X2 is certainly a film largely driven by special effects. While watching the movie, it becomes clear that the special effects are essential to move the story forward. For example, it would be nearly impossible to tell the story of Mystique without showing her morph into different characters. The excitement of Magneto's escape hinges on the audience's belief that Magneto is really able to sense and extract the minute amounts of iron in the guard's body.

It is also interesting to pay special attention to the characters' wardrobes. The film's costume designers apparently referenced the comic book series to guide decisions regarding the characters' clothing and to ensure that it retained each character's essence. For example, in the gothic church, Jean can be seen wearing a jacket with a phoenix embroidered on the back, referring to her comic book X-Name. The letter X is...