4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Surprisingly Good, March 21, 2003
Well, I don't know how this compares to the first X-Men movie novelization (because I was afraid to read it, after having seen the movie), but this one was written quite well. I can't say that I am terribly surprised by that fact, since it was written by the father of good X-Men stories, Chris Claremont, but I thought that the fact that it was supposed to be a movie would butcher it. However, I have my doubts that most of this will translate well over to the big screen. If the actors pull off the acting half as well as they should, Hugh Jackman and Famke Janssen will both get Oscars.
The characters grew and developed, seemed real and were three-dimensional. I actually cared about them in this book, as opposed to the first movie where I had the ignomious urge to see Wolverine get hurt just to watch the wounds heal up. (When people watch your movie just for a gimmicky special effect, you should rethink your script). Hopefully Stryker is cast well, because his is a key role. John Malkovich might do a good job in the role.
Anyway, pick up the book, its good. Read it after the movie though, that way you will get the most from both.
Harkius
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
X-Men 2 Uneasy Alliances **Spoilers**, March 11, 2003
If the movie brings across most of this as well as the book, it'll be far better than Spider-Man.
It was a relief to see our heroes more in character than in X-1. Logan (Wolverine) isn't exactly a white knight; we see more of his feral, berserker nature, his immense capacity for violence, and his private rationalizations. He ends up searching for his humanity more than his past. That's much more consistent with the complex Wolvie we love.
Jean Grey is troubled-by power quickly growing out of control and an attraction for Wolverine balanced precariously by her love for Scott Summers (Cyclops). (Dare I hope this is leading up to aspects of the Phoenix saga in X-3?) Thankfully, we see more of what she sees in both Logan and Scott and get a glimpse of her past. As a side note, I never thought the Jean Grey of the first movie could take Scot on and win. This isn't the same Jean.
Then there's Xavier, entirely benign in X-1 but a force to be reckoned with in this one-stopping whole rooms of people in their tracks, threatening the lives of all mutants and all humans in turn, and managing secrets like a master. As for Storm, I'm not exactly sure what Halle Berry is complaining about; Storm gets into almost every essential conflict in the story and uses her ability constantly. She may stay mostly static, but that's not exactly out of character and the personality is still better than in X-1.
Scott is out of commission for much of the story. Still, the authors added in missing tidbits from his orphanage past and relationship with Jean that, regretfully, will probably never make it into the movies. Overall, Scott comes off as more patient and gentle than in X-1, though a fiercer and more dangerous opponent. (Did anyone mention his contribution to wreaking havoc on the guts of a dam?)
As for the villains, they're both sick beyond belief. Of the two, though, Magneto was worse. Stryker just wants to kill all of mutant kind; Magneto is going to kill everyone else and his oldest friend. Magneto's treatment in his plastic prison isn't much different, in ways, from his concentration camp past and has forged him into a relentless, merciless, malevolent certainty. Even in prison, he has his own plans and manipulates those who think they're using him. His final betrayal earned my respect but squelched any possible sympathy for him. Mystique, meanwhile, is a vital and more than effective partner. (She's vital in Magneto's planning and the larger story.) Then there's William Stryker, linked to both Wolverine and Xavier and the self-appointed author and finisher of the proposed destruction of all mutants, himself father to one of the most dangerous mutants of all. (Based on Mesmero?) I'll take villains like these over high-powered non-entities like Juggernaut or Apocalypse anytime.
Other small blessings: I had nightmares of Nightcrawler being a willing participant in the assassination attempt on President McKenna (also depicted, thankfully, with some discretion). But he is merely a pawn; the real powers have ways of insuring their subjects' obedience. Kurt Wagner remains a lovable, innocent, gentle, humorous, irrepressible demon. And it's fun to watch a friendship and affection forming between him and Storm.
And then there are the kids; strained relations between Bobby Drake (Iceman) and John Allerdyce (Pyro) are blowing up, and Bobby's burgeoning romance with Rogue is delightful. Growing up and living as a high-powered mutant shouldn't have to be this hard. Rogue has her own role to play, but not much character development. Other characters flit through the book: Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat), Jubilee, Hank McCoy (Beast), Remy Lebeau (Gambit), Piotr Rasputin (Colossus), Teresa Cassidy (Siryn), and others. Some get more time than others.
Plot wise, things are complex but pretty tight. Nightcrawler's assassination attempt unleashes a storm of trouble centering (for good but initially unexplained reasons) around the X-Men. Too many people know too much about them, and both Stryker and Magneto recognize Xavier as the key to victory. Stryker raids the school (not entirely prepared for Wolverine or the training of Xavier's students) and later captures Xavier and Scott. Magneto escapes. Jean and Storm track down the mysterious mutant would-be assassin. Setting the stage for a five-way showdown between ordinary Americans, Stryker, Magneto, the X-Men, and other X-Men. Wolverine chooses between his past and the present. Jean decides between her two men, meets personal tragedy, and finds untapped reserves of strength to carry everyone through. Magneto, as always, has his own plans. Storm and Nightcrawler just have to save the world. Rogue and Bobby search for a place in the world outside Xavier's that is no longer there. And young John Allerdyce decides where his loyalties lie.
A few cautions: We still haven't really seen Storm's claustrophobia. And there's some junk at the end; the authors spent lots of time on the final battle for Xavier but the development of that conflict didn't make much sense. We'll see how the movie manages this scene. But the biggest and most important question is why Stryker raids the school. Then, too, I'd like more clarity on why Jean chooses the way she does...
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