A disappointment

Rating: 5/10 (29 May 2006)

I saw this movie the day after watching X2 on DVD, so the previous effort was still fresh in my mind. What a disappointment. Reasonable plot, dialogue, and character development were all obviously sacrificed for action and special effects sequences.
I, a San Francisco resident, actually could not stop laughing at the sequence where Magneto moved the Golden Gate Bridge to connect it with Alcatraz Island. Pure visual spectacle; with his army of various mutants, surely at least a dozen easier ways of getting to the laboratory could have been found. If nothing else, Jean/Phoenix probably could have moved the whole group herself, rather than just standing there looking pensive until she got irritated enough to start blowing people and things up. Why did Magneto want her on his side again?
I never read the X Men comic books but I did see a number of episodes of the TV cartoon. I don't expect the movie to follow the comics strictly, but surely the characters could have been given more respect than this. Rogue, for example, was so powerful in the comics; here, an almost complete waste. And I'm quite sure the whole Jean/Cyclops/Wolverine triangle was not meant to be resolved like this.
I only give the movie 5 out of 10 for bringing up important issues about conformity, some good visual effects, and some humorous moments (even if some were unintentional). It is worth watching to wrap up the trilogy if you have seen the first two. And with the ending of this one (make sure to stay till the very end of the credits), the door is left open for another sequel - hopefully, with a better director and writing crew.