Nice Artwork! This artwork looks cool. Gonna have to purchase this one. Good film as well, one of the best this summer so far.

Better Than The Japanese Art For Sure X2 was a lot better than the first and a lot better than I expected. I would really recommend seeing this when it's released if you haven't yet.
             -Keon440

Quote: Originally posted by Simon Daoudi
I don't know why but it makes me think of the Star Wars DVD's...

Only with a half decent film on instead

bonk

Artwork does look good.

There was talk of a boxset containing both films, with the X-Men 1.5 (2-disc) and X-Men 2 (2-disc).

Does anyone know if this is being released at the same time ?

Urmmm Are you sure Rik? Fox won't even confirm to me the official releasedate for the second film yet. There's no mention of a two pack release on Fox's press site yet either. I guess they might announce it along with the specs within the next couple of days.

Alexander Dukas- read Quote: Originally posted by Alexander Dukas

The Region 2 version with everyone looks much better and considering that this movie and the next one is largely centered around Jean's emerging Phoenix force enhanced powers the fact that she's not on the cover is disturbing and disgusting.

I'll also be curious to see if they hook her up with Wolverine in the next film.  

It never happens in the comics, but Janssen and Jackman have such chemistry I don't know how they can justify not doing it!

SPOILERS BELOW!!!
Spoiler What are you talking about? Jean Grey/Phoenix DIES at the end of the film. How could Jean and Wolverine "hook up" in the next film? And how could the next film focus on her?
             -Keon440

CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS: If you didn't read the X-Men comics back in the day when they did the Phoenix Saga and later on Jean's return in Avengers / FF / X-Factor... It's actually going to be a fairly complicated thing to adapt for film but here's what happened ORIGINALLY...

In the comics, in the late 70's, Jean and some of the X-Men got kidnapped by The Evil Stephen Lang and his robotic Sentinels and they were then held prisoner aboard SHIELD's Orbital Platform.  

Naturally, the free X-Men came up in a shuttle and saved them.  

But the hull near the cockpit of the shuttle got damaged during the fight.  

To make matters worse, there was a fierce cosmic radiation storm (Caused by solar flares from the sun) outside the space station and the already damaged cockpit of the shuttle wasn't sufficiently shielded against the radiation the way the life-cell they were carrying on board was.  

Jean quickly realized that she might be able to save her friends.  She would attempt to do so by using her telepathy to learn how to fly the shuttle from X-Ally and astronaut Dr. Peter Corbeau.  She then sealed the hole in the hull with a piece of debris she psychokinetically welded into place and then hoped that her psychokinetic powers would be strong enough to protect her from the fierce radiation as she piloted the ship back to Earth with her friends safely inside the life-cell.  

But the solar flare proved to be too much for her powers.  

The last scene in the comic was the sound of Jean's PK screens giving way and her wide eyed panic as she faced her mortality.  

At the very beginning of the NEXT issue, the shuttle crashes in Jamaica Bay in New York City.  

Everyone makes it to the surface except Jean who then suddenly and majestically rises out of the water in her Phoenix outfit and declares herself to be the Phoenix and then passes out and is taken to the hospital.

Everyone eventually recovers, they continue to adventure both here and across the cosmos, and life basically goes back to normal with Jean's powers getting stronger and stronger.  

However, Jean slowly falls prey to unconscious psychic seduction/manipulation by the illusionist Mastermind who is seeking entry into the Hellfire Club.  

He basically frees up Jean's Id and demolishes her Super-Ego with primitive  fantasies and all hell then breaks loose as she becomes Dark Phoenix.  

Fortunately, she eventually nails him for his misdeeds.

Dark Phoenix then goes on flight around the cosmos and on an eating and (indirectly) killing spree on a planetary scale.

Dark Phoenix returns to Earth after her day out and slugs it out with the X-Men culminating into a big battle with Professor X on the lawn at Jean's parent's house.  

Professor X and Jean slug it out on the astral plane and he helps her (temporarily) contain Dark Phoenix.  

However, while Jean was on the eating/killing spree she consumed a sun that was providing solar support to a nearby populated planet (D'Bari Prime) in the D'Bari star system who was a member of the Shi'ar Empire who then decide to come after Phoenix and they are pissed!  

