Which had the better second act-Spidey or X-Men?

[Chris Wallace]

THis is a simple discussion of Spider-man 2 vs. X2.

[El Payaso]

Spiderman 2. Simple. I found X2 quite boring whereas Spiderman 2 was a great superhero movie. That said I put X-Men 1 and 3 over Spiderman 1 and 3.

[Chris Wallace]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/Leatherface1015/spiderman2.jpg

[FOOM]

I enjoyed them All but, IMO - the first two Spider-Man movies were among the best super hero movies Ever. LOVED Them!

[SuperT]

I really never understood why people thought Spiderman 2 was amazing. I thought it was good but nothing like people kept building it up to be.

X2 still wow's me every time I watch. My favorite superhero movie of all time.

[Chris Wallace]

I love hearing the opposing view!

[JoeyConQueso]

I still like S-M 2 a lot but I'm not too keen on the stuff going on in Peter's personal life outside of the costume, the subway train fight scene was a lot better than the climactic battle, and I didn't really see the need for Doc Ock to be sympathetic. Personally, it was like Peter reverted back to the nerd that was chasing the bus at the beginning of the first movie. It was a little hard for me to sit through scenes like the one where he gets slapped up by Harry and does nothing, and still root for the guy. At the end, there's still a lot more for me to enjoy than there's not.

I think X2 is great all around and is the best of the series but I have weird taste when it comes to the X movies. Of the 3, the first one is still my least favorite.

[co2]

That's actually a difficult question fo me to answer. I think in the end I have to go with Spidey because I'm more of a Spider-man fan, but those are what I consider Marvel's best film's to date. Only the first IronMan came close to the quality, but those two have yet to be rivalled IMO.

[Chris Wallace]

Haven't heard from you in a while. Nice to see you still have that Hulk avi.

[Ipodman]

I love both 2s, but if I had to pick, then Spidey 2. The villain there is far more interesting than... Stryker?

[Chris Wallace]

Let's not knock Stryker. His whole bit about "nobody even knows how many (mutants) exist, or how to find them...except you." was memorable to say the least.

[Ipodman]

Yea... it was good. But Doc Ock made me care about him.

[Chris Wallace]

No denying that. I couldn't wait for Stryker to die and I clung to hope of Ock surviving.

[Havok83]

X2! Spiderman 2 was HIGHLY overrated

http://cinegeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/x2_x_men_united.jpg

[Iron_Stark]

Spiderman 2. Simple. I found X2 quite boring whereas Spiderman 2 was a great superhero movie. That said I put X-Men 1 and 3 over Spiderman 1 and 3.

X-Men 3? lmaooo

That movie was all sorts of terrible, but that's for another discussion.


back on topic, Spider-Man 2, easily.

[co2]

Haven't heard from you in a while. Nice to see you still have that Hulk avi.

Thanks! I'm still around...if there is an interesting topic to be had.

[El Payaso]

X-Men 3? lmaooo

That movie was all sorts of terrible, but that's for another discussion.

So was Spiderman 1. :o

[Wesley Dodds]

Pffft. Spidey 2. I really enjoy the first 2 X-Movies but Spider-Man 2 is still the greatest comic book movie of all time.

[Red Mask]

THis is a simple discussion of Spider-man 2 vs. X2.

Do you mean sequel or 2nd act in the film's story?

If you mean sequel it's Spider-Man 2 all the way!

[Chris Wallace]

I meant sequel, Red Mask. As both are trilogies the 2nd installment can be considered the 2nd "act".

[Willie Lumpkin]

This is a tricky question because I think Spidey 2 was a better overall, stand-alone film, but in terms of developing the story and characters and acting as a true "second act" to the broader trilogy, X-Men was better.

X-Men had a well constructed three film arc and even though the Spider-man films were better in many ways I don't think they built and developed themselves as skillfully as the X-Men three-story arc.

[Willie Lumpkin]

I meant sequel, Red Mask. As both are trilogies the 2nd installment can be considered the 2nd "act".

I didn't read closely enough. With that context, I'd change my vote from X-Men to Spidey, but from a literal interpretation of "2nd act" I'd go with X-Men.

[GREEN =w= DAY]

i liked both films, but i personally thought that X2 was a better film overall

[The Overlord]

Yea... it was good. But Doc Ock made me care about him.

A pure evil villain can just be as compelling as a sympathetic one. You cared about Stryker, you cared about him getting his just desserts.

A bland villain like the villains you had in the Elektra villains are ones you don't care about, they aren't evil, they aren't sympathetic, they are just there.

[Deaths Head II]

I think X2 is a way better overall film.

[Chris Wallace]

So was Spiderman 1. :o

The ONLY superhero film I like more than Spider-Man 1 is Spider-Man 2.
This is a tricky question because I think Spidey 2 was a better overall, stand-alone film, but in terms of developing the story and characters and acting as a true "second act" to the broader trilogy, X-Men was better.

