On May 2nd, the X-Men stand United to do battle with evildoers in X-Men 2. I mean, X-Men 2: United. Nope, it's just X-Men 2. Ooops, I just saw a clip on television ... so I guess it is X-Men 2: United. Confusing huh? Yeah, well ... try researching this story for the past two weeks. I just don't know what the hell they have decided on for the title, I would probably call it ... X-Men² or X²-Men or 2x-Men. Maybe just calling it Super Duper X-Men would suffice. Hey, don't bawk at me ... the actual comic books are worse at this, and far more perplexing: The New X-men, The Uncanny X-Men, The New Mutants, Generation X - the list goes on and on. The universe of the homo superior is a very complicated one. But, it is always entertaining and film makers have done a bang up job trying to wrap this story up into something the rest of us can try and comprehend. Now, on to the sequel ...

As we left the triumphant mutants in the smash comic book hit, Erik Lehnsherr aka Magneto has been imprisoned in a nonmetallic jail, and Logan aka Wolverine set out to find his true past. Good triumphs over Evil, as all the good guys survive the fight finale, but remains to be seen the fates of the notable bad guys: Sabertooth (whooped by Wolverine), Toad (blasted by Storm) and Mystique (injured and scarred for life by Logan). And Professor X continues his school for the "gifted" youngin's, while taking a day off, now and then, to play a nice game of chess with his old friend, and nemesis, Magneto. You remember them:

The Good Guys:

• Professor X aka Charles Xavier, the headmaster, scientist and boss of the good guys, trying to bridge the ever increasing gap between man and super-man with his superior and numerous mental abilities in a wheelchair - Patrick Stewart (the infamous BBS mini series of roman emperors I, Claudius, the original film Dune, Lifeforce and of course, Capt. Picard of Star Trek: New Generation series and films)
• Wolverine aka Logan, the cigar chompin' unkempt guy who in times of danger grows these strange metal claws, goes into berzerker rage mode and heals his injuries instantly - Hugh Jackman (Swordfish and next years monster mash pitting him against the wolfman, frankenstein and the vampire in - Van Helsing )
• Rogue aka Marie, ran away from home after nearly killing her boyfriend with a gentle kiss, finding out the hard way that she was a mutant possessing the power to suck the lifeforce, or mutant power, right outta everyone she touches - Anna Paquin (academy award winner for The Piano, Darkness)
• Cyclops aka Scott, the team's "leader" with a real bad case of pink eye - (Disturbing Behavior, and will be playing another comic book hero, The Preacher, later this year)
• Storm aka Ororo, never has dance to get sky's to rain (Swordfish, academy award winner for Monster's Ball, Die Another Day,
  and later this year, Gothika)
• Phoenix aka Dr. Jean Grey, ooops ... she hasn't officially adopted her new nickname yet ... but she will, trust me ... she is still refining her skills of mind over mind and matter - Famke Janssen (Lord of Illusions, GoldenEye, Deep Rising, The Faculty, and House on Haunted Hill)

The Bad Guys:

• Magneto aka Erik Lehnsherr, mutant rights fanatic and arch nemesis of his old pal, Professor X, using his mind bending powers to manipulate all things metallic - Ian McKellen (F. Paul Wilson's The Keep, The Shadow, appeared as a vampire in a Pet Shop Boys music video, Steven King's Apt Pupil, and of course, Gandalf of the Lord of the Rings trilogy)
• Mystique aka Raven, the blue skinned wonder woman with the naughty ability to take on any other form, human or mutant - Rebecca Romijn Stamos (the remake of sci-fi cult classic, Rollerball, and later this year in a story about cloning gone terribly wrong, Godsend)

All seems well in the world, as the humans debate over the fates of the growing menace of these "gifted" offspring of mankind. Until ...

The President of the USA gets quite a scare from new mutant going on a rampage in the White House, and public opinion prompts action from a mysterious military unit led by Gen. Stryker to handle this growing threat of mutanoidanidist (don't ask, this made up word just popped into my head). Meanwhile, back at the Mansion ... we are introduced to a few more interesting characters to the X-Men saga ... well, at least until the evil fascist military blows the crap out of it:

New Mutants:

• Nightcrawler aka Kurt Wagner, the German sideshow with a BAMF, who can teleport in an instant, yet is devoted to God for seeking the truth behind his cursed mutation - Alan Cumming (Spy Kids and the television version of Zero Effect)
• Iceman aka Bobby Drake, chilling effects upon anything and anyone around him, but still gets goosebumps around Rogue - Shawn Ashmore (Wolf Girl)
• Pyro aka John Allerdyce, burn baby burn is his motto with growing resentment and jealousy about his current status in the X-Men - newcomer Aaron Stanford
• Shadowcat aka Katherine "Kitty" Pride, a young mutant with ability to walk through walls , or on air, for that matter - Katie Stuart (Stargate SG-1, Dean R. Koontz's Intensity, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven television series, and later this year in the fantasy mini series, A Wrinkle in Time)
• Colossus aka Piotr Rasputin, the Russian mutant who can turn his body into solid steel, almost as crushing as his love for Kitty - newcomer Daniel Cudmore
• Jubilee aka Jubilation Lee, can explode anything with her colorful plasma fireworks - Kea Wong (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch television series)
• Siryn aka Theresa Cassidy, gives new meaning to the term, scream queen - Shauna Kain (Steven Spielberg's alien epic mini series, Taken, and Steven King's Dreamcatcher)

