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It?s mutant versus mutant as Marvel?s premiere hero teams slice and dice their way through the big screen sequel to 2000?s smash-hit X-Men movie - out now on DVD.

X-Men 2

From the same team that brought X-Men to the screen, comes the next chapter in the X-Men saga. X-Men 2 sees the mutant super heroes continuing their struggle for acceptance in a society that fears and distrusts them.

Their cause becomes even more desperate following an incredible attack by an as yet undetermined assailant possessing extraordinary abilities. The shocking attack renews the political and public outcry for a Mutant Registration Act and an anti-mutant movement now led by William Stryker, a wealthy former Army commander who is rumoured to have experimented on mutants.

Stryker's mutant ?work? is somehow tied to Logan's mysterious and forgotten past. As Wolverine searches for clues to his origin, Stryker puts into motion his anti-mutant programme - launching an attack on Xavier's mansion. Meanwhile, arch-villain Magneto, newly escaped from his plastic prison, proposes a partnership with the X-Men to combat their common and formidable enemy: Stryker. With the fates of Xavier, mankind - and mutantkind - in their hands, the X-Men must face their most dangerous mission ever.

X-Men 2 (or ?X2? as it?s branded) reunites the principal cast members of the original X-Men film, which grossed nearly $300 million worldwide, was a video and DVD phenomenon, and helped pioneer the current wave of comics to film adaptations. Also returning are the original?s key creative team, including director Bryan Singer. X2 will feature several surprises, including favorite mutant characters from the vast X-Men universe, who are new to the film franchise.

The next link in the evolutionary chain, each X-Man (or woman!) was born with a unique genetic mutation, which at puberty manifested itself in extraordinary powers. In a world increasingly filled with hatred and prejudice, they are scientific oddities...freaks of nature...outcasts who are feared and loathed by those who cannot accept their differences. Yet despite society?s pervasive ignorance, the X-Men and thousands of mutants across the globe survive.

Under the tutelage of Professor Charles Xavier, the world?s most powerful telepath, these 'gifted' students have learned to control and direct their respective powers for the greater good of mankind. They fight to protect a world filled with anti-mutant prejudice, that fears them above all else.

An ?Evolutionary? Leap

Bigger. Better. More. X-Men director Bryan Singer was determined to make X2 all that and, well, more. Singer?s ambitions for the new film came as no surprise to the studio or to the film?s producers; his respect for the comics characters ? the seriousness and weight, as well as enormous fun with which he approached X-Men ? had earned the respect of the multitudes of loyal comics fans and millions of moviegoers new to the X-Men universe.

Singer plays the genre for real, giving X-Men a three-dimensional tone and style that served as a template for and inspired the reemergence of films based on comics properties. "Bryan grew to really love the X-Men characters and their universe, so there was no question about him directing X2," says producer Lauren Shuler Donner, who began developing the first X-Men film nearly a decade ago. Echoes producer Ralph Winter: "Bryan has great insight into what makes the series such a popular piece of pop culture. And his ability to make these characters real ? like they live next door ? even though they possess incredible and sometimes dangerous powers, is pretty extraordinary."

For X2, Singer would be painting on the huge canvas of big studio, event moviemaking, enjoying a larger budget and longer shooting schedule than was available for the first film. X2 also would ramp up the action, effects, locations and stunts that had captivated the comics enthusiasts and new fans.

Traditional Sequel?

Singer had much more in mind for X2 than a traditional sequel. Using the formidable resources at his disposable and no longer constrained by having to introduce the characters and their powers, he wanted to delve deeper into the X-Men mythology, and into their abilities and relationships. "X2 is not a sequel," he notes. "It?s the next adventure in a saga ?an evolution from the first film. We not only follow up with the principal characters from the first picture and their respective journeys, we introduce a new generation of X-Men, as well as some new villains.

"Like any good comic book, the X-Men universe is designed to expand," Singer continues. "These stories can go on forever. This continuation of the saga has provided me with an opportunity to expand the storylines and the characters ? and to have a lot more fun. X2 is edgier, darker, funnier and more romantic than its predecessor."

