100 Greatest Comic Book Movies Of All Time
7. X-Men 2
X-Men 2 - or X2 or X2:-X-Men United to give it all of its titles - was a truly great escalation of the original, which was already a very good comic book movie. Removed of the need to do so much establishing work and exposition, the sequel was able to build on characters organically, pushing Wolverine to the forefront increasingly and introducing Nightcrawler to wonderful effect.
The new additions - including Colonel Stryker - all land perfectly, with a sort of "who watches the Watchmen" approach to the mutant world and undertones of ethnic cleansing and the pertinent issue of immigrant/otherness anxiety. If it came out now, it would be even more in tune with politics.
It isn't entirely perfect, because Halle Berry is completely devoid of any personality in her performance, but it works as a sequel thanks to its eye for spectacle and drama and its intent to build on what worked in the first movie. This was where Wolverine was born as the juggernaut brand he became and this is where the ideas that have come to define the X-Men franchise were mostly seeded.
[SG]