X-Men had a well constructed three film arc and even though the Spider-man films were better in many ways I don't think they built and developed themselves as skillfully as the X-Men three-story arc.

I can understand that sentiment, but I don't agree with it. With Spidey, I felt like the actors had gotten more settled into their roles, and I really appreciated the character development. Seeing Peter struggle to find balance between his duties as Spider-Man and attempting to live a life-at which he initially failed miserably-made for great storytelling. I liked seeing Harry deal with his demons and his vendetta. And while MJ could've been less desperate and needy throughout for my tastes, I understood where that came from and in the end she came out strong. X2 seemed kinda lost in some ways and contradicted both itself and its predecessor at times. Some characters had developed while others seemingly regressed or diminished for the sake of moving the story where they wanted it to go rather than where it would have gone naturally. Halle abandoned any attempt to truly be Storm and basically just played herself. What was the point in Deathstrike carrying a plastic gun if her body was loaded with metal? Rogue could suddenly touch people for up to 30 seconds without knocking them out. A bullet to the head puts Wolverine out cold? Since when? And how does a telepath of Xavier's caliber succumb so easily to an illusion-especially when he knows who's doing it? If Jean could power up a plane and halt a tidal wave, why couldn't she just levitate herself out of harm's way? How could she stop one missile and not the other? I'm a fan of X2, but the holes in it are abundant.

[El Payaso]

The ONLY superhero film I like more than Spider-Man 1 is Spider-Man 2.

:huh:

[Spidey-Quad]

I really never understood why people thought Spiderman 2 was amazing. I thought it was good but nothing like people kept building it up to be.

X2 still wow's me every time I watch. My favorite superhero movie of all time.

Well Duh! Just look at your Avatar, you like X-Men

Guess who I picked ...

[co2]

Well Duh! Just look at your Avatar, you like X-Men

Guess who I picked ...

............................Underdog?


:cwink:

[Doc Ock]

I don't like picking between the two as I love both films...I need to rewatch the both of them again!

[Spidey 2007]

X2 for me easily. I loved the feel of it and I just personally love and have a strong connection to the X-men and their movies. X2 is a sweeping epic thats always a joy to watch for me.

Spider-Man 2 is my least favorite Spidey flick. Something seemed off about it to me, I found it rather boring on the 3rd or 4th time I watched it. Where as X2 and many other 2's, I can watch endlessly. Spidey 1 and 3 arent nearly as boring to me. As far as Spider-man goes I enjoy the more in your face/energetic style that 1 and 3 have. On a technical level Spider-man 2 is simply amazing, and I can appreciate that at least, I just think its highly over rated on a whole.

For the record I think x3 is pretty trash compared to X1 and 2. Its an insult to the first 2. A shame really.

[spider-neil]

SM2.
I think the second act is the best second act in a superhero movie, fullstop (including TDK). the clocktower to the train, the reveal to harry, the final ock battle and the fusion machine, MINDBLOWING!

[Chris Wallace]

SM2.
I think the second act is the best second act in a superhero movie, fullstop (including TDK). the clocktower to the train, the reveal to harry, the final ock battle and the fusion machine, MINDBLOWING!

^This. :spidey:

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

This is a hard one for me, X-Men and Spiderman are my 2 favourite heroes, always have been, always will be, both films are fantastic too, I dont care what anyone says, in terms of Marvel movies at least, they are yet to be beaten, but I would just have to give the edge to X2 here.





I can understand that sentiment, but I don't agree with it. With Spidey, I felt like the actors had gotten more settled into their roles, and I really appreciated the character development. Seeing Peter struggle to find balance between his duties as Spider-Man and attempting to live a life-at which he initially failed miserably-made for great storytelling. I liked seeing Harry deal with his demons and his vendetta. And while MJ could've been less desperate and needy throughout for my tastes, I understood where that came from and in the end she came out strong. X2 seemed kinda lost in some ways and contradicted both itself and its predecessor at times. Some characters had developed while others seemingly regressed or diminished for the sake of moving the story where they wanted it to go rather than where it would have gone naturally. Halle abandoned any attempt to truly be Storm and basically just played herself. What was the point in Deathstrike carrying a plastic gun if her body was loaded with metal? Rogue could suddenly touch people for up to 30 seconds without knocking them out. A bullet to the head puts Wolverine out cold? Since when? And how does a telepath of Xavier's caliber succumb so easily to an illusion-especially when he knows who's doing it? If Jean could power up a plane and halt a tidal wave, why couldn't she just levitate herself out of harm's way? How could she stop one missile and not the other? I'm a fan of X2, but the holes in it are abundant.

Most of those holes as you call them could easily be explained, I could do it myself, but just cant be bothered. Not to mention, there are just as many holes in Spiderman 2, Ock throwing a car directly at Peter without the knowledge he was Spiderman, Spidey's punches not caving Ock's face in, yet an umbrella swing from Aunt May takes him out for 30 seconds at leasy, Spidey surviving falls while losing his powers that would obliterate a normal human, Ock not leaving his machine to save his wife when she was clearly in danger, these are all just off the top of my head without watching the movie in over a year. Both have holes, and plenty of them, yet the good outways the bad so much in both its unbelievable.