The film continues to deal with the themes of tolerance and fear of the unknown, which have been part of the X-Men universe since Stan Lee created the comics 40 years ago. "It?s still about misfits, prejudice, about being an outsider and not being understood," notes Lauren Shuler Donner. Adds Bryan Singer, "The X-Men films pose the questions that we all have: Am I alone in the world? Why am I so different, and how am I going to fit in? These questions are universal and timeless, particularly among adolescents. We?ve all felt at times like mutants."

Unity

A new theme in X2 is 'unity,' as two generations of X-Men join forces with a most unlikely ally to combat a new and very human menace. As the story opens, mutants are continuing their struggle against a society that fears and distrusts them. Their cause becomes even more desperate following an incredible assassination attempt on the President of the United States by an as-yet-undetermined assailant possessing extraordinary abilities. All signs point to the work of a mutant.

The character of Stryker is somehow tied to Wolverine?s mysterious and forgotten past. As Wolverine searches for clues to his origin, Stryker puts into motion his anti-mutant program beginning with a full-scale military offensive on Xavier?s mansion (home of his X-Men training academy ? a ?School for the Gifted?. Magneto, newly escaped from the plastic prison, proposes a partnership with the X-Men to combat their now common and formidable enemy, Stryker.

Reuniting from X-Men are: Patrick Stewart (as Professor Xavier, the world?s most powerful telepath), Hugh Jackman (Wolverine, a solitary fighting machine who possesses amazing healing powers, retractable adamantium claws and an animal-like fury), Ian McKellen (Magneto, a powerful mutant who can control and manipulate metal), Halle Berry (as Storm, who can manipulate weather), Famke Janssen (the telepathic and telekinetic Jean Grey), James Marsden (Cyclops, whose eyes release an energy beam that can rip holes through mountains), Anna Paquin (youngster Rogue, possessing the ability to absorb the powers and memories of anyone she touches), Rebecca Romijn-Stamos (Mystique, a metamorph who can shape shift into anyone) and Bruce Davison (Senator Kelly, the former leader of the anti-mutant movement).

Stan Lee

The Executive Producer of X2 is known to millions as the man whose Super Heroes propelled Marvel Comics to its preeminent position in the comic book industry. Stan 'The Man' Lee's singular co-creations include Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men, The Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Daredevil , The Avengers, The Silver Surfer and Dr. Strange, among many others.

Lee has exerted more influence over the comic book industry than anyone in history. He created or co-created 90% of Marvel's recognized characters, which have been successfully licensed and marketed since 1965. The numbers are staggering ? more than two billion of his comic books have been published in 75 countries and in 25 languages.

In Europe alone, Lee's name appears on over 35 million comics annually. In 1981 Lee transformed his Spider-Man and Hulk creations into Saturday morning and syndicated television cartoons. When Marvel Comics and Marvel Productions were acquired by New World Entertainment in 1986, Lee?s horizons expanded even further, giving him the opportunity to become more involved in the creation and development of filmed projects for both the big and small screen. He supervised such diverse animated series as X-Men, Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk. To date, his characters have populated over 24 separate television series, all of which continue in syndication around the world.

Super Cinema!

Other recent hit movies based on Marvel characters include Spider-Man, X-Men, Blade and Blade 2, Daredevil and the forthcoming feature The Hulk. In addition, The Fantastic Four, Dr. Strange, The Mighty Thor and the herald of Galactus himself - The Silver Surfer are all in development for motion pictures or television series.

Actor Shawn Ashmore, who was introduced in the first film as Bobby Drake, aka Iceman, a classmate of Rogue?s who can lower his body temperature and radiate intense cold, returns in an expanded role as one of the junior X-Men. In addition to its returning cast, X2 features favorite characters from the vast X-Men comics universe who are new to the film franchise.

New Mutants

Alan Cumming (The Anniversary Party) joins the cast as Nightcrawler, a mutant who can teleport himself from one place to another; Brian Cox (The Bourne Identity) plays the villainous Stryker, a former soldier who holds the key to Wolverine's past and the future of the X-Men; and Kelly Hu (The Scorpion King) is Stryker's assistant, who has her own surprises in store for the heroic team as Deathstrike. Aaron Stanford (Tadpole) also joins the cast as Pyro, a promising new student at Professor Xavier's school, with the formidable ability to manipulate fire.

X2 reunites Bryan Singer with many of the creative production team from the first film. Returning with the acclaimed filmmaker are producers Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter; plus executive producers Avi Arad, Stan Lee and Tom DeSanto.

