For the Fans, by a Fan

Rating: 8/10 (26 May 2006)

This movie has been getting a lot flack, mostly centered around the director, Brett Ratner. I'll admit when I first heard that he was taking over the project, I thought it was all over. However, I was pleasantly surprised.
X3 is not better or worse than the previous movies - it's different. It has a different feel and a different purpose. Whereas the first two movies were created to appeal to both fans and people unfamiliar with the X-Men comics, X3 was created specifically for the fans by a self-admitted fanboy. There were many references to the comics, both subtle and blatant, as well as a big nod to an internet joke concerning the X-Men. As a long-time fan of the comics, this movie was just pure fun from the get-go.
I will admit that the pacing was very rushed. If the running time had been expanded and/or certain plot points had been simplified, I think this movie would have flowed very nicely. However, it wasn't so rushed that it made the story incomprehensible - at least, not if you were paying attention. I also think that there were too many new characters introduced, and as much as I liked seeing them, they should have remained in the background rather than in the foreground and underdeveloped.
I'm giving this film an 8 out 10 because it did what it was supposed to do - it gave us an all-out war and it served as a final hurrah for the franchise (although I don't think I necessarily believe that Fox will end it here if it makes enough money). Fans of just the first two movies will probably be disappointed, but fans of the X-Men in any incarnation will more-than-likely be delighted.