X2: X-Men United

X2: X-Men United starts with one of the best openings in all of superhero cinema with Nightcrawler attacking the White House and it never lets up. The sequel manages to stay contained in the original’s focus while expanding into new viewpoints, anxieties, and allegories that have made the X-Men a beloved touchstone with so many people. X2 is harrowing in its darkest moments, its action is flamboyant and theatrical, and when it’s diving into the depths of its heroes, it is hopeful and tragic in equal measure.

So many scenes from X2 still stand up as some of the best in the genre. Nightcrawler’s White House assassination attempt is so succinct that it sets the tone while telling a concise story all its own. Magneto’s escaping his plastic prison by drawing iron from a security guard’s blood captures the threat of the Brotherhood’s charismatic leader. And who could forget Jean’s sacrifice at the very end as X2 cranks up the melodrama for one of the most gut-wrenching finales in the series? It’s an ambitious sequel that knew it had struck gold with its cast, and brings out the most in each of them. — Kenneth Shepard