THE FUNNY thing about movies based on comics is that you don't have to be a comic fan to enjoy them.

And X-Men 2 is a case in point. It takes all the dramatic story-lines, escapism and, best of all, iconic imagery of comics and turns them into a visually stunning treat for anyone who likes a good movie.

That's not to say X-Men 2 is without its faults. The story-line picks up a few weeks after the last film left off and Singer seems to have assumed that we all watched its predecessor similarly recently.

It's not just newcomers to the X-Men who might struggle with the plot, even fans of the first film may find themselves struggling to remember why a look or comment is significant.

But don't let that put you off watching the film - just rent X-Men on video first, because X-Men 2 really does deserve to be one of the event movies of the summer.

For my money, its one of, if not the best, comic book adaptations to hit the big screen.

There's plenty for fans, with cameos by other mutants, like Shadowcat, Colossus and Jubilee, it doesn't have the childish or camp feel that plagues this genre - in fact, it's quite dark - and it's packed with great action sequences.

This film had a much bigger budget that its predecessor and it shows - the mutants get to show off their skills more, whether it's throwing fireballs around or holding off a tsunami with telekinesis, there are no embarrassingly naff CGI sequences as seen in a number of recent big budget films and Wolverine gets to throw his claws round a lot more.

As well as the main good versus evil thrust, X-Men 2 also fits in some touching sub-plots about the difficulty of dealing with being different and overcoming obstacles in pursuit of true love.

This is packed with everything a good blockbuster should have - don't miss it.

I give it: 9/10