What I love about both movies is that both of them have some of the best action scene's in the genre, yet the dramatic scene's in both are just as good as any scene in both.

[ghostrider92]

x2 is better then spiderman 2 .

[Chris Wallace]

This is a hard one for me, X-Men and Spiderman are my 2 favourite heroes, always have been, always will be, both films are fantastic too, I dont care what anyone says, in terms of Marvel movies at least, they are yet to be beaten, but I would just have to give the edge to X2 here.





Most of those holes as you call them could easily be explained, I could do it myself, but just cant be bothered. Not to mention, there are just as many holes in Spiderman 2, Ock throwing a car directly at Peter without the knowledge he was Spiderman, Spidey's punches not caving Ock's face in, yet an umbrella swing from Aunt May takes him out for 30 seconds at leasy, Spidey surviving falls while losing his powers that would obliterate a normal human, Ock not leaving his machine to save his wife when she was clearly in danger, these are all just off the top of my head without watching the movie in over a year. Both have holes, and plenty of them, yet the good outways the bad so much in both its unbelievable.

What I love about both movies is that both of them have some of the best action scene's in the genre, yet the dramatic scene's in both are just as good as any scene in both.
I pointed out those holes in response to the statement that X2 had better development & was a better progression of its story than Spidey 2, when in fact it contradicted its predecessor many times over. I forgot about the part where Mystique was able to pass for Jean until Wolverine discovered the very scars that he gave her the last time she'd tried to trick him. Did he forget what she smelled like?
True, none of these exactly ruined my enjoyment or else the movie would not be on my DVD shelf now. But your complaints on Spidey seem to be coantradictions in terms of reality while my X2 nitpicks have to do with inconsistencies within the story.

[slicer4444]

tough call, but I'm leaning toward Spider-Man 2. but maybe it's because Spider-man's been my favorite superhero since i was 5...:woot:.

[NewOthello]

Spider-man 2 was a lot better in my opinion. The train fight is great. X2 is good also but not as exciting to me.

[The Joker]

Easily Spider-Man 2. Better story, better villain, and a deeper emotional core. Plus the action in Spider-Man 2 blows X-Men 2's out of the water. The Nightcrawler sequence in the White House is the only scene that rivals Spider-Man 2's action.

[Chris Wallace]

I'd put the Wolverine/Deathstrike fight at a moderately close second.

[Mary Jane Watson]

Spider man 2. hands down!
When I was like in 10 years old, when that movie came out. I just cant explain how much i loved that movie..! I even watched that movie for like 100 times or more than that :) when if i cant sleep, i would pick that movie to make me fall asleep..if you know what i am talking about.
It is so funny cuz yesterday, i randomly found X2 in my tv..so I decided to watch it anyways. That movie is pretty alright but it was not that exciting for me.
But it is just me :)

[Mary Jane Watson]

excused for my bad grammar!

[SuperT]

The Nightcrawler sequence in the White House is the only scene that rivals Spider-Man 2's action.

Would really have to disagree with you on that one man. In addition the the opening Nighcrawler scene:

- Stryker's men invading the mansion
- Storm w/ the tornados/dogfighting scene in the X-Jet
- The scene at Bobby Drake's house
- Mystique infiltrating Strykers base
- Wolvie vs. Deathstrike

I'm sure there's few more I'm missing.

[Chris Wallace]

I don't think any of those could touch Spidey 2's action, except for the last.

[El Payaso]

I don't think any of those could touch Spidey 2's action, except for the last.

Same here. For me not even the last one.

[Chris Wallace]

And not one of them has a hope in hell of touching the train scene.

[DACrowe]

While X1 and X2 are better than SM3, every Raimi-Spider film was better than its "act" counterpart in the X franchise.

SM1>X1
SM2>X2
SM3>X3

But Singer's movies were better than SM3. It's just however high the X-films got for the genre (at the time) Spidey would pass it. And when both fell on their third installment, X-Men fell much lower, in my opinion.

[DACrowe]

I will add from the time Spidey swings to the clock tower until the credits roll, SM2 is perfect. It has the most satisfying third act of any superhero movie. Sure TDK is better overall, but it peaked with Harvey Dent getting scarred and Joker escaping. SM2 peaked with the train, but that was really part of one epic, punctuated climax, in my opinion.

[3dman27]

my votes for the alleged weasel

[The Caped Knight]

http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/312/wallpaperspiderman20416.jpg
SPIDER-MAN 2, without question the story was solid, the cast was prefect , Doc Ock was outstanding , the visual effects were very impressive and the train fight sequence between spidey vs. Doc Ock is unmatched

[Chris Wallace]

my votes for the alleged weasel

:huh:

[3dman27]

wall crawling weasel=spidey

[Team Andino]

I loved both sequels but as a kid I was a bigger Spider-Man fan then I was an X-Men fan, none the less I think there both great and now that I think about it it's been to long since I've seen either of them. Maybe that's how I'll spend my new years day?!

