The sacrificing of one of the potentially greatest series for a quick buck.

Rating: 2/10 (28 May 2006)

X3 Has thrilling action scene after action scene, along with several interesting new mutants who also bring along interesting new powers. Sir Ian McKellen, and Hugh Jackman play their parts to perfection. Not to mention the performances from Patrick Stuart, Kelsey Grammar, or the other "main" characters who seemed to be cast into the shadows. The special effects work wonderfully, and the movie is truly appealing to the eye.
That being said what is appealing to the eye is not always appealing to the mind. Imagine a beautiful man or woman who is flat out breath-taking, but sadly you would rather talk to a rock than share in two sentences with them. As a long time X-men fan, to me X3 was a disappointment.
Yes the action was great, but the story was awful. Yes the new mutants were interesting (when you got to see them) but why shamelessly kill off old ones we love and then go on as if they were a hiccup in the characters lives. And frankly the only thing worse than killing off a character in such a fashion, is flat out refusing to put them in. To anyone who is a hardcore Nightcrawler fan and has not seen this movie it is sad to say that you are in for a great disappointment. And finally yes, each character performed beautifully. I can say in all honesty that there was little to no error in the casting of this movie. However, even a great actor/actress can do nothing when the story fails.
Were this movie standing on its own, without the expectation, and hype created by its predecessors, I would give it a 7 or 8/10. However since it is part of what used to be a grand story, it as a whole is a flat out flop. I would recommend that people see this movie, and if you are an X-men fan you will not be able to resist watching it as much as you cannot resist being let down by it. I would not however, encourage people to spend the money to see it in theaters, or even buy your very own copy of it. Best to borrow from friends, rent it, or figure out some other way that you can watch this without allowing the people who made it to line inside of their pockets with the almighty dollar.