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X2

Play trailer 1:40 Poster for X2 PG-13 2003 2h 14m Action Adventure Fantasy Sci-Fi Play Trailer Watchlist
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85% Tomatometer 249 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
Stryker (Brian Cox), a villainous former Army commander, holds the key to Wolverine's (Hugh Jackman) past and the future of the X-Men. This threat re-ignites the call for a mutant registration act. Stryker starts a full-out assault on Professor Xavier's (Patrick Stewart) mansion and school. After escaping his plastic cell, Magneto (Ian McKellen) proposes a partnership with Xavier and the X-Men to combat this new formidable enemy they both have in common.
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X2

X2

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Critics Consensus

Tightly scripted, solidly acted, and impressively ambitious, X2: X-Men United is bigger and better than its predecessor -- and a benchmark for comic sequels in general.

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Critics Reviews

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Alonso Duralde The Advocate 04/05/2022
X2 is pretty much all that you’d ever want out of a comic book movie -- it’s smart, it’s breathlessly paced, the characters have at least 2 1/2 dimensions, and the action sequences are jaw-droppers, even on the small screen. Go to Full Review
Alexander Walker London Evening Standard 01/10/2018
The truth is, the film is never again as good as its brilliant opening sequence. Go to Full Review
Barbara Ellen The Times (UK) 01/03/2018
X-Men 2 remains a decent enough sci-fi effort, which delivers on most of the levels fans could expect. Too bad it's hampered by a plot that wouldn't get green-lit for an average episode of Buffy. Go to Full Review
Patrick Cavanaugh The Wolfman Cometh Sep 11
4/5
Shockingly manages to balance the sillier, more cartoonish tone of the X-Men franchise to tell an unexpectedly mature narrative. Go to Full Review
Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand 05/04/2024
At 135 minutes it never feels long, thanks to a driving pace, rapid crosscutting between parallel stories, and spectacular action scenes that never forget about the characters at the center. Go to Full Review
Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review 12/15/2023
3.5/4
Inspiring hope for equality and further suggesting that governments are at the mercy of the populace, the franchise actionizes these themes to gratify both the mind and senses as few comic book movies have ever done to this point. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Alex B @AlexBioni 2d His Name Is Stryker This movie is awesome, from the White House opening to the assault on the school. It's action packed and entertaining almost the entire way through. I think this feels more serious than the first, which I like. The mystery around William Stryker is great if you don't know the comics. The costumes look great, and the writing is strong. Breaking Magneto out of prison was genius. I also appreciate the mutant allegory, especially the parallels to being different, hiding who you are, coming out to your family, and dealing with how society reacts. The directing and camera work are great. The effects are cleaner than the first, and Nightcrawler disappearing and John's attack on the cars look sick. The acting is great, especially Brian Cox as Stryker. Logan sniffing for beer is amazing cinema. My only issues are that Nightcrawler feels wasted after the opening and Bobby's family should have noticed the car. Overall, awesome sequel and a clear step up from the first. See more Jovanny C @RT16877578 Aug 23 Love the Jean and Logan scene. See more Anthony H @Hardy Aug 15 X2 was a little longer than it needed to be, but it was still an enjoyable film with an interesting story. This film brings us some new characters and returning characters and allows us to spend quite some time with them to learn more about them. It’s a fun experience, but some of this film is a bit more corny than the first. Although still enjoyable, it could’ve been shorter. See more Paul L @HonestReview12740 Aug 14 A movie with bad effects that I actually really enjoyed. See more Avi P @RT68872000 Aug 11 Haunting, fun, and classic 2000s superhero precursor to the MCU! See more bruce C @bruce999 Aug 3 well done movie, as good as the original nice story, acting, suspense... very enjoyable See more Read all reviews
X2

My Rating

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X-Men 82% 83% X-Men Watchlist TRAILER for X-Men X-Men: The Last Stand 56% 61% X-Men: The Last Stand Watchlist TRAILER for X-Men: The Last Stand X-Men Origins: Wolverine 37% 58% X-Men Origins: Wolverine Watchlist TRAILER for X-Men Origins: Wolverine Superman Returns 72% 60% Superman Returns Watchlist TRAILER for Superman Returns The Incredible Hulk 68% 69% The Incredible Hulk Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Stryker (Brian Cox), a villainous former Army commander, holds the key to Wolverine's (Hugh Jackman) past and the future of the X-Men. This threat re-ignites the call for a mutant registration act. Stryker starts a full-out assault on Professor Xavier's (Patrick Stewart) mansion and school. After escaping his plastic cell, Magneto (Ian McKellen) proposes a partnership with Xavier and the X-Men to combat this new formidable enemy they both have in common.
Director
Bryan Singer
Producer
Lauren Shuler Donner, Ralph Winter
Screenwriter
Dan Harris, Michael Dougherty, David Hayter, Bryan Singer, Zak Penn
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
Marvel Films
Rating
PG-13 (Sci-Fi Action|Brief Language|Sci-Fi Violence|Some Sexuality)
Genre
Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 2, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$214.9M
Runtime
2h 14m
Sound Mix
Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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