Professor X demands that Jean and the X-Men get a chance to fight for her life in a duel of honor and they fight it out with the Imperial Guard whom they had previously fought during the D'Ken, M'Kraan Crystal, and StarJammer storylines where Jean helped Save The Universe.  

They, the X-Men, after a valiant fight basically lose and Jean feels Dark Phoenix beginning to take hold again.  

To save her friends and the universe (Again), she explains that she can't possibly be expected to contain and manage something as powerful as The Phoenix Force and Dark Phoenix every second for the rest of her life.  Jean then disintegrates and kills herself using an alien weapon before a horrified Cyclops.

But that was not to be the end of the story...

Marvel wanted to bring Jean back and so did a lot of us fans but the stipulation was that she would not be responsible for the horrific crimes of Dark Phoenix.  

One of their editors had actually hypothesized and come up with a storyline to get around that problem back in college and Marvel's brass loved the idea.  The fans would be divided.  Jean Cultists loved it while those who liked the nobility with which Jean met her end felt ripped off.  The storyline was VERY controversial.

Since we didn't EVER actually SEE what happened in the cockpit AFTER Jean's PK screens began to collapse and before Phoenix appeared out of the water this "re-write" of history is something that COULD HAVE happened without us or the X-Men knowing it.  Therefore, it wasn't really a contradiction of history or what we/they saw or we the readers read.  

It was simply an additional piece of information that we and the X-Men didn't have at that time and it holds up perfectly well.

Here's what WE DIDN'T SEE and what they decided REALLY HAPPENED (5 years after it actually happened!)...

While Jean was being cooked by the cosmic radiation on the shuttle while on the way back to Earth, she desperately and reactively called out for aid with her telepathic powers.  

The cosmic entity known as The Phoenix Force heard her, had an agenda of it's own, and then decided to answer her distress call.  

It agreed to save Jean's original body, in exchange for a temporary merging, but explained that restoring it would not be easy and would be a lengthy process.  

Having obtained her consent, it then immediately knocked Jean out and then enfolded Jean's dying original body in a protective and regenerative cocoon which immediately began the looooong process of repairing it.

It then assumed Jean's very own form by using its essence to create and then inhabit a physical/mental/spiritual clone of Jean which was identical in EVERY WAY to the original Jean and then wiped the memory of what happened aboard the shuttle from her/its memory.  

The Phoenix Force wanted to experience what it was to be human and Jean was it's ticket.  

When the shuttle crashed, the cocoon containing Real Jean remained quietly at the bottom of Jamaica Bay for many years and everyone assumed Faux Jean Phoenix was The Real Jean... and really she sort of was... she was just an identical clone who was actually a vessel made up of The Phoenix Force.

What we LATER learned was that when The Faux Jean Phoenix killed herself, The Phoenix Force sought out Real Jean's cocooned body in Jamaica Bay but her comatose mind and unconscious were so horrified at what Phoenix had done she would not re-establish her link with it.  

She would not remember this interaction until the Inferno Storyline.

Years later, after a plane carrying some escaping Villains Du Jour crashed in Jamaica Bay, the Avengers (later aided by the Fantastic Four) detected a high-energy reaction at the bottom of Jamaica Bay.  Initially, they assumed it was from the cargo onboard the plane but later learned it was coming from an object at the bottom of the bay.  

They retrieved the object emitting the energy which also attempted to keep them away through some invisible force (Jean's PK) and then took it to their lab.  

The Invisible Woman used her powers to make the surface invisible and it was revealed to be the restored original Jean Grey inside though the Avengers and the FF didn't know/figure out who she was until later.  

Reed Richard's then used a Bio-Stimulator Device on Jean which caused her to flex her dramatically strengthened psychokinetic powers and blow the cocoon apart.  

Unfortunately, the Bio-Stimulator also crippled Jean's telepathic powers which would not fully return for many years until a life and death fight with a psychic entity on the astral plane forced her telepathic powers to re-awaken so she could kick his ass.

