Brett Ratner neglects all of the things that Bryan Singer did to give us this cookie-cutter sequel (Some spoilers)

Rating: 6/10 (3 February 2014)

Still grieving over the loss of Jean Grey, Scott Summers (Cyclops) sees a quick vision of Jean and heads to the place where Jean sacrificed herself. Jean miraculously appears in front of Scott. After being told that it is OK to let Jean see his eyes, they engage in a kiss, but Jean can't control her alter-ego, which is Phoenix. A cure is finally found for mutants, enraging some of the mutants in the process. When Charles Xavier tries to help Jean control the Phoenix, Charles is killed. Magneto takes advantage and it's up to the X-men to save the day again
I haven't read the comics at all, so I'm not overly knowledgeable about X-Men. I'm a big fan of the first two movies though. It's not like I hated this sequel or anything, It's just extremely blasé and half-assed. There were so many story elements at play here and they failed to do anything riveting with any of them. It's been a long time since I've seen some drop the ball like they did with this sequel. It started off exceptionally. It was intense and emotional. Everything Bryan Singer did with the first two movies is noticeably absent here. Singer knew how to properly build things up and give us jaw dropping action as well. I don't buy into the excuse that the running time was too short. Singer had about the same amount of time in the first X-Men movie and he did a lot of terrific things with it. Brett Ratner's shoddy direction shows in this one. It lacks efficient tension when it should be filled to the brim with it. Jean Grey's storyline is the heart of this movie and I felt barely anything for her. It wasn't Famke Janssen's fault, but that's what happens when you have to deal with mediocre writing. With The Pheonix being so tantalizing, they should have knocked my socks off with The Phoenix. It's what I deserved, but more importantly, it's what X-Men fans deserved more than anything else. I didn't care for the injection of new blood either. I'm all for new blood, as long as I have a reason to care about the new characters. Juggernaut was absolutely laughable. Vinnie Jones looked foolish in the role. Ellen Paige tries her best, but I wasn't all that interested in her portrayal. Kelsey Grammar is a bit embarrassing as Hank McCoy. Even Hugh Jackman seems subdued in this movie. Also, could Charles's death be any more anti-climatic? I just sat there emotionless. They even managed to mess up the cure storyline. That was another missed opportunity.
Final Thoughts: This had all the ingredients to be something special. This one is sorely lacking Bryan Singer's creative vision. As far as a movie is concerned, it's fairly enjoyable. As a follow-up to two great movies, it stinks. I'm not saying it's void of entertainment, far from it. I just thought they p****sed all over a potentially dynamite sequel. What a waste
6/10