[Eggyman]

Spidey 2. No denying X2 is great, but I'm just not fond of X-Men in general. Easy for me.

[thegameq]

This is an easy one--and honestly not even close.

Which movie more closely resembles a comicbook come to life?

Which movie gave us (finally!) a real superhero smackdown?

Which movie made you--well me anyways--smile like a little boy throughout the whole movie (especially the Spidey scenes)?

Props to Singer for what he accomplished. That acknowledgement out of the way, come on.....really?

Spidey 2 by half a lap.

[Chris Wallace]

wall crawling weasel=spidey

Gotcha.:spidey:

[Hmarrs]

X2! Spiderman 2 was HIGHLY overrated

http://cinegeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/x2_x_men_united.jpg
WOW!!!I can still remember the chills I got when I first saw that PICTURE!!!!

[Hmarrs]

This is an easy one--and honestly not even close.

Which movie more closely resembles a comicbook come to life?

Which movie gave us (finally!) a real superhero smackdown?

Which movie made you--well me anyways--smile like a little boy throughout the whole movie (especially the Spidey scenes)?

Props to Singer for what he accomplished. That acknowledgement out of the way, come on.....really?

Spidey 2 by half a lap.
Half a Lap or Half a Slap!!!I read your post really quick and that's what I thought it said!!!:woot:

[Chris Wallace]

This is the most fun rivalry I've seen on these boards yet.

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

^Well lets face it, they are 2 of if not the 2 best CB movies out there, especially were Marvel is concerned, both are also superb movies even after all these years and X-Men and Spiderman are literally my 2 favourite heroes/'s, just personally for me I thought X2 was the better movie, though I am talking fractions here.

[Chris Wallace]

That's what makes the debate fun. For once we can discuss Spider-Man movies without arguing about the reboot or the 3rd act curse. We can talk about X-Men movies & nobody's complaining about leather suits or Deadpool. Here, there's no Dark Knight or Iron Man to mess up the scale. I think this thread takes fans back to a somewhat happer time, when there was a lot less angst & hostility on these boards and a lot more fun.

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

^Yeah, they were great times, hence why I was on the board a lot more then compared to now, and lets face it, both movies are still fantastic to watch and great to discuss, and, in terms of Marvel movies, neither have yet to beaten yet IMO either.

[Hmarrs]

I have to go with Spiderman 2 in terms of action and being closer to the comics.
However I feel X-Men 2 was a better over all film as far as a movie is concerned.
I really disliked the whole subconcious losing your power thing.However I liked the idea and premise of him losing his power but it would have been better if it was some temporary reaction to his exposer to Doc Ocks experiment.Or even a concious choice to stop.X-men I just really dislike the absence of action to some degree and lack of comic book adaptation.

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

^I thought the action in X2 was superb, and hasnt been bettered in the X-Men series yet, at least 1 or 2 of the action scene's in X2 get brought up all the time in 'best action sequence' type threads.

Action in Spidey 2 was amazing as well of course.

[Chris Wallace]

I have to go with Spiderman 2 in terms of action and being closer to the comics.
However I feel X-Men 2 was a better over all film as far as a movie is concerned.
I really disliked the whole subconcious losing your power thing.However I liked the idea and premise of him losing his power but it would have been better if it was some temporary reaction to his exposer to Doc Ocks experiment.Or even a concious choice to stop.X-men I just really dislike the absence of action to some degree and lack of comic book adaptation.

The subconscious power loss thing may not have been the best plot device ever but it made seense within the context of the story. I think your suggestion would have been worse. X2 missed out on some opportunities, I think in terms of comic adaptation. It flirted with "God Loves, Man Kills" but refused to take it home from the dance.

[Darkest-Knight]

Even though I'm a big Sídey fan, I must say X2 is the better movie.

[Darkest-Knight]

Even though I'm a big Sídey fan, I must say X2 is the better movie.

[Chris Wallace]

^Yeah, they were great times, hence why I was on the board a lot more then compared to now, and lets face it, both movies are still fantastic to watch and great to discuss, and, in terms of Marvel movies, neither have yet to beaten yet IMO either.

I agree. I like that you still have that Hulk avatar. You must be completely immune to bandwagon mentality.

[Spider-Fan]

Spider-Man 2 easily. Better plot, better acting, better action sequences, better movie.

[hugekent]

Spider-Man 2 easily. Better plot, better acting, better action sequences, better movie.
Replace Spider-Man 2 with X2 and you've got exactly my opinion. I like SM2 a lot but I find X2 to be a masterful superhero movie.

[Bren]

Loved X-Men 2 far more. I, err... kinda get annoyed with movieverse Spiderman (but do not deny it's a great movie).

