SPOILER WARNING
Unless you've read the book, watched the movie, want everything spoiled for you or maybe you just want to read a review about a movie tie-in book, don't read this.
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Okay, for the record, this is the FIRST Movie Tie-in book that I've ever read. Not really sure why I'm writing that. I just thought you might make something out of it. So... onto the review!
First off, I love this book. I've been wanting to get my hands on a copy since I heard of the novelization. Hey, I'm not a total X-Men geek who knows everything. I won't even know that the first two movies had novelizations if I haven't found out of this one.
Now, the book, of course, has more to offer than the movie. A lot of scenes that weren't in the movie ended up being in the book. A lot of characters too. But some things just stayed the same. Kinda disappointing, but it's alright.
NOTABLE DIFFERENCES FROM and EVENTS NOT IN THE MOVIE:
- Annie's Death
- Warren's Thoughts
- Meeting between Warren Worthington, Jr. and Dr. Kavita Rao
- Longer Danger Room session
- Ororo helping the Prof. with Jean
- Xavier's funeral is viewed from the Oval Office
- Bobby showing Warren to a room and giving him the name "Angel"
- Warren went on the Blackbird with the X-men to Alcatraz.
- Logan had a chat with Rogue before leaving on the Blackbird.
- The Brotherhood went to San Francisco by aircraft.
- Jean freed the family trapped in their SUV and made sure they're safe before following Magneto.
- Storm and Callisto's fight in Alcatraz reached heights. Storm didn't kill Callisto, just stabbed her with her knife under the breast.
- Iceman's uniform didn't ice up with him. It froze and shattered. Angel found him pants after his ice melted away.
- A longer Epilogue - Danger Room session with new students, Moira MacTaggart offering help to Magneto
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MORE MUTANTS and CHARACTERS FROM THE COMIC BOOKS
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Annie's Death and Jean's Awakening
The book goes back to the time of Annie's death. Annie is Jean's best friend. They were playing with a Frisbee when Annie was hit by a car. Jean came to her and held Annie in her arms, where Annie died... well, she did, after an encounter with Jean in the astral plane.
Wonderful scene. Of course, the book partly being about Jean, a flashback to the manifestation of her power would be great. But back to the book. The description of the astral plane is brilliant. The light and the darkness, the memories, everything. Even Annie and Jean's astral selves, Annie fading away as she dies while Jean glows with the fire of her life. I'm gonna paint that scene sometime.
Everything then goes as the movie. Charles and Eric visiting Jean and talking to her about her power, Jean making everything go up, etc.
Warren's Thoughts and his father's meeting with Dr. Rao
Warren was just determined to cut off his wings in the movie. However, in the book, more of his thoughts are seen. It seems he's already met Ororo Munroe before, at the observation platform in the World Trade Center, before or during 1995, just before the time he attempts to cut his wings. Her name wasn't really mentioned. It was just said that as Warren tried to leap off the railing, a tall, beautiful woman with a striking mane of silver hair grabbed him with her strong hand. Anyway, back to Warren. Besides this flood of thoughts, nothing much different. Then, in 2000, Warren's father meets with Dr. Kavita Rao, inventor of the "cure."
The way Warren remembers Ororo is just so... beautiful. More beautiful than how Ororo was portrayed by Halle Berry. (No, I've nothing against her)
The Danger Room
The Danger Room session is very detailed in the book. More fireworks. More chaos. More powers. There's a part where Colossus grabs Rogue's bare hand so she'd be covered by an organic steel armor to deflect a spray of anti-personnel shrapnel. There's more flying for Storm. There are formations and stuff.
Hey, more use of powers is great for me. Gives the brain a workout. I like to visualize how this or that happens. Of course, I try to separate what I visualize from what the movie has shown me.
The Brotherhood's Journey to San Francisco
It's stated in the book that they went via aircraft. What kind of aircraft and how everybody got in, I'm not sure. It may not be just ONE aircraft. It's not the mode of travel that interests me in this part of the book, though. It's the flood of Jean's thoughts, especially of the images of her in her daydream. "An emerald green off-the-shoulder mini dress." The first Marvel Girl costume. Then there's the "Hellfire Leather."
She had more thoughts once they landed. Memories of the first team: her, Scott, Ororo and Hank. Then another memory of her and Scott. There's a lot of power use in these parts. And you're just gonna love the workout your brain's gonna get.
Jean and the Ryersons
The Ryersons is the family of four that got stuck in their SUV when Magneto took a section of the Golden Gate Bridge. After Magneto has let go of the bridge, they walk past the family. Jean uses her telekinesis so that the car doors opened freely. Then she made sure that the family's safe before following Magneto.
This shows more that Jean is still inside and has some level of control over Phoenix. I kinda like it. It would've been nice to put this in the movie. I never really knew what happened to that family.
Storm vs. Callisto in Alcatraz
More power for Storm, I like. Hey, you just got to love that tall, beautiful lady with a striking mane of silver hair. In her fight with Callisto in Alcatraz, Storm takes the battle to heights, bringing her and Callisto high above the island. Callisto uses her skills with the knife to dispose of Storm, but Storm got her instead.
Nice fight, although both of Storm and Callisto's fights in the comics didn't use any powers. Storm stabbed Callisto during their first fight in the Morlock tunnels in the comics. Same way she stabbed her in mid-air here in the book.
More Mutants and Other Characters
See List Above.
Some of these mutants actually appeared in the movie. I don't think their names were mentioned though... well, except for the credits.
Although these mutants' names are in the book, they had only a few parts to play. Cypher, Vange, Forge, Cannonball, Danielle, Gambit, Sage and that "woman with axe" were only mentioned. No action involved. Jack, Radian, Broadband, Phat and Weezie had their moments. Bishop and Jones work for the government, but it's mentioned that Bishop is a former student at Xavier's. Lee, in the end, got into taking care of Magneto while his powers are on vacation.
I like this additional truck-load of mutants. Haha. More mutants equals better for me.
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Well, that's that. Overall, this is a good read for any X-Men fan out there that's looking for A LOT MORE. Kinda funny, actually. Book to movie, they subtract just enough to keep viewers and fans satisfied. Movie to book, they add all they want.
Again, any X-Men fan that's looking for A LOT MORE must read this.
ISBN 0-345-49211-0
