X2

The sequel to the 2000 hit (from the Marvel Comics series) reunites the heroes (led by Patrick Stewart) and villains (Ian McKellen) of the mutant super-race. This time, they face a military man who’s out to destroy them all (Brian Cox as the kind of grimacing neofascist that Hollywood loves to hate). There’s a great opening scene of an Oval Office assassination attempt (though the would-be killer’s motive is never explained), and overall, it’s a worthy replica of the original: smooth, shiny entertainment that hums like a jeweled clockwork toy. There are Stewart and McKellen for gravity, Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine for animal magnetism, and Anna Paquin’s Rogue for adolescent poignancy. It’s a perfect recipe for a summer movie that packs ’em in, sells tie-in merchandise and then evaporates when it leaves the screen.