Good but empty

Rating: 6/10 (31 May 2006)

I am a HUGE X-fan, and although I liked most of the movie, realistically, it was like a beautifully wrapped gift that ends up being just a box. The action was fantastic and while I am not a big "character development" person, a lot of things about the movie didn't make sense. I didn't understand the motivation behind Phoenix's character. It was a little more graphic in the sense that there was a "gettin' it on" scene where children will quickly be educated about sex and how you do it. Also, I don't like the use of the b-word in the movie. It was over the top in those two areas. I loved Beast as a character; Kelsey Grammar isn't the first person I would have picked, but after seeing him in action he is PERFECT. In my opinion, he stole the show. Storm's character was still a little weak, and the storyline seemed very tenuous and fragile. The action could not cover up the movie's flaws. It was okay, but I can definitely tell that Bryan Singer didn't direct it. Also, I know movies can be different from the myth, but I really didn't like the total disregard of the spirit of the original stories. The cartoon version of the Phoenix saga did far more justice than this movie did.
That being said, it was worth the $7 admission if you're looking for something briefly gratifying, like candy. If you prefer movies that take the original myth/comic/book, etc into consideration, wait until it comes out on video.