[jacobed]

I just watched both again recently and I didn't find myself enjoying Spider-Man 2 as much as I use to. Started to see a lot of different things about it that I didn't like. It's still a good movie and the train scene is still great. There are some things in X2 I didn't like such as Cyclops' storyline but seeing as how Nightcrawler is my favorite mutant and he had one of the best action scenes in a comic book movie ever and Ian is just fantastic as Magneto, I'm going with X2.

[cloverfan98]

I'm going to have to go with SM2. There's nothing really wrong with X2 at all, but for some reason I just prefer the first one to the sequels.

[Hobgoblin]

I consider X2 better than Spider-Man 2, which I think is boring.

[TheLoneCreature]

I don't think the train scene is all that good, to be honest. The Wolvie v. Deathstrike fight was so much better, imo. Also, Tobey Maguire's terrible acting just made it hard to watch ANY of the Spider-man films. However, I absolutely loved X-Men 2. My favourite Superhero film. If only X-Men Origins: Wolverine could have not contradicted the whole story... grrrrr :wolverine:

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

I agree. I like that you still have that Hulk avatar. You must be completely immune to bandwagon mentality.

I always have been immune to the bandwagon mentality, this explains why both Hulk and Superman Returns are both in my top 10 CB movies and why I still love Spidey 3, which isnt as good as the first 2 movies but is still a good movie dont care what anyone says.

[Doc Ock]

I always have been immune to the bandwagon mentality, this explains why both Hulk and Superman Returns are both in my top 10 CB movies and why I still love Spidey 3, which isnt as good as the first 2 movies but is still a good movie dont care what anyone says.

*high fives* I'm glad I'm not the only one who likes Superman Returns(which is one of my favorite films ever) and Spidey 3. :p Its been years since I saw Hulk though, I've been meaning to buy it on Blu.

[Chris Wallace]

I always have been immune to the bandwagon mentality, this explains why both Hulk and Superman Returns are both in my top 10 CB movies and why I still love Spidey 3, which isnt as good as the first 2 movies but is still a good movie dont care what anyone says.

I'm with you on everything except Superman Returns, but at least I dislike it for my own reasons.

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

*high fives* I'm glad I'm not the only one who likes Superman Returns(which is one of my favorite films ever) and Spidey 3. :p Its been years since I saw Hulk though, I've been meaning to buy it on Blu.

Same here on SR, its the movie which REALLY got me into Superman as a character so I will always love it, hope the new is good as well of course.

I'm with you on everything except Superman Returns, but at least I dislike it for my own reasons.

Hey, if you dont like a movie you dont like it, not going argue with you or question your opinion :up:.

[Chris Wallace]

No. You wouldn't. You have long since demonstrated an ability to respect opinions that you don't share.
Anyways, Spider-Man 2 rocks!

[El Payaso]

I always have been immune to the bandwagon mentality, this explains why both Hulk and Superman Returns are both in my top 10 CB movies and why I still love Spidey 3, which isnt as good as the first 2 movies but is still a good movie dont care what anyone says.

I still love Superman Returns, even when I haven't seen it in a long long while now.

[vanawesome]

As with all sequels, they progressively get a little less better than the original. I was torn because I did like them both, but I ultimately went with X2. Perhaps I'm biased because I met Alan Cumming and he's quite a friendly chap.

[Alchemyst]

X2 IMO had the better second act, the train scene fight in SM2 was pretty badass, but the Lady Deathstrike vs Wolverine fight was pretty intense, especially when she went ape **** on his back stabbing the hell out of him

[steelio2006]

X2. I was rather bored by Spidey 2 went I was able to go see it on opening day. But then again, i was tired of seeing tobey maguire be all boo hoo Peter Parker and not having Spidey banter kinda makes him less Amazing, imo.

[The Batman]

Spider-Man 2, just barely. X2 is great, but suffers from too much wolverine focus.

Spider-Man 1 and X-Men 1 are equal, as far as I'm concerned. Both nice character movies that represent the comics.

Spider-Man 3 is better than X-Men 3. SM3 did not make as many ridiculous blunders as X3.

I like comparing the x-men and spider-man films. They're both the pioneers of the modern marvel movement.

[Marvel]

Spider-Man 2 is still the king of ALL comic based films in my book. So, as much as I love X2, SM2 must get the vote.

I also agree with the groundswell that's placing the Spider Trilogy slightly ahead of the X Trilogy. Spider-Man 3 does indeed get a bad "bandwagon mentality" hate that really is hard to understand. SM3 certainly is flawed but it delivers quite a bit that is good as well.

This reminds me of a thread on IMDB...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1228705/board/thread/162617231

Again, despite a growing and perplexing "bandwagon mentality," I think Iron Man 2 should be mentioned in the same breath with these two instant classics.