Once she was freed from the cocoon she had been resting in at the bottom of Jamaica Bay, and after briefly fighting with her rescuers before they were able to explain some of what happened to her, the Avengers/FF took Jean to her parents house in Annandale in mid-upstate New York.  

There, they found a Holempathic Matrix Crystal which contained emotional and visual memories of Jean's life.

It had been given to her parents by the Shi'ar out of respect because Jean had also been instrumental in saving the empire and the universe in the past.  

Jean held the device and experienced her whole life again and also those missing years when the Phoenix duplicate took over.

The FF/Avengers immediately contacted Warren Worthington, the Angel, who then called all the original X-Men back together.

Needless to say, everyone, was delighted that Jean was alive and that she personally had never become the evil Dark Phoenix.

The team re-united and formed X-Factor.

Scott and Jean after an excruciatingly sweet and prolonged estrangement eventually got back together.

Scott had already left behind his wife and their son when he helped co-found X-Factor to be with his friends and Jean.

ALL the X-Men were eventually reunited in the Inferno Storyline and that was when it was revealed that Madelyn Pryor (Scott's second wife and a Jean look-alike) was in fact yet another clone of Jean made by Mr. Sinister.  

During the Inferno Storyline, Jean absorbed and began to re-integrate all the experiences, feelings, and memories of both Faux Jean Phoenix and Madelyn Pryor.  

It would be a long process of forming a new, stable, integrated, and expanded personality structure.  

It was also during Inferno that she re-established her link with the The Phoenix Force which had been hiding out inside Madelyn.

Some time later, Jean was once again able to enhance her already fantastically enhanced and still growing powers by tapping into The Phoenix Force (Think of the original Enterprise and then the current one and you'll get the difference) but this time with complete control and without the Dark Phoenix effects.

She also took the Codename of Phoenix seeing that she would always be connected to it.

Currently, Jean's powers continue to expand even further as does her relationship with The Phoenix Force and so far she seems to be handling it OK.

As for the movies...

The X-Movies have essentially taken what happened in the comics and then simplified and hyper-condensed it in terms of the time-tables and the specific details and the ages of the characters.  

It seems they are now apparently going to tackle the tres complex Phoenix Saga.

And so far, I absolutely love what they have done.

Having Magneto's Mutator Device in X1 be the trigger for Jean's transformation into Phoenix was an interesting idea although it makes it out to be something mutated and manifesting in Jean herself rather then a pre-existing celestial entity that decided it wanted to bond.

Having Jean save them from the flooding waters of the ruptured dam (Rather then from radiation) -- while reaching a critical stage and choice in terms of her metamorphosis into Phoenix -- was brilliant.  

The whole thing with the dam collapsing and Jean fighting Cyclops in the generator room was also very symbolic of what was happening inside Jean herself in that her repression and her sublimation of her powers and her more primitive side were collapsing and aggression, feeling, and sensation were all starting to take control.  

Just like her relationship with Wolverine and just like the breaking dam itself.  

I wonder if the screenwriters were aware of the symbolism directly or if it just came out?

What will be interesting to see is how they handle the Phoenix and Dark Phoenix storylines since we now know that Jean in fact never directly became Dark Phoenix and also because of the fact that Dark Phoenix does in fact die.

Jean (as you may have guessed) is my favorite character, as is the movie version of Wolverine, who is waaay smarter and sexier then the comic version, and has much more intellectual and emotional chemistry with Jean then Cyclops.

Additionally, at the end of X2 there are two BIG clues that Jean will return.

Professor X looks out the window, suddenly seeming to sense something (A psychic communication from Jean, perhaps?) and then smiles brightly saying he thinks things will be fine.

Meanwhile, back at Alkali Lake while the camera moves over the water, you see The Phoenix Effect (Jean's trademark) shining up towards the surface from the depths of the water as the music swells and Famke Janssen's monologue ends and the credits roll.

I simply cannot wait for X3!

Clay McKeon- Jean comes back in #3... Hey Clay.  In the comics there was a really famous story arc back in the late 70's or early 80's (can't remember) of the X-Men comics where Jean "died" but came back really powerful with this "cosmic entity" called the "Phoenix Force".  The comic arc was called the Phoenix Saga and is still considered one of the best X-Men comic story arcs today.

