X2: X-Men United (2003)
Rating ... A- (88)
Superheroes struck a chord with American film-goers beginning in the early 2000's, and while the first two X-Men films were tent-poles of the genre, one can't help but wonder about the contrary subtext present in both of them. Audiences were enthusiastic towards super powers, but here were two stories about how these unique talents were ostracized in the spirit of The Man in the White Suit. Politicians were only concerned about mutants with regards to national security, normal people considered them grotesque, and half the bearers didn't even want their own mutation because it was some annoying quirk like changing television channels with your eyeballs or screaming really loudly.
The first X-Men didn't make many friends, at least not critically. The fanservice one-liners were there, as were the numerous comic book shout-out mutants who wandered in and out of the frame without ever seeing much elaboration, but most considered the film cold and distant. It did not have the warm and optimistic tone or the comfy, insular Leave It to Beaver-esque milieu Raimi would choose for Spider-Man - a movie many still hold up as the star of the genre. Part of the problem is that these folks did not connect the dots after battle lines were drawn. It was obvious that Magneto and Xavier were supposed to be the villain and hero, respectively, because they did not agree on the solution to the "mutant problem." (Magneto knew mutants were the superior race, and simply plowed forward in conquest over the weak, while Xavier sought a more harmonious approach.) It was not obvious, however, what all of this meant. The importance of this conflict can be summarized in two scenes from the film. The first occurred when the duo squared off at a train station, which resulted in a painless Mexican standoff where Magneto held the entire police force hostage with their own rifles and goaded Xavier that he would not be successful because he wasn't "willing to make sacrifices." The second was the evocative final scene, when Xavier visited Magneto after thwarting his scheme to cripple humanity and pave the way for the new mutant strain. At this point it was clear that Xavier had sacrificed something - human progress to uphold egalitarianism. The cinematography coincides with this idea, as Xavier left Magneto's plastic prison - spectacularly lit, a shining beacon toward mankind's future - and rejoined society, receding into darkness.
Now a funny thing has happened with the sequel: X2 ratchets up the number of sumptuous scenes and figurative storytelling, all without embracing the fun of the superhero premise. There are now several indicators of Bryan Singer's agenda to avoiding sugar-coating mutant powers. Consider when Wolverine defends the academy from special ops forces while Iceman cowers in fear. (He is pretty much a minor and serious combat for he and the rest of the students is out of the question.) Human augmentation in this scene is portrayed as being as destructive as it is useful - not simply a hardware upgrade free of ramifications. During the dam invasion, Wolverine must battle with Lady Deathstrike. They are effectively members of the same team, but she is under mind control and cannot be subdued, short of death. This fight sequence does not resemble that which opens the film, where Nightcrawler's gleefully virtuoso, wire-assisted dance demonstrates how one mutant's power outclasses that of many humans. There is little summer blockbuster-ism to be found in this duel, whose cadence is primarily one of straight punches and painful lacerations. Wolverine wins but it is a pyrrhic victory. Deathstrike's metal-injected body submerges before coming to rest with a sickening thud. This conflict is not epic; it is tragic, and one of several instances where we see terrifying powers whose practical applications are eclipsed by their militaristic uses. They are innate weapons that make it easier for humans to kill other humans.
Contrary to its predecessor X2 is ruthless about exposition and developing relationships. As complement to the aforementioned scene when the school is attacked, Iceman repays the favor by later rescuing Wolverine from Stryker (the man who grafted adamantium to Wolverine) by depositing a wall of ice between them. This gesture seamlessly incorporates inter-character reciprocation while simultaneously fleshing out Wolverine's dilemma - resignation of who he was before his operation (beautifully symbolized by Stryker's blurry figure through the ice) in order to address what is happening now. Brian Cox is superb playing the chief antagonist Stryker, a military scientist with a chip on his shoulder after his son was born with a mutation that fared for the worse. Mutation is a disease to him, like a festering appendage in need of pruning. He's Magneto but inverted; they're both champions of the homogeneous whose crusades for purification are dangerously inseparable from personal vindictiveness. A subplot and coming-out parallel concerning the "flamer" mutant who refuses to play possum for society's preferences and teams up with Magneto because Magneto exalts ability and individualism attests to the ease with which a lack of acceptance creates mutual resentment. The shared viewpoint that comprises their relationship is forged by their body language; to initiate the conversation Magneto seizes Pyro's lighter from a distance, using his power to overcome the boy's. When he returns it afterward, he does so hand to hand - a gesture signifying equality and fraternity.
Singer also uses eye color as a running metaphor for a character's emotions. Storm has a brief subplot glimpsed by her conversations with Nightcrawler. She has grown resentful of humanity, as they have made little attempt to bridge the divide in the benevolent manner she and Xavier have. Her abilities make her elite but she has abandoned the rest of society out of spite, signified by the shots of her darkened eyes. Nightcrawler does not have a firm rebuttal but he introduces her to his motivation: faith. Lady Deathstrike's eyes are grey-white metallic while under the effects of mind control secretion but natural brown free of it, and Stryker's son features two conflicting colors: vibrant blue with a sickly green - dignity coexisting with self-loathing. A blockbuster with a brain, X2 upholds its precursor's subtle preoccupation with social evolution; we move forward when we accept diversity within unity.
No comments:
Post a Comment