[Chris Wallace]

I agree with some of what you said. I don't, however, agree that Iron Man 2 is in the same class as those. While these 2 movies did in many ways advance their charaters and story and significantly improve on their predecessors, I feel that IM2-while enjoyable-lacks the punch of its first installment. I feel they tried too hard to squeeze in too much and made it more difficult than usual for the 3rd act to triumph.

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

^Agreed Chris, Iron Man 2, while not a bad movie by any means, certainly isnt in the league of the likes of X2 and Spidey 2, had IM2 been 15 mins longer and the action and drama been a little better, then maybe, but as it stands, its not even as good as IM1 let alone these 2 movies.

[Chris Wallace]

Which is a shame. I had such high hopes for it. I expected it to all but eclipse the 2 movies under discussion.

[Darthkush]

X2. Spidey 2 is really good, but it's not dramatically that different a movie than Spidey 1. X2 looks, feels, and sound bigger, more dramatic and more exciting. Also, I never really bought the idea of Peter losing his powers because of self-confidence issues. That never made sense to me.

X2's biggest weakness is they overkill(again) with so much Wolverine focus. Other than that, there's not much to dislike for me.

I think if you take the trainfight out of spidey2, this becomes a MUCH more even match for many of us. I mean, honestly, i'm not sure there's a better superhero fight scene than that train fight.

[DieSmiling]

I think X2 is better. I've always felt like Spider-Man 2 was a good movie, but way overrated by the fanboy. Too much emo "I don't want to be Spider-Man" nonsense for me.

X2 is just kickass from start to finish.

[marvelrobbins]

X2 all the way for me.Unlike some out there who will bash what Bryan singer did I won't complete trash Sam Rami but my problems with his take on Spider-Man was Ignoring soap opera elements Inf avor of peter so obsessed with Mary jane if he can't have her he has no Intrest In other women.The villians being split personaltys and not evil.While
the studio can be blamed for the half ass Venom there Is no excuse for Sandman In 3.And people were cheering spider-man way too much.

[Spider-Fan]

Spider-Man 2!!! :cmad:

I find X2 overrated myself.

[DieSmiling]

I love Superman Returns, and have never understood why it wasn't better received.

I'd say Superman Returns and 2003's Hulk are the most underrated superhero movies for their respective companies.

[Harls]

X-Men for me. I liked them both, though I find myself watching that one more often than Spidey.

[Chris Wallace]

COmments are all over the map and the poll is close. Love it.

[BigThor]

I have to go with Spider-Man 2 and I actually like X-Men more than I like Spidey. I also think Ang Lee's Hulk and Superman Returns were pretty decent films (stupid bandwagon hatred), but I do think TIH was better than Ang's Hulk.

Although unlike most people on this thread, I think Iron Man 1 is in the same league as X2 & Spidey and even slightly better than them.

[Hellion]

It's too hard for me to pick between the two, whether these two films or between others in the series, I love both series of films, X-Men and Spider-Man have been my favorite sets of characters since I was a kid (at times I do like X-Men more than SpideY)......I wanna stay neutral on this one, If I knock one for something, I need to knock the other one for something...

[Fudgie]

Spider-Man 2. X-Men 2 was too focused on Wolverine again.

[Kevin Roegele]

I think Spider-Man 2 has better action and effects and is more fun to watch, but X2 has superior acting and makes use of it's characters better.

Intrestingly, they both blow their load too quickly and give up the best action scenes too soon; X2 has the Nightcrawler scene, by all accounts the best part of the movie, right at the start. Spidey 2 has the train fight before the climax rather than as the climax.

[Chris Wallace]

I think Spider-Man 2 has better action and effects and is more fun to watch, but X2 has superior acting and makes use of it's characters better. I disagree there. As I've said before, I felt like X2 allowed for too much inconsistency in its storyline, sometimes disregarding elements established in the first movie for the sake of moving its story forward. Lady Deathstrike went from being one of Wolverine's major nemeses to a throwaway character that he fought once. Plus, Halle's performance was a significant downgrade. (Not to say Spidey 2 was without its own flaws and holes, but its overall character development was more consistent.) The best acting job in the entire movie, IMO, was Cumming's performance as Nightcrawler. He was also the one character whose portrayal I feel was closest to his comics counterpart.

Intrestingly, they both blow their load too quickly and give up the best action scenes too soon; X2 has the Nightcrawler scene, by all accounts the best part of the movie, right at the start. Spidey 2 has the train fight before the climax rather than as the climax.

I would say that it's because neither is truly an action movie. The action doesn't drive the story in Raimi's Spider-Man world nor in Singer's X-Men world. The first Spider-Man opened with him getting on a school bus and ended with him turning down Mary Jane. The first X-Men was light on action all around and ended with Xavier & Magneto discussing their world views over a game of chess. Action was simply not the name of the game here. Both Singer and Raimi seem to feel that this is more than just a story about people in costumes beating on each other, while at the same time never forgetting that people still wanted to see this.

