Endless CGI action dominates this superior sequel

Rating: 6/10 (6 December 2016)

The third and thankfully final entry in the interminable X-Men series is actually my favourite of the three. I'm not a comic book follower and I have no real interest in seeing creations brought to the screen, but I always felt this series was more highly lauded than it deserved to be. At the end of the day, the X-Men films are just straightforward adventure romps with bloated budgets and sci-fi imaginings. I liked this one the best because it was the most bombastic out of the three, and pretty much every minute is packed with great CGI effects and tons of action and fighting.
Director Brett Ratner is far from a favourite of mine but he knows how to handle action here, ranging from a vicious fight in the woods as Wolverine tackles multiple foes to a wonderful scene where Magneto takes out a convey of vehicles. This is a film all about smashing things up and blowing things apart and it moves a lot faster as there's no necessity for ponderous back stories or character introduction. Things are also mixed up a little, which I liked, as central characters are killed off and there's a whole darker tone – I've never seen people exploding in a 12 certificate film before!
The actors have less to do here than previously, as they're all just cardboard cut-outs. Everyone here gives exactly the same performance as before, although Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, as the experienced elders, dominate the proceedings. I barely noticed Halle Berry, her role as Storm is so small. Kelsey Grammar and Vinnie Jones are a couple of new mutants, although I think Jones would have been more effective if he'd just kept his mouth shut and refused to speak the rubbish dialogue they give him. Things end up with a massive action spectacle, a full-on mini-war between humans and mutants, and it's great stuff – the best the trilogy has to offer. So, yeah. I'm glad I watched the series, and I liked it for all the cool CGI effects (some of the best are the anti-ageing they've done on McKellen and Stewart) but I know I never need to go back here again. Once is enough with these shallow comic book thrill-rides!