So warns Magneto to his once-and-future friend and ally, Professor Charles Xavier. When news of the attempted assassination of the President of the United States by a mutant reaches the two men, they realise this is a defining moment in the future of mankind. "War results from actions that trigger irreversible conflict," says Singer. "X2 opens with some startling action, which sets into motion a chain of events that could ultimately lead to the destruction of a part of humanity."

"The War Has Begun"

The film takes the central conflict in X-Men ? Xavier?s belief in the possibility of peaceful co-existence between humans and mutants, versus Magneto?s doctrine of mutant supremacy ? to the next level. In the new film, the threat comes not from a powerful mutant, but from a human. "One of the things I wanted to introduce into the story was a human element as the villain," Singer explains. "That menace is a danger to all mutants and, subsequently, to mankind. The conflict is a bold reminder of the prevailing themes in the comic book lore; in this movie, one man?s fear of the unknown could lead to a level of intolerance of catastrophic proportions."

The one man posing such a formidable threat to the X-Men is William Stryker, a character that ups the ante and makes the stakes higher than they ever were in the original X-Men. Stryker?s insidious plans are revealed when his forces attack Xavier?s School for Gifted Children, also know as the ?X-Mansion?. That scene springs from the end of X-Men, where Xavier and Magneto are seen facing off over a game of chess, in the plastic prison designed to serve as Magneto?s final home.

Magneto poses a disturbing question, "What will happen if they pass that stupid law [the Anti-Mutant Registration Act] and they come to your mansion and take your children?" To which Xavier replies with steely determination: "I pity whoever comes to that mansion looking for trouble." "Well," says Lauren Shuler Donner, "Stryker and his soldiers are definitely at the mansion and there is definitely going to be some trouble. But that?s only the tip of the iceberg for what he ultimately plans for the X-Men."

Bryan Singer

"What I love about Stryker," says Bryan Singer, "is that he is a perfect example of a villain who is not involved in violence or terrorism because of the need for expansionism, or religion or even greed. His hate and bias are based on a deeply personal loss of some aspect of his family. Somewhere in the past some damage was done...some hit was taken...and now his desperation makes it easy for him to engage in war against those he thinks are responsible for the destruction of his family."

"Stryker is the juiciest of roles," says actor Brian Cox, whose performances in Manhunter (as the screen?s first Hannibal Lector) and in the independent film L.I.E. caught Singer?s attention. "He is a man with a secret who behaves in a not particularly pleasant way. He?s part scientist, part soldier and quite wealthy to boot, so the role has lots of opportunities to play on all sorts of levels, and that is very appealing to any actor.

Racist

"Stryker represents the oppressive, racist and intolerant kind of person that mutants fear most," Cox adds. "He doesn?t want to take over the world. He just wants to rid the world of those he feels are responsible for the damage to his family and the downfall of society: mutants. First he wants to control them, then he wants to destroy them."

Ironically, Stryker?s aide, Yuriko Oyama, aka Deathstrike, is not 100% homo sapien. Like another famous mutant, Wolverine, she possesses adamantium claws and amazing healing powers. "Deathstrike and Wolverine are cut from the same cloth," says Singer. "She, too, has had her body and mind experimented on and is a formidable opponent to Wolverine, physically and ideologically."

Deathstrike vs. Wolverine

"Deathstrike is an advanced, slicker version of Wolverine," concurs actress Kelly Hu, who dons the mutant?s claws (which, unlike Wolverine?s, emanate from the character?s fingers). "Plus, she?s incredibly fast and preternaturally gifted at the martial arts." Hu?s own black-belt-level martial skills were put to the test during a climactic showdown between the two characters, which took days to choreograph and execute.

A new character with a far gentler nature is Nightcrawler. Raised in a traveling circus, German-born Kurt Wagner looks like a blue-skinned demon, with pointy ears, yellow eyes, hooves for feet and a prehensile tail. Yet he is deeply religious, and has a kind, gentle nature. He becomes an important ally to the X-Men, using his power of teleportation for the forces of good. (His teleportation is accompanied by a ?BAMPF!? ? the sound effects term taken from the comics.)

Singer considered several other figures from the vast X-Men comics universe, before deciding on Nightcrawler. "I chose Nightcrawler to be in X2 because of the character?s fascinating dichotomies," Singer explains. "Both his demon-like looks and religious beliefs are grounds for major ostracizing and prejudice. Who can?t relate to that? Plus, he has one of the coolest powers and sound effects."