In the X-Men 2 movie they were alluding to this story line everytime Jeans eyes lit up or there was a fire effect.

Essentialy the writers were setting up the movie storyline with the "Phoenix saga" as a template so Jean IS coming back next movie as the phoenix....

Don't worry, most of my friends were confused at the end of the movie too because they didn't know anything about the comics or the past storylines...so jean didn't "die"...shes coming back...

hope that clears things up :-)

Different FS/WS covers. I own a rental store, and honestly, my customers and I really like the different covers for WS and FS. It helps them notice that they should be looking at which one they are grabbing. Spider-man was the best one. X2 doesn't really look like their different enough.

Also, hooray for the amray case on this one. if they're making a box set are they putting 1.5 in an Amray case also?

That's worth rebuying it for me.

Phoenix C'mon Clay.  Let's get up to speed here.  Are you telling me that the final scene of X2 went over your head?

you are right about Jean Grey ALEX DUKAS you are completely right!disgusted that they dont have Jean Grey on any of the covers since the movie is mostly about her and the Phoenix Force.

Clay MCkeon Jean doesnt die if you look at the las five minutes of the movie you would see a reflection of a Phoenix flying over the lake. How could you have missed that?

4 dISC sET THE FOUR DISC SET WHICH HAS X-MEN 1.5 AND X2 IS PROBLABLY GOING TO BE $40.00 THAT IS JUST TO MUCH.(my guess)

Hmmm... After thinking it about that final shot, it occurred to me one way it could have been possible.  

Like this:

Jean makes her monologue, she's standing up at some high-vantage point over looking the lake, then she uses her PK and takes off and then as she's flying over the water she kicks her Phoenix Force into high-gear and the fire bird images appears around her while she is flying over the water and so it reflects off the surface of the water.

Either that, or, as I originally suggested,it's coming from under the water.

However, as people have said, it looks like the Phoenix Effect could have been reflecting off the surface of the water as well.

I'd love to ask Bryan Singer what he intended with that last shot.

One thing that's tempting to think about is that now that they are doing a Fantastic Four Movie(s) they might be able to do some cross-overs down the road if they do decide to do the Dark Phoenix storyline and then the later story of Jean's resurrection.

Now as to the news...

First of all, everyone who wants to stay current on Superhero Films currently in development needs to be checking out this site below on a regular basis...



Secondly, there will almost definitely be an X3... and possibly an X4 and X5 and beyond since the episodic nature of the X-Stories and the 40 years of X-History could build a mighty franchise.

Here is why X3 is almost certainly a go...

The first reason is that Bryan Singer has confirmed that he did indeed complete his first draft of the screenplay and both he and Marvel have said the project is moving along and he'll probably direct.  

The main issues are synchronizing everyone's schedules and getting Patrick Stewart and Hugh Jackman to return since neither are contractually obligated to.

Everyone else (Most importantly our beloved Famke Janssen) is in the bag.

Also at issue are getting Ian McKellen and Halle Berry who are a little bit more optional in that you could easily do a movie without them and it wouldn't be that big a deal.  Better to have them, but not having them wouldn't be the end of the world.  

I'm also personally irritated with Halle Berry for her outrageous Post-Oscar demands in terms of money and status (Even just to appear in high-end comic book adaptations like these) that I'd just as soon they get rid of her and either re-cast Storm with someone like Vanessa Williams (who would have been MY first choice) or just send Storm off on a mission and mention why she's not there.

Considering how well the X-Films have been received and how much money this movie will make through products, TV re-broadcasts, and DVD releases (I'm sure there will be a standard edition and then a special 2.5 edition later) and considering how much it has made in relation to how much it cost to produce and market, it is almost guaranteed that there will be an X3.

As for Jean's monologue, it's actually just Famke Janssen repeating EXACTLY what Professor X says in the opening credits of the first X-Men Movie:

"Mutation, it is the key to our evolution... (fill in the rest) ... but every hundred millenia or so evolution jumps forward."

It's precisely when she finishes speaking that the music swells and the camera zooms over the water and the Phoenix Effect dances upward from below the surface OR FROM upon the surface of the water from her place above if indeed she is flying over the water.