Nay-sayers . . . . READ THIS!!!!!

Rating: 7/10 (31 May 2006)

Many people are upset by the actions taken in this film and I am here to adhere logic to the films decisions -- 1.) Pheonix doesn't have flames and power isn't as great as in comics - first of all the Phoenix saga is very complex in the comic, Bryan Singer really pushed the screenwriter into a corner by ending the second movie with jean being resurrected as the Phoenix. The movie smartly chooses to disregard the complex cosmic explanation and just explains it as a splintering of the mind, cause her power was to great for her to control. For a telepath to suddenly be engulfed in flames would not make sense to the audience and therefore be seen as stupid. 2.) The small parts of mutants and other x-men lore related moments . . i.e. The Danger Room. I felt Brett Ratner wanted the trilogy to end on a high note, giving fans all the things they had been begging for and had been denied. Although the mutants were use sparingly, all of them has some part to play in the plot and subsequently move the story along, it would have been great to see more of them but they were needed in the story and just seeing them on screen was enough to make this X-men Fan happy. The Danger Room sequence with the sentinel was put in there entirely for fan service, Bryan Singer chose to deny this both times to fans dismay . . . at least Brett Ratner didn't. And for those of just wanting to know, check out the Trivia section on the movie page to know that, initially they were going to have Gambit in the film. 3.) The multitude of deaths . . . most were due to disgruntled actors who did not want to continue any franchise installments. 4.) Why couldn't Pheonix blast Wolverine like a rag-doll like she did in the underground X-men lair? I think she was struggling with her consciousness, therefore not at full power, though a few close up face shots to prove this would have been nice. 5.) Pheonix isn't as strong as she is in the comic . . apparently the people who side with this argument had no problem over storm being as weak as she was in the first and second movie, which she thankful is closer to her actually strength in the third film. Most other disagreements have an explanation and are not that important to begin with.
Now for the disagreements . . . In the final sequence magneto was a bit brain-dead, although this didn't ruin the film for me like others it was kinda stupid. 1.) Why did he move the entire Golden Gate Bridge? That just allowed for human soldier to come and gang up on him from both sides, in a battle that is not a smart move. 2.) Why didn't he just throw bits of the bridge at the army instead of sending mutants in to die? It would have been easily fixed to show Pheonix struggling with her Jean Gray consciousness over seeing her x-men comrades in gear and ready to fight and Magneto having to talk her down, therefore telling the mutants to charge as a diversion until he could get control of his weapon. 3.) Why did Pheonix just stand there? look to number 2 for what they should have done. 4.) Killing Cyclops, although I'm sure the actor wanted out, is a travesty. They could have easily showed him in an end sequence in the woods wrapped in some sort of telepathic something-or-another, something other than killing the leader of the X-men, although I hear Halle Berry demanded a bigger role for her to do the film.
It may sound like I hated this film, but I loved it. I would rated it better than the first, but not as good as the second. The action is better than the first 2 combined, action sequences never seemed one of Bryan Singer's strong points as a director. The emotional weight of the film feels light and comic-booky which I like, but it never reaches the heart-wrenching moments of the 2nd film. This film feels more like fan service than the previous films, and although many characters were never elaborated on it does bother this viewer. Any comic book fan knew who they were and rejoiced over their appearance, and any causal viewer just liked watching their powers. Fun for the whole family.