Nightcrawler

Alan Cumming, who underwent hours of special makeup effects each day to become Nightcrawler, appreciated that the character has more than a few surprises in store for audiences. "Well, when we first meet Nightcrawler he?s just not himself," says Cumming, smiling, and alluding to an early plot point. "I quite like playing the parts that appear as bad guys but then it is realized that they are, in fact, good guys who have probably been exploited in some fashion. Nightcrawler is definitely that kind of character.

"I also loved his physicality, because I am a very physical type of actor. I had the great fortune to have a circus trainer work with me on perfecting the acrobatic movements of Nightcrawler. It was quite difficult to find the perfect physicality for the character but also was great fun to have help in creating such extreme movements for a role."

The Next Generation

A new generation of ?Junior X-Men ' join the X-Men in the stand against the enormous threat posed by Stryker and Deathstrike. "We have three generations in this film," notes Singer, "and all are prepared to fight in this ?evolution revolution? in order to survive. It?s great that we get to pick up where we left off with the older X-Men, like Wolverine, Cyclops and Storm, but it was a lot of fun to introduce the next generation. There is a whole school full of gifted students with extraordinary abilities. The chance to explore some of these younger characters was a great opportunity to enrich the story and, perhaps, the next part of the saga."

In a nod to the comics? legions of fans, the filmmakers, including screenwriters Dan Harris and Michael Dougherty, created special cameo appearances for some favorite young X-Men from the comics, including Colossus (who can change his flesh into organic steel), Siryn (who can unleash eardrum-piercing sonic forces through her scream), Kitty Pryde (who can pass through ceilings and walls ? and who was glimpsed briefly in X-Men), Jubilee (who can control fireworks), Jones (who with the blink of his eyes can function as a TV remote control) and the fork-tongued Artie.

Rogue

Three of these junior X-Men become integral members of the team. Rogue, again played by Academy Award winner Anna Paquin, is the heart and soul of the new generation. Having gone through an incredible adventure with the X-Men in their maiden screen outing, Rogue, according to Paquin, has a formidable ?head start? on her fellow pupils. Equally significant, she has moved on, romantically. "In the first film, Rogue was infatuated with Wolverine ? they had a bond as he had saved her life," says Paquin. "But in X2, a real romance develops between her and Bobby Drake."

In fact, Bobby?s flirtations with Rogue, as depicted briefly in X-Men, portend the blossoming of this relationship in X2. According to Shawn Ashmore, who reprises his X-Men role, Bobby?s feelings for Rogue and his experiences as a mutant are part of the character?s own evolution. "Bobby?s become more comfortable with himself," Ashmore notes, "and there?s definitely more of a feeling of being part of the X-Men team. And, he?s solidifying his relationship with Rogue. She?s become kind of his anchor at school ? and their feelings for one another begin to solidify."

Teen Romance

While teen romance is rarely easily negotiated, the Rogue/Bobby dynamic presented unique challenges. "Rogue has this ?issue?," says Anna Paquin, "that if she touches you, she draws away your energy and can really harm you. So how does she express herself romantically? I really enjoyed exploring that question." While Iceman and Rogue are very much team players, a newcomer to the X-Men, Pyro, projects a more troubled, disaffected, even defiant attitude. Pyro?s abilities to manipulate fire are so powerful, they threaten to overwhelm his judgment and belief in the X-Men philosophy.

"I think Pyro is a lot like Wolverine," says Aaron Stanford, whose work in the independent film Tadpole drew notice and praise from audiences, critics and the X-Men 2 filmmakers. "They?re both essentially rebels who are not very interested in assimilating within society, whether that society is inside Xavier?s school or outside in the real world. I think Pyro has a lot of animosity towards the rest of humanity, and he is struggling with a potentially dangerous inner conflict."

Wolverine

Bryan Singer, producers Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter, and the studio were thrilled that all of the principal actors from X-Men returned for X2. Hugh Jackman, who rocketed to superstardom after nabbing - at the eleventh hour - the role of Wolverine in X-Men, continues to make his role a driving force in the X-Men mythology, as the character investigates his mysterious past and dangerous inner conflict. For Jackman, taking on Wolverine was even more fun the second time around.

