Professor Xavier.

Finally, Mystique must rate as the sexiest female blue mutant in cinema history.

A true blockbuster in a Summer of mediocrity
Possibly more than any other Summer I can remember, 2003 was all about movie sequels - Matrix Reloaded, Terminator 3, Tomb Raider II, Bad Boy II. All of them were hugely disappointing and made a mockery of the so called 'block-buster', except one. X-Men 2, which was easily the best big budget film I have seen this year.

The first X-Men movie was enjoyable, a bit too short, an iffy story and not quite epic enough but it achieved its main aim - to introduce the characters and the world of mutants.

With that out of the way, the sequel was able to get down to the nitty gritty and have some real fun! In short, this film is vastly superior to the first in every way. The story, acting and production of the film is top notch.

All the usual players are back, Captain Picard....*ahem* I mean Patrick Stewart as Professor X, a beardless Gandalf aka Ian McKellen as Magneto and Hugh Jackman is in top form as Wolverine. All the other X-men return and their characters are further fleshed out in this film but the aforementioned three are the key figures.

The new additions are perhaps the most impressive however, Stryker is the brilliantly malevolent baddie intent on mutant genocide, Pyro, a young mutant with possibly the coolest power ever - the ability to control fire - and Nightcrawler, a mutant capable of teleportation through walls, stars in a terrific opening scene that sets the high standard which the rest of the film sticks to admirably.

There are several other memorable scenes - not least special forces raiding the Mutant School and Wolverine proceeding to rip em a new one, and the finale inside an abandoned military compound.

The film concludes on something of a cliff-hangar with the end scene very VERY reminiscent of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. So plans for X-Men 3 are no doubt in the pipeline and while I have no great faith in money spinning sequels, if it picks up where X-Men 2 left off, it'll get my seal of approval!

I will definitely be picking this one up on DVD.