Evil Humans:

• Senator Kelly, you remember him as the staunch opposition to a free mutant society, but after having firsthand experience in the matter he may be inclined to change his stance - Bruce Davison (the original Willard, and Harry and the Hendersons television series)
• General William Stryker, a homo sapien fanatic, however justified he may be, with a lot more skeletons in his closet than anyone might know - Brian Cox (the original Hannibal Lector from Manhunter, Rob Roy, Braveheart, The Ring and upcoming epic film, Troy)
• Soldier Lyman - Peter Wingfield (the ancient Methos in Highlander: The Series and Endgame, Stargate SG-1, and Strange World sci-fi series)

Ahhh, but they are no match for the mutants on their own. Stryker has a background playing with the genetics and a strange metal called adamantium:

• Lady Deathstrike aka Yuriko, in the comics she is a cyborg assassin bent on killing Logan to get the metal he owns that she swears should have been all hers - Kelly Hu (Friday the 13th Part 8, Strange Days and the hottie sorceress Cassandra in last years prelude to the Mummy films, The Scorpion King)

As the premise for the sequel supposedly "unites" all the mutants, against a common foe, does that imply Mystique and Magneto now fight alongside the X-Men? Or, does it offer hope of the original X-Men team from the comics (debatably, which team) will form together ... specifically, original characters ArchAngel and Beast? And, what of the White Queen Emma Frost? It appears that we will see the Black King, Dr. Sabastian Shaw, but will their team actually manifest itself?

• Beast aka Dr. Henry "Hank" McCoy, a super wolf man in shades of blue - Steve Bacic (Stargate SG-1, Andromeda, The 6th Day, and SciFi Channel's Threshold)
• Black King aka Dr. Sebastian Shaw, the embodiment of Nietzche's superhuman, absorbing energy and using it against his foes - Charles Siegal (Stephen King's IT, Ratz)
• Gambit aka Remy LeBeau, a cajun mutant thief with the ability to defy gravity and explode objects, at will - stuntman James Bamford

If these questions alone don't wander their way into the minds of faithful comic fans, how about these ...

Will the elite powerhouse of the world's mutants form into the infamous Hellfire Club?

What of Logan's mysterious past with the Weapon X program, which ties him to Sabretooth, and a few other "black ops" team members. If we have grown past the existence of Sabretooth, what will tie his lover Mystique with their offspring Nightcrawler (even a non comic book reader like me caught the blue skinned with fangs resemblance)?

Rogue was really a kind of bad guy (or gal), adopted and raised by Mystique and her kin, clubs and teams ... that was an intregal part of the continuity for the future fates of the X -Men comics. They got Pyro right, so what is the deal with the angelic behavior of Rogue?

Several notable events are hinted, if not fully exposed in this sequel. The Sentinals, whose cyboric nature is bent on eliminating all mutants. The Legacy Virus, which is used to kill off the new evolution of man, the mutants. But what of other events in the X-men comic saga? Apocalypse and the Four Horseman, which could be used to bring back the beloved ArchAngel. The defenders of the Morlocks, who simply wish to live their mutant lifestyle deep underground the cities of mankind. The capturing, manipulation and eventual rescue of The Twelve. The Destiny Prophecies which books are both hidden away (most held by Professor X, one is held by Vargas) which jumping around past, present and futures determine which fates await the mutants and humans. And lastly, as the official web site has described the evolution of homo sapiens and homo superior ... what is the deal with the claims held by a homo sapiens superior, Vargas???

The X-Men is, without a doubt, a fully established universe, with it's own share of complexities and illogical continuities ... after all, it's only fantasy. And it's impossible to tell everyone's story in a series of films. Heroes and Villains come and go at light speed, often other famous super teams (The Avengers, Fantastic Four) make their way into these stories with a cameo. But whatever gets translated onto the silver screen, prepare yourself for one hell of a ride!

Release Date: May 2nd, 2003

Great trailers, photos and behind the scenes, including some awesome flash generated Cerebro and Stryker Database on the X-Men 2 official web site:

http://www.x2-movie.com/

... and for kicks and giggles, find out which X-Men character YOU would be at Snafu's Marvelometer:

http://users.bigpond.net.au/snafu/bbtb/xmen/index.html

For an interesting review of X2: X-Men United, read Samuel Walter's critique at Dauntless Media:

http://dauntlessmedia.net/x-men/x2-x-men-united-film-review.html