"Oh, man I had a blast," says the actor. "Wolverine is getting closer and closer to finding out about his past...the clues are starting to come together...more and more information is coming his way. He?s having more nightmares and more flashbacks so the mental torment is getting stronger, too. Then, out come the emotions which he tries to repress but he really just gets grumpier and a lot angrier and, well...just beware when that happens.

"By the end of the movie, he?s got a pretty darn good idea about what his past is all about. Retribution may very well be in store for those responsible."

Wolverine also finds things heating up with Jean Grey, as the connection they made in the first film is further explored in X2. "They?re connected beyond simple attraction," notes Famke Janssen, returning as the beautiful telepath. "Their relationship is beginning to mature beyond the sexual tension hinted at in X-Men." At the same time, Jean is having some 'issues' with her powers. "Her experiences at Liberty Island in the first film have changed her, and we explore that in X2," Janssen says.

Famke Janssen

The new film sees Jean Gray caught between Wolverine and her longtime fianc? Scott Summers, aka Cyclops, in a love triangle that gains momentum in X2. "The sparks that have been flying for a long time have turned into a fire in this movie," says James Marsden, who again portrays the visor-clad hero. "But whatever?s happening between Jean and Wolverine, you get the impression that she and Scott would do anything for one another ? that their bond is inseparable."

Indeed, the latest X-Men movie adventure considerably ups the romantic stakes. "X2 definitely is a much more romantic movie than its predecessor," says Bryan Singer. "In X-Men it was like the characters were exchanging phone numbers; now they?re going on dates," he adds, laughing. Even the blue-skinned metamorph Mystique, again played by Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, shows her seductive side. "She?s much more sexual in this film," says Romijn-Stamos. "And she tries to use her ability to transform into others to take care of her sensual needs.

Mystique

"At the same time, Mystique gets to display a little more humour ? and some outrage," adds Romijn-Stamos. "When Mystique is asked why she chooses to keep her freakish look, when she could take the appearance of anyone she wants, she tellingly replies: ?Because I shouldn?t have to.?" In addition, the actress appreciated the advances in makeup effects that cut down her time in the makeup chair from eight hours to a still grueling five, as well as the opportunity to appear more or less as herself ? sans blue skin ? in one key scene.

Halle Berry?s character, white-haired Storm, also undergoes some evolutionary changes (and, like Famke Janssen?s Jean Grey, a new hairstyle). According to the Oscar-winning actress, who made time in her X2 shooting schedule to accept the coveted statuette for her work in Monster?s Ball, Storm has more to do in the new film. "Audiences will get to learn a little more about Storm; she?s more aggressive and gets to present a more personal point of view this time out."

Storm

Berry took special pleasure in getting together with her X-Men cast mates. "X2 gave us the chance to reconvene and pick up where we left off in the first film," she explains. "That?s been a big part of the fun of making this movie." Like Berry, Patrick Stewart, returning as Professor Charles Xavier, was pleased with X2?s larger scale and new opportunities, and he is confident X2 will resonate with audiences even more deeply than the first.

"When you take material that already exists and is so loved," says Stewart, "there is an absolute seriousness about retaining the quality of the original material. In writing a screenplay about the X-Men lore, you can?t approach it ironically or tongue-in-cheek or with the intention of making fun of it. The core...the heart...of the original comic books must remain the central focus and Bryan, the writers and the studio have been very faithful to those origins."

"The imaginative enhancement and expansion of this second film is absolutely thrilling," adds Stewart. "The degree to which they have added new dimensions and new perspectives has raised the bar, and the audience will be clamoring for more."

Patrick Stewart recently returned as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the latest installment of the phenomenally successful Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: Nemesis. He is starring and producing The Lion in the Winter, for television, and appears on the London stage in The Master Builder. Stewart is perhaps most famous for having originated the role of Captain Picard in the hit television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, which aired from 1988 to 1994. The role earned him ?Best Actor? nominations from the American TV Awards and the Screen Actors Guild.

Ian McKellen

Like Star Trek veteran Stewart, Ian McKellen is no stranger to reprising characters in a successful film franchise. "There was a huge confidence following the success of the first film," says McKellen, "because it was a little like a family coming back together again in front of and behind the camera. We all recognized that this film had more of everything...more characters, more action, a more engaging plot."

