Previously I emphasized the importance of making a good first impression. But what happens next? If you didn’t have a long-term plan, where can you go? Since 2003, all the great superhero movie sequels have a pattern of growing past the initial impression, only to bring the heroes down to a very human level. As if it was a secret test to see if these humans can properly react and respond to the choices and compromises they make as people and public figures. The X-Men are mutants at the end of the day, shunned for their biology, but that doesn’t mean that their deeper struggles are restricted from the average human experience. And in the case of X2: X-Men United, Bryan Singer followed up the original with a more personal message, while making sure it was balanced with more entertaining action and dynamics. I can’t say it’s one of my favorite sequels in the comic book genre, but X2 deserves recognition for what it would inspire down the road.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and after an attempt on The President’s life (it’s good to have you back, Nightcrawler), the government realizes that they can no longer control mutants through the legislative process. Enter William Stryker, a military general with a calculated history of mutant racism and a desire to control their powers. It’s enough to make every mutant (good and evil) realize that this would lead to more chaos, and when Charles Xavier becomes a key target, they have to unite (as the title says) and save lives before Stryker escalates.

Nowadays this approach is rare, but X2 is the type of sequel that naturally builds upon the first movie, rather than jumping into more ambitious areas. Whether if it’s a good or bad thing, Singer chooses to keep his reflective and self-serious way of filmmaking, building up to the moments of spectacle. Reportedly, the movie had an early draft featuring The Sentinels (giant robots from the comics) and Xavier’s Danger Room simulator (used to train mutants in battle), but because of budget cuts, they were removed for other set-pieces. But when the action really kicked in, it couldn’t have felt like a bigger reward. The White House attack, Lady Deathstrike, the X-Mansion Raid, you name it. Sequences that felt refreshing to those hoping for a more exciting and impactful energy, the type of impact you would feel from the pages of a comic book.

As a whole, it kept a gradual direction, but the movie also took advantage of the more personal arcs, instead of feeling so plot dependent. Like before, you’ll get more interesting arcs than others and in hindsight, some of them would be botched in future X-Men films (The Last Stand and X-Men Origins in particular.) But at the very least, they were mature enough to keep me invested. You’ve got Wolverine coping with his past while also trying to step up as a leader, Nightcrawler (played amazingly by Alan Cumming) using his Catholic faith to bond with the cynical Storm, Iceman confronting his estranged family and learning to value his relationship with Rogue, Jean Grey learning to make more independent choices, the list goes on. It was through these individual moments that emphasized a family unit trying to persevere. Their personal challenges bring them closer together, even as they start feeling the cost of being superheroes. It amounts to same message of fighting for what’s right, while at the same time balancing a moral about genuine connections. Those who are genuine will always understand and stick by you, even if the world has other plans.

We’re gonna take a break from our fellow mutants, and go back to the past. World War II to be exact. Don’t expect it to be about perfect soldiers, just expect a good man.

Nostalgic throwbacks are like a double-edged sword. Some of them take you back to humble beginnings, when movies just…existed on their own, without a universe of sequels and spin-offs. While others can make you feel the years that have passed, making you realize how storytelling has dramatically evolved since then. In that case, you could make the argument that Bryan Singer’s original X-Men is your average period piece, as it came out a few years before the superhero genre would put more effort in appealing to newer generations of people. Such as the case with Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man Trilogy, Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, and even a future cult classic like Ang Lee’s Hulk. But if there’s one thing you can credit X-Men for, you can thank it for at least existing as a positive step forward. Sure, it distanced itself from the whimsical adventures they would usually experience in the books and cartoons, but before that, you need to make us care about the world in the first place. For a director as famously unprofessional as Singer, it’s difficult to give him credit nowadays, but on-camera, he succeeded in establishing a connection to these popular characters. No yellow spandex required.

The plot is simple as you can get. Mutants are secretly living among us, the government wants to restrict their rights, and all of a sudden, we (the human race) are caught in the crossfire of another war. A more personal war between the empathy of Charles Xavier and the extremism of Magneto, both of which are leading a team of their own. Wolverine (Hugh Jackman’s star-making role) and Rogue are the new recruits in this already established conflict, as their unexpected connection leads them to a path of self discovery.

Watching it all these years later, and before Avengers: Doomsday, I grew to appreciate its emphasis on human drama over the few moments of comic book spectacle. Sure, I would’ve preferred something with complex arcs and a distinct style of filmmaking, but with a saga like the X-Men, that’s not always the point. It’s always been a good vs evil narrative from the beginning, but it’s a narrative that speaks out against bigotry and division, highlighting a balanced message of being true to yourself. It’s more character focused in this regard, as the characters and viewers learn to identify the perspectives at play, as even a ruthless villain like Magneto can have his humanizing moments. The worldbuilding makes up for the lack of action, making us feel invested through the simple presentation. One of the key terms thrown around here is “evolution”, and the positive and negative roads that people can take with it, mutant or not. Because in hindsight, the set of mutants introduced would evolve to more significant arcs (Wolverine in particular), but before they could, they needed a first impression. To make themselves known to the world, and fight for what they believe is right. One side prefers unity, and the other side prefers dominance. In today’s world, you would need to add more dimension to that thesis, but sometimes, a natural introduction is all you need. Those are the impressions that count the most.

And on that note, the first chapter of this new series has ended. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for my review of X-Men’s 2003 follow-up, simply called X2.

Enjoy the show.