X2: X-MEN UNITED is a worthy continuation of the 2000 X-MEN, which brought the Marvel superhero (and supervillain) mutant metaphors to the big screen. Like its predecessor, X2 works as both straight huge-budget science-fiction and as a parable for the different ways in which minorities can and do react to oppression. The new film amplifies the third side non-mutant malice in the conflict begun in the first film, while amping up the special effects, plot complications and even the running time. What's missing is the character set-up we get bits, but there are so many people around that most of them are dealt with so swiftly that we don't feel as involved as we might, despite the thrills they provide.

As the film opens, an assassination attempt on the President of the United States by a teleporting mutant causes the revival of extreme anti-mutant sentiment, which worries Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), the brilliant and humane telepath who tries to keep the peace between regular humans and not-so-regular ones who typically first manifest their powers in adolescence. Xavier runs a school for mutant youth (disguised as an academy for gifted children) and also has an elite squad of heroic mutants, the X-Men. These include his loyal cadre of weather-influencing Storm (Halle Berry), telekinetic Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) and Cyclops (James Marsden), whose eyes can cause pyrotechnic phenomenon. There's also their rebellious ally Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), who has incredible healing abilities and who is still trying to find out why he cannot remember either his early life or how his skeletal structure came to be fused with the unbreakable metal adamantium. Their last encounter with the anti-human mutant faction led by Magneto (Ian McKellen) left Magneto in a plastic prison cell, but much is in motion now. Human military man William Stryker (Brian Cox) has a plan to use Xavier's abilities against every mutant on the planet, while Magneto is down but assuredly not out for the count.

The plots and counterplots in the script by Michael Dougherty & Dan Harris, from a story by director Bryan Singer & David Hayter and Zak Penn are all pretty clever Magneto's bid for freedom is a lulu and allow for some stunning visuals.

X-MEN 2 theatrical one-sheet

© 20th Century Fox

Most of the actors are perfectly cast. For heroic, ultimate-good authority, Patrick Stewart is an icon hard to match (and, a credit to all concerned, we are not put in mind of other projects here), while McKellen is splendid as a powerful man who's sure he's right and really enjoys making mischief while getting his way. Jackman is as charismatic and mercurial and haunted as he was the first time out, while Famke Janssen is commendably thoughtful as Jean Grey. Cox is a wonderfully wily, leathery adversary as Stryker and HIGHLANDER: THE SERIES fans will be pleased to spot Peter Wingfield as an uncomfortable soldier of conscience under Stryker's command.

The social commentary aspect of X2 coexists smoothly with the ever-moving action and interwoven plot threads. A love triangle doesn't work quite so well it never gets the quirks it needs to take off, even though the groundwork is there and the moral choice of a mutant youth is a matter of curiosity rather than something that gets under the skin. In both cases, this seems largely a matter of time there's only so much attention that any one thing (especially if it's something not connected to detonation, aviation or obliteration) can get with so much going on.

X2: X-MEN UNITED probably won't stick to your soul, but it's still largely a very well-made blast.