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CNN Saturday Morning News
Review of 'X-Men 2'
Aired May 03, 2003 - 09:50 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ROBIN MEADE, CNN ANCHOR: Anderson, a tattooed mutant who looks like a blue devil and speaks with a German accent is making news this weekend. Yes, he's a character...
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: I do not know vat you are talking about.
MEADE: Yes, he's a character, you see, in the new movie "X-2: X- Men United," which just opened worldwide.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "x-2: X-MEN UNITED")
PATRICK STEWART, ACTOR: They are the next link in the evolutionary chain, or simply a new species of humanity fighting for their share of the world.
PAUL CLINTON, CNN.COM FILM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Neither. "X-2: X-Men United" is actually the latest in a highly successful series now fighting with other film franchises for its share of the summer's box office pie.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "X-2: X-MEN UNITED")
STEWART: Since the discovery of their existence, mutants have been regarded with fear, suspicion, often hatred.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: Based a comic book series created during the height of the civil rights movement, "X-2" continues with the original's main themes, tolerance toward those who are different, and that ignorance creates fear.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "X-2: X-MEN UNITED")
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you tried not being a mutant?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: Director Bryan Singer has reunited Professor Xavier, Wolverine, Storm, Gene Gray, Mystique, Rogue and Magneto, while adding a few new characters in this Hollywood rarity, a sequel that's even better than its predecessor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "X-2: X-MEN UNITED")
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I keep feeling something terrible is about to happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: This time out, the budget is bigger. The original made $157 million domestically, and there's more action and more character development. But hands down, the best new addition to the X-Men is Night Crawler, a teleporting mutant played by Allan Cumming.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "X-2: X-MEN UNITED")
ALLAN CUMMING, ACTOR: Most people will never know anything beyond what they see.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: Well, there is plenty to see in "X-2, which is one of the best adaptations from comic book to movie screen in years. And, yes, Virginia, there will be a another. There's a big fat setup for "X-3" at the end of the film.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CLINTON: Hi, Robin, hi, Anderson. Yes, at first, "X-Men" made $54 million in its opening weekend, and this one is expected to top $70 million.
Now, there's going to definitely be a part three. However, Jackman and Halle Berry and Ian McKellen have not signed up yet for number three. And while the rest of the cast has. So there's going to be some interesting jockeying trying to get these people back on board for "X-3."
Now, there are 13 sequels this summer. There's going to be 25 total and -- between now and November. So this is sequel time extraordinaire. Now, Hollywood doesn't seem to have any original ideas, so if anybody has one, send it down, down here right away.
MEADE: You know, Paul, I suppose that the fascination for Hollywood with the sequels is that you already have a built-in brand. But what does a sequel have to do in order to be termed successful, when all is said and done?
CLINTON: Well, all is said and done, it basically just needs to get the people into the theater opening weekend with that brand name. And if it makes at least as much as the first one did, then they consider that a success. But on the other hand, when the expectations are so high, following "X-Men" or "Matrix" that's coming up, the expectations get so high that no one's happy unless it breaks 100 million or something in the first week.
MEADE: You -- so "X-2" is being released worldwide simultaneously. That is not usually the case. Why is that happening? CLINTON: Well, this is actually the first release of this type. It's going to be opening in 97 countries and territories simultaneously. That's never been done before. And I talked to a couple executives yesterday at Fox who were absolutely giddy with anticipation about the release of this film.
And they said basically the reason was that it has wide world appeal. Everybody knows about this subject in America because of the cable and because of the Internet. Everyone is aware of what's going on. So they want to open it worldwide.
Also, piracy is a big thing now, and the media screenings here in L.A., for the first time they're having to go through metal detectors and everything, just to get into a screening, because people have been videotaping it and putting it on the Web and selling it in China. So that's one of the reasons also for this worldwide release, so nobody can get it out there first.
MEADE: You know, I read your review on cnn.com, and you talked about, among other things, you talked about the special effects, something you call bancing (ph), which I suppose people who read the comics know that one. And then you also talked about what you said were some fascinating hairdos on some of these characters.
CLINTON: Well, the women have come back with much better hair. Halle Berry's white wig is much nicer, and it's a -- the woman playing Jean has a nice haircut, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) has a better haircut. So the woman came out better this time in terms of their dos. But unfortunately, Wolverine still has that bad haircut, looking like two miles of bad road. But that's part of his hair, that's part of his costume.
MEADE: All right. And bancing is how one of the characters gets in and out of a screen, correct?
CLINTON: Right.
MEADE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), all right.
CLINTON: That's like Night Crawler, how he gets into -- he leaves behind carbon as he bits back and forth (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
MEADE: All right. Paul, thank you so much.
CLINTON: Thank you.