[BigThor]

^ Agreed

[Optimus_Prime_]

Perhaps, on it's own, X-Men 2 is a better film, because it certainly is well written and well acted, and that makes it very watchible. The downside is I really never thought it was that much better than the first, and it wasn't very ambitious. Spider-Man 2 explored and different villain, and did a good job of expanding the Spider-Man Universe on film. X2 made the mistake of repeating Magneto and Wolverine as if they were the only worthwhile characters of the franchise. Why not do a movie that revolves around Colossus and Juggernaut, or Cyclops and Mr. Sinister? I also thought visually it was sort of a dud. Spider-Man always did a nice job of fusing those comic visuals into the film, X2 did a bad job of that IMO. We saw Cyclops' optic blasts twice? three times? And he barely blasted anything whereas in the comics he's frequently depicted annhilating Sentinels. The Deathstrike fight was good, but it displayed what are probably the least visually interesting set of powers. Bryan Singer definitely understood what the appeal of X-Men's message was, but he didn't understand that the powers of the characters also are an important driving force of their popularity. He really repeated this in Superman Returns.

[Spider-Aziz]

As a mega Spidey geek, it's easier for me to enjoy Spider-Man 2 more than X-Men 2 mainly for the starring characters

X-Men 2 is good and fun

[Thebumwhowalks]

X-Men 2 is good and fun

You know, when talking about this, you should really have went for the 'gay' angle.
I will say one thing about certain people who have commented since on this movie, they might be full of s***, but at least they went for an angle that would not be directly hurtful to the other person, unlike some obsessive sociopaths who do not consider such things.
you know, I wonder what it would be like if Professor Xavier was real, and you knew he was reading your mind all the time. What could happen is, your head makes a stupid brief joke about something, as things are going *so* well, things are *so* perfect, your stupid head makes a joke to subvert it as you are not used to things going so well, it has to mess it up a little. but then, you get paranoid that you have hurt the mind readers feelings with that stupid joke, which meant nothing except your head trying to find a way to subvert the goodness, and you so you keep thinking about it , worried you have hurt that person's feelings, and the mind reader matches onto that and ends up thinking it was something you meant somehow, but hopefully, they won't, they will realise it was just what I said above. (My head used to do this kind of thing *all* the time with things.)They are one smart cookie, the best, and that is why I love them, always have in a way now I think about it.

You know what I mean 'Zizzy?

[Spider-Aziz]

You know, when talking about this, you should really have went for the 'gay' angle.Wolverine wearing Jean's dress after she drowns by the movie end in the Mad Mag movie revision?
I will say one thing about certain people who have commented since on this movie, they might be full of s***, but at least they went for an angle that would not be directly hurtful to the other person, unlike some obsessive sociopaths who do not consider such things.I'm full of $#%^? Creepy:wow:
you know, I wonder what it would be like if Professor Xavier was real, and you knew he was reading your mind all the time. What could happen is, your head makes a stupid brief joke about something, as things are going *so* well, things are *so* perfect, your stupid head makes a joke to subvert it as you are not used to things going so well, it has to mess it up a little. but then, you get paranoid that you have hurt the mind readers feelings with that stupid joke, which meant nothing except your head trying to find a way to subvert the goodness, and you so you keep thinking about it , worried you have hurt that person's feelings, and the mind reader matches onto that and ends up thinking it was something you meant somehow, but hopefully, they won't, they will realize it was just what I said above. (My head used to do this kind of thing *all* the time with things.)They are one smart cookie, the best, and that is why I love them, always have in a way now I think about it.Head hurts?
You know what I mean 'Zizzy?Can you please not call me that? I like to have respect for names and call them as they are, not with those alterations

[Eelectro 2]

i think x2 was better, from a comparison standpoint. spider-man 2 got such rave reviews, but i didnt think it was better than part 1. there were so many awkward moments and dry humor i had a hard time focusing. doc ock was, for me, what made that film. not spidey. x2 notched up everything the first film had and i loved magnetos inclusion in that film. he wasnt even the villain.

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Both movies have their flaws, which are few, and both have a long list of good-excellent points, but no CB movie has ever got me as giddy and as excited as X2, I love both, but X2 is just a shade better than Spidey 2 for me.

[Phoenix_Flare]

I think X2 was the better comic book film for the early period, of the millenia...it kicked up the action, the characters were a little bit well rounded and of course it had 1 of the best endings and foreshadowing(the phoenix) to date. I liked the Spider-Man films, but part 2 didn't get me as amped ala X2 did waiting to see part 3. We all knew from spidey 1 Harry would become the next globin(which he really didn't, he was a flying skater boy), but if they would have foreshadowed something else, cast Eddie Brock or introduced Felicia, then I'm quite sure fans couldn't wait to see Venom/Black Cat..just my thoughts...

[psylockolussus]

Not because I'm a X-Men fan but I say X2

[Chris Wallace]

As a mega Spidey geek, it's easier for me to enjoy Spider-Man 2 more than X-Men 2 mainly for the starring characters

X-Men 2 is good and fun

What's that on your avatar?