McKellen says the quality of the script and the detailing of characters is of utmost importance in film franchises. Characters like Magneto and [The Lord of the Rings?] Gandalf do have special powers that are required by the plot. However, for an actor, those abilities are not usually the most interesting aspects of the character. It?s the character?s inner life, inner strengths and the complications of their relationships with other people that add to the flash and the bravado of the moving pictures. "I believe in Magneto," says McKellen. "I believe he is a man with a real past, a real dilemma and a real purpose for being alive. That?s why I like him so much."

The Production

One of the less daunting, although critically important, decisions made by the production was where the second film would be shot. In 1999, X-Men spent five months on location in Toronto. This time, however, the filmmakers agreed that it made more sense to film in Vancouver. "We chose Vancouver because it had larger stage spaces to accommodate our truly gargantuan sets and we needed snow ? and lots of it ? for the third act," says producer Ralph Winter. "The Canadian Rockies are not that far from Vancouver which was convenient for us." Winter also states that Vancouver?s relatively close proximity to Los Angeles was another important consideration.

Filming began on location in Victoria, the provincial capital of British Columbia, where Hatley House at Royal Roads University served as Professor Xavier's mansion. Although the production utilised several non-studio locations in and around Vancouver, the majority of filming took place at the Vancouver Film Studios and the Mammoth Studios, a former Sears department store warehouse, where the production built the single largest sound stage in North America. In fact, X2 is not only the biggest budgeted movie to ever shoot in Canada but it was also the biggest ?build? in terms of sheer scale, time, personnel and studio space square footage.

Much of the responsibility of that work rested on the shoulders of production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas, who is one of the new members of the X2 team. It was Dyas who oversaw the creation and construction of twenty massive sets. "Designing this film was easier in some respects than the first X-Men because so much had been established in that film," Dyas points out. "We got to expand upon the wonderful work like the underground blue walls of Xavier?s mansion and, of course, Cerebro, both created by X-Men production designer John Myhre."

In developing the look of X2, Dyas, a former illustrator, personally created over 2,000 drawings, from thumbnail sketches to fully rendered Photoshop art. "Bryan wanted me to give him scope," says Dyas. "He wanted X2 to expand in terms of exteriors; he wanted more scale, more vistas. The look of the film had to reflect the expansion of the story. X2 had to feel bigger and be visually more imposing. You don't ever want to sit through a film and feel that you're in the same place you were three years ago."

Vintage Architecture

Dyas endeavored to give X2 a wide range of aesthetics, from classical to modern and high tech to vintage 1930s architecture. The film has both a more sophisticated look and comic book-like feel than its predecessor, with more light and shadow contrast and exaggerated camera angles. Dyas? designs provided the opportunity to open up the world of the X-Men to everything from beautifully manicured Italian gardens to barren snowscapes and derelict architecture. "Every few minutes you?re in a new environment," Dyas continues, "discovering new parts of the X-Mansion, X-Jet and locales new to the saga."

Dyas? creations include an abandoned Gothic-style church; a science museum built in a glass walled building (filmed at Vancouver?s Plaza of Nations), replete with scale reproductions of prehistoric dinosaur bones; a classical Victorian mansion; and Stryker?s Base, a concrete bunker-like structure situated underneath a dam at Alkali Lake. Stryker?s base (complete with a three-story-tall water spillway) occupied over half of the 113,000 square foot Mammoth Studios stage. The production ran over 60 miles of electrical cable through the massive compound, set up in such a way that director of photography Newton Thomas Sigel (another returnee from X-Men) would be able to light any part of the set at a moment?s notice. "Even though this was an extravagant undertaking, it made sense from a time standpoint," notes producer Ralph Winter.

At the Stryker base set, dark, dingy corridors wind their way through a chamber of horrors-like bunker, leading to its infamous ?Augmentation Room?, where Stryker conducts his hideous experiments on mutants ? including, at some point in the past, Wolverine. "The concrete has been left to go awry," Dyas notes of the compound. "I wanted to enhance the horror of it all with a lot of tiled, stark spaces that had been water-damaged and left to rot. You could almost smell the mold and mildew when you stepped on set."