COOPER: I am definitely going to go see it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 3, 2003 - 09:50 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ROBIN MEADE, CNN ANCHOR: Anderson, a tattooed mutant who looks like a blue devil and speaks with a German accent is making news this weekend. Yes, he's a character...
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: I do not know vat you are talking about.
MEADE: Yes, he's a character, you see, in the new movie "X-2: X- Men United," which just opened worldwide.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "x-2: X-MEN UNITED")
PATRICK STEWART, ACTOR: They are the next link in the evolutionary chain, or simply a new species of humanity fighting for their share of the world.
PAUL CLINTON, CNN.COM FILM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Neither. "X-2: X-Men United" is actually the latest in a highly successful series now fighting with other film franchises for its share of the summer's box office pie.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "X-2: X-MEN UNITED")
STEWART: Since the discovery of their existence, mutants have been regarded with fear, suspicion, often hatred.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: Based a comic book series created during the height of the civil rights movement, "X-2" continues with the original's main themes, tolerance toward those who are different, and that ignorance creates fear.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "X-2: X-MEN UNITED")
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you tried not being a mutant?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: Director Bryan Singer has reunited Professor Xavier, Wolverine, Storm, Gene Gray, Mystique, Rogue and Magneto, while adding a few new characters in this Hollywood rarity, a sequel that's even better than its predecessor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "X-2: X-MEN UNITED")
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I keep feeling something terrible is about to happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: This time out, the budget is bigger. The original made $157 million domestically, and there's more action and more character development. But hands down, the best new addition to the X-Men is Night Crawler, a teleporting mutant played by Allan Cumming.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "X-2: X-MEN UNITED")
ALLAN CUMMING, ACTOR: Most people will never know anything beyond what they see.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: Well, there is plenty to see in "X-2, which is one of the best adaptations from comic book to movie screen in years. And, yes, Virginia, there will be a another. There's a big fat setup for "X-3" at the end of the film.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CLINTON: Hi, Robin, hi, Anderson. Yes, at first, "X-Men" made $54 million in its opening weekend, and this one is expected to top $70 million.
Now, there's going to definitely be a part three. However, Jackman and Halle Berry and Ian McKellen have not signed up yet for number three. And while the rest of the cast has. So there's going to be some interesting jockeying trying to get these people back on board for "X-3."
Now, there are 13 sequels this summer. There's going to be 25 total and -- between now and November. So this is sequel time extraordinaire. Now, Hollywood doesn't seem to have any original ideas, so if anybody has one, send it down, down here right away.
MEADE: You know, Paul, I suppose that the fascination for Hollywood with the sequels is that you already have a built-in brand. But what does a sequel have to do in order to be termed successful, when all is said and done?
CLINTON: Well, all is said and done, it basically just needs to get the people into the theater opening weekend with that brand name. And if it makes at least as much as the first one did, then they consider that a success. But on the other hand, when the expectations are so high, following "X-Men" or "Matrix" that's coming up, the expectations get so high that no one's happy unless it breaks 100 million or something in the first week.
MEADE: You -- so "X-2" is being released worldwide simultaneously. That is not usually the case. Why is that happening? CLINTON: Well, this is actually the first release of this type. It's going to be opening in 97 countries and territories simultaneously. That's never been done before. And I talked to a couple executives yesterday at Fox who were absolutely giddy with anticipation about the release of this film.
And they said basically the reason was that it has wide world appeal. Everybody knows about this subject in America because of the cable and because of the Internet. Everyone is aware of what's going on. So they want to open it worldwide.
Also, piracy is a big thing now, and the media screenings here in L.A., for the first time they're having to go through metal detectors and everything, just to get into a screening, because people have been videotaping it and putting it on the Web and selling it in China. So that's one of the reasons also for this worldwide release, so nobody can get it out there first.
MEADE: You know, I read your review on cnn.com, and you talked about, among other things, you talked about the special effects, something you call bancing (ph), which I suppose people who read the comics know that one. And then you also talked about what you said were some fascinating hairdos on some of these characters.
CLINTON: Well, the women have come back with much better hair. Halle Berry's white wig is much nicer, and it's a -- the woman playing Jean has a nice haircut, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) has a better haircut. So the woman came out better this time in terms of their dos. But unfortunately, Wolverine still has that bad haircut, looking like two miles of bad road. But that's part of his hair, that's part of his costume.
MEADE: All right. And bancing is how one of the characters gets in and out of a screen, correct?
CLINTON: Right.
MEADE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), all right.
CLINTON: That's like Night Crawler, how he gets into -- he leaves behind carbon as he bits back and forth (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
MEADE: All right. Paul, thank you so much.
CLINTON: Thank you.
COOPER: I am definitely going to go see it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