[Chris Wallace]

I think X2 was the better comic book film for the early period, of the millenia...it kicked up the action, the characters were a little bit well rounded and of course it had 1 of the best endings and foreshadowing(the phoenix) to date. I liked the Spider-Man films, but part 2 didn't get me as amped ala X2 did waiting to see part 3. We all knew from spidey 1 Harry would become the next globin(which he really didn't, he was a flying skater boy), but if they would have foreshadowed something else, cast Eddie Brock or introduced Felicia, then I'm quite sure fans couldn't wait to see Venom/Black Cat..just my thoughts...

I think that would've been a bad idea, honestly. First off, Raimi had no intention of using Venom when he made the 2nd movie. So why allude to a character he didn't plan to use? Second, for the most part he treated each film as its own separate entity, not focusing on the next film but rather on the one he was making, which is smart. that plot device has been used a lot, with varying results. Much as we liked seeing Gordon hand Batman that Joker card, it would have been meaningless if BB had flopped and the follow-up film hadn't been made, which sometimes happens when we see some hint at the next movie, maybe a glimpse of a character (Angela in Spawn) or the vanquished, presumed dead villain showing signs of life (Bison in Street Fighter) announcing his immenent return (Skeletor) or showing the next generation of chaos (Godzilla) And what of the cases where the foreshadowing doesn't pay off? I think most moviegoers would agree that the depiction of Phoenix in X3 was a huge letdown and certainly not what they'd spent 3 years looking forward to. And since so many have similar feelings about Venom, it was especially wise not to allude to him in any way in SM2. I won't talk about Hardy since she never appeared nor was she mentioned.

[Spider-Man '92]

Though X2 was far better than its predecessor, Spider-Man 2 captured the spirit of a traditional Spidey tale. Like my brother says about X-Men (which is his main beef with the X films) is that it isn't vibrant or fun enough, and I agree with him. When I think X-Men, I think flashy and colorful costumes, and Wolverine with a mask. I understand they were going for a dark tone, but if they had projected it in a more fantastic sense, rather, majestic, I would've been more sold to the series. Plus putting a lot of attention on Wolverine is a big turnoff for me. I had no problem with it in X2, as it seemed like a logical sequel direction, but Cyclops, and not to mention the countless other X-Men should've been center stage right from the get-go, with Wolverine as the Han Solo type of character.

I'm done stating my case.

[El Payaso]

Though X2 was far better than its predecessor, Spider-Man 2 captured the spirit of a traditional Spidey tale. Like my brother says about X-Men (which is his main beef with the X films) is that it isn't vibrant or fun enough, and I agree with him. When I think X-Men, I think flashy and colorful costumes, and Wolverine with a mask. I understand they were going for a dark tone, but if they had projected it in a more fantastic sense, rather, majestic, I would've been more sold to the series. Plus putting a lot of attention on Wolverine is a big turnoff for me. I had no problem with it in X2, as it seemed like a logical sequel direction, but Cyclops, and not to mention the countless other X-Men should've been center stage right from the get-go, with Wolverine as the Han Solo type of character.

I'm done stating my case.

Basically X-Men is not about being the praised heroes but it's about discrimination and the pain of being different and how difficult is to be determined to be a hero. I can't relate that to fun and yellow and red suits.

[The Morningstar]

X-2, for me. It's the best superhero movie to this date, IMO.

Spider-Man 2 is also great. But a little too corny in it's ending. And the whole idea of Doc Ock talking to his tentacles just didn't sit right with me.

[Chris Wallace]

I feel he always talked to them to some degree.

[12.42]

I think they were both strong films, spiderman 2 ended with more emotion, I'd say X-men 2 had more action and story threads. In the end though I'd have to go with Spiderman 2...the bit where Peter turns around to reveal his identity to Mary Jane is one of my favourites moments from all three films to be honest - mostly due to Danny Elfman admittedly.

[Harley2004]

Spiderman 2. I think X-Men 1 is better than both though.

[El Payaso]

Spiderman 2. I think X-Men 1 is better than both though.

And I agree.

[psylockolussus]

X2 all the way!

S-M2 is great too!

[kedrell]

Wow, now this is a hard one. I liked both films and thought they were better than their predecessors(which weren't hard to top...let's be honest). Neither of them would I ever call great or even near-great but they were both good and solid on the whole.

I'm not a Raimi fan(though I thought A Simple Plan was good) and Singer is only slightly ahead of him for me since he made The Usual Suspects(I really dug that movie) even though none of his others I ever cared for.

I don't think Jackman or Maguire ever really embodied their characters like some other actors have with superhero roles. They just did adequetly and that's the best I can say for them both.

Man...this IS tough. I have no fan love for either property and was never into either of them so they're on an even playing field with me from that angle.

Ahh..I give up.[flips a coin]

X2 it is.