X2 marks the spot

Watch enough movies and the temptation will arise to revile everything that appears crass, commercial, big, and dumb—especially the typical summer blockbuster. | Andrew Coffin

Watch enough movies and the temptation will arise to revile everything that appears crass, commercial, big, and dumb—especially the typical summer blockbuster. But then there's a peculiar pleasure in seeing a summer blockbuster that isn't so easily dismissed: commercially viable but not (too) crass, suitably "big" but not (too) dumb.

Last summer's pleasurable surprise was Spider-Man, and this year another comic-book adaptation, X2: X-Men United, comes close to filling its shoes. Last week, X2 set a worldwide box-office record for a single weekend, taking in $154.8 million. (It earned $85.6 million in the United States.)

X2 (rated PG-13 for sci-fi action/violence, some sexuality, and brief bad language) is, by far, bigger than its predecessor, 2000's X-Men. It has more characters, more special effects, and much, much more of a plot. And for the most part, it works. (On the downside, it also has more violence, more sensuality, and more screen time for a female mutant named Mystique, who is covered only by her scaly blue skin.)