back of the class *potential spoilers*

Rating: 4/10 (26 May 2012)

If you are going for mindless big action fun, you'll probably be mildly amused and then forget all about it. The special effects are standard not mind blowing, but sufficient. I find personally it is the subtle touches, the emotion evoked rather than big flashy gestures that impress and those were lacking. The jokes are cheesy but in places fun.
The fundamental reason this fails is the very same reason that the Return of the Sith failed. Neither of these films respect the inherent conflicts of the main characters and fail miserably to use them to their full potential. For me this film was exciting for one reason and one reason only, the Charles/Erik back story. To see enemies as friends, drawn together by a secret that alienates them from the world, to see prejudice and fear pull them apart until they stand on opposite sides of a chasm they don't know how to bridge. This was the heart that was missing from this movie. They are portrayed as blandly civil allies, temporarily bonded but always clear on their path- which might have worked if that path had been diverted at any point- it wasn't and we know it isn't in the future, the limitation of the prequel. Further potential is squandered in the sister/brother relationship between Mystique and Charles. It could have been a great opportunity to develop Charles and knock him from his perfect perch, as he has the position, easily abused, of benevolent benefactor, as well as friend. Instead he is once again blandly civil in every aspect. Mystique as the premier female baddie of the franchise, is reinvented as mild, sweet and apparently in love with every lead male, which (minus the last point) had potential, yet again it is handled with a shovel.
The emotional wasteland is made all the worse by the painfully linear storyline. What happened to Erik after he was separated from his family?Answered in the first five minutes. How has this shaped him as a man? The next five minutes. Which also make sure you know who the bad guy is, just how bad he is and leave no confusion about his villainous interests and why he is working with mutants. Also shoehorned in are various other convenient set-ups which make sure we get instantly bang up to date. So that the next film, which while I'm sure it will have some funky 70's disco tunes, will be pretty much exactly the same in all the respects that matter as every other film in the franchise, just without the wit, depth or resonance that Singer brought to the first two.