By contrast, the plastic prison that serves as Magento?s 'home' is clean, clear and contemporary. "There's not an ounce of metal in there," says Dyas. "Even the surveillance cameras we designed are all transparent plastic." Dyas and his team also recreated several White House interiors, most notably an oversized replica of the Oval Office, including an exact reproduction of the new carpet designed by the current First Lady. The chandeliers were handmade and the many authentic looking paintings, including portraits of former Presidents and First Ladies, are prints which were convincingly textured to look like the original oil paintings.

The X-Jet

"The President's desk was painstakingly reproduced," says Dyas. "The crest at the front of the desk was hand crafted in clay. It's an incredibly elaborate desk that took two months of solid work to create." One of Dyas? most anticipated re-designs was for the X-Jet, which is also a favorite piece of ?X-otica for the fans.

A 'new and improved' version was necessary because more action takes place in the jet than in the first film. While the original vehicle was about 60 feet long, the new measures 85 feet, with a more streamlined and modern look. It has three distinct compartments: the cockpit, which is larger; the center section that has more seats and a changing area; and a rear cargo area that also houses the stairs. "A lot of people come and go inside the jet," says Dyas, "so we had to make it practical for that and for all of the movie equipment that had fit inside as well. I?m very pleased with the way the X-Jet turned out and hope the fans are, too."

Dyas took special pride and delight in planting near-subliminal ?X?s? throughout the sets ? from curtains to the X-Jet to a museum. "It was Bryan?s idea," Dyas notes, "and we think audiences will have a lot of fun looking for the X?s. It?s the X-Men version of ?Where?s Waldo.?" Dyas also streamlined Cyclops? visor, eliminating the 'ear muff'- like earpiece.

Effects

X2?s larger canvas also necessitated bigger visual effects, which were overseen by the original film?s visual effects supervisor, Michael Fink. Much of Fink?s work focused on the story?s third act, where he notes almost every cut involves a visual effect. Major digital wizardry also comes into play in scenes involving the flight of the X-Jet from Boston to the snowy mountains of Colorado - and an ensuing aerial battle - sequences involving Cerebro (perhaps the story?s most closely guarded secret) ? and Nightcrawler?s ?BAMPFs?. "As Nightcrawler moves at will from one spot to another, we created effects to make him look as if he?s dematerialising in three dimensions, then rematerialising in another spot," Fink explains.

Special makeup effects supervisor Gordon Smith designed and implemented Nightcrawler?s look. Smith, who developed the ground-breaking Mystique makeup for the first film, designed Nightcrawler?s appendages as well, including his prehensile tail. He explains that the tail that will be seen in the film will be a combination of several practical tails mixed with a computer generated tail created by Michael Fink.

Bigger and Better

As the filmmakers wrestled daily with the sometimes chaotic challenges of making X2 bigger and better than the first film, there was also a feeling of comfort and confidence on the set. Although three years had passed since starting the first film, Singer says everyone stepped right back into their roles. "There was a kind of confidence comes from mutual trust and familiarity," says the director. "I think we all felt more comfortable with each other this time. It made for a lot more fun, too."

"We?re here, we?ve arrived and we were successful," says Patrick Stewart. "I have a strong sense that the fans and the other cinema-goers are really anticipating the giant leap forward we?ve made with this second film." Hugh Jackman describes the opportunity of the second outing as a "luxury". "In film, you rarely get the chance to know a character so well on the first day of shooting," says Jackman. "With X2, from the first take you can hit your mark with an incredible amount of confidence...confidence in yourself as an actor and confidence in the vision and style of the film.

Director Singer is clearly sentimental when he speaks about Jackman and the rest of his returning cast. "I can remember walking into the lunch tent on any given day," recalls Singer, "and seeing Patrick eating with Ian, or Hugh chatting with Halle and Anna, or Rebecca and Famke laughing at Jimmy Marsden?s impersonations of me. It was a remarkable and memorable feeling. To see all my favourite superheroes hanging out with each other again was very cool. Making the first X-Men film was a tremendous experience, and the audience reactions were extremely gratifying. But after working on X2, it now feels like X-Men was almost like a preview for X2," he smiles.

For those who'd like a stab (or should that be 'a slash'?) at being Wolverine, there's a game available for PlayStation2, Xbox and GameCube called X-Men: Wolverine's Revenge - read all about it here.

X-Men 2 is out now, on DVD - on its own or as part of the X-Men/X-Men 2 'Essential Collection'.

More information available in DVD / Home Video