Borderline offensive

Rating: 5/10 (7 June 2006)

Yes, I am a huge Marvel fan and I can be kind of a snob when it comes to these things. But so what? That's who these movies should have been made for anyway. But this trilogy is obviously a cash-grab made for the ignorant masses. What a slap in the face.
My biggest problem with the trilogy is the woeful casting of Magneto. I like Ian MacKellan but he's all wrong for this part.First thing: he is too OLD. As an X-fan, I'm well aware that Magneto's back story is he is a Holocaust survivor and, obviously, would have to be quite old today. However, since this trilogy has been perfectly OK with tossing away virtually every other character's back story, I don't see why keeping Magneto's intact was necessary. Magneto is NOT a feeble, old man.
MacKellan's Magneto is so smug and prissy it's revolting. Observe him in the first scene at Jean's house. Tell me he doesn't seem gay there. I have never seen MacKellan seem gay as other characters. I know that he's capable of playing roles without a hint of it. But he seems to be totally going for it here.
I expected it in the first movie, tolerated it in the second, but by the third, I can't tell you how tired I was of the whole "humanity vs mutants" plot. It's so worn out. And yet,it was once again the driving force behind this movie. Heaven forbid they maybe push that to the background for a movie and focus on the X Men dealing with an actually interesting threat, like Apocalypse or Sinister. No, the filmmakers saw fit to once again smash us over the head with the old sticking point that most people just can't STAND them darned mutants. What a waste.
They decided to include the Phoenix storyline and condensed it into a SUBPLOT. Wouldn't an entire movie about the whole Phoenix thing, where Jean Grey apparently sacrifices herself to save the team only to return possessed by an immensely powerful cosmic entity that, in adjusting to human emotions, becomes extremely dangerous and unpredictable be great? Guess not. Seems it'd be cooler to make the Phoenix a suppressed wacko personality of Jean's that's extremely powerful for no reason. Yeah,I can see how that's better.
Despite his being the leader of the X Men, Cyclops has been completely underused in this series. With the Phoenix thing (as watered down as it's become) present in X3, here's a chance to really do some stuff with Scott. Instead he's shown whining and crying, then he's killed off-screen. I can't believe a movie about the X Men would have Scott Summers dying like he's some worthless throwaway character. But there it is.
Beast and kitty were good.
Jackman does a better job of Wolverine than any other other actor who I can think of probably could. But he's written all wrong throughout all three movies. His dialog is never close to what it should be. Wolverine is known for typically using such words as "ain't", "flamin" and "darlin'" but here, he talks just like everyone else.
I have no problems with Iceman. My problem is with the completely fabricated Iceman/Pyro rivalry. Let's make Pyro an angst y kid who was formerly at Xavier's and develops a rivalry with Bobby!
Colossus is a great character, isn't he? Well,you wouldn't know by watching this movie. The gentle, soft-spoken artist from Russia has been replaced with a one-dimensional American strongman.
Perhaps no character (besides Magneto) is more ruined than Juggernaut. Cain Marko - Xavier's unstable half-brother who has an insane grudge against him, powered by the magical Gem of Cytorak (NOT a mutant), a nearly unstoppable force that used to take on the X Men completely on his own (he could be a movie on his own), reduced to a big, British (?!?!?) oaf who IS a mutant, and not even that formidable. Costume was dreadful. If you're going to put Juggernaut in a movie and ruin him all those other ways, at least make him look right.
Jamie Madrox was thrown in as a gimmick. Rogue's barely there and then they make her a "poor-me" wuss at the end. Halle Berry continues to play her extremely angry version of Storm.
A puzzler: Arclight. I know - "WHO?!?" She was a Marauder. Her biggest moment came during the Mutant Massacre (look it up). I have NO idea why such an obscure character was tossed into this movie and then actually portrayed accurately. They got her outfit, unique HAIRSTYLE and powers right. And I have no idea why. Ruin Colossus, rape Juggernaut, utterly DESTROY Magneto, but, for god's sake, let's make sure Arclight is well-done -the fans will riot otherwise!
The super fast girl who can also detect powers for some reason is listed as Callisto in the credits. That's not Callisto. So with dozens of cool characters to choose from, the filmmakers MAKE UP their own and then say it's someone else. Why?!?!
Angel: he might as well have not been in the movie.
What's left is a movie with all the same flaws as its predecessors, a rehashed plot, forgettable throw-ins, and the utter devastation of lots of beloved characters. Attempting action and drama, they kill off characters and De-power them and it all ends in a completely stupid climax (why not just march Leech up to Jean while she's tearing sh*t up and have him cancel out her powers instead of making Logan run her through?)
The bit after the credits hints at an X4. I guess in a few years we'll find out what else they can ruin about one of the most popular and beloved Comic series' ever.