What was Marvel thinking?!

Rating: 4/10 (5 June 2006)

This thoughtless, reckless, noisy mess is an insult to the X-Men, their history, and anyone who has ever cared about them. I simply cannot imagine the line of thought that led to tossing aside one of the finest comic book story lines ever written--the deservedly famous Dark Phoenix Saga--in favor of this travesty. It would take me a lot more than 1000 words to go into any detail on just how much is wrong with this movie, not only as an X-Men adventure but even as competent film-making (is it day or night when Magneto performs his biggest stunt of the film? Why can't Rogue and Colossus hold onto their respective accents for more than a word or so per sentence? Why, for heaven's sake why, does Jean/Phoenix spend 90% of the movie JUST STANDING THERE?--except when doing things she would not, EVER, do?),--Man, it's sad to know Marvel has so little respect for one of its most successful and best-loved teams that it will let them be treated this way in public. (Yes, I know this movie made metric tons of woolongs last week. Yes, I know Marvel was thinking "ka-ching" and not "our beloved X-Men deserve the best". But...can't help but wince when the people you grew up with behave so heartlessly at the first excuse.) (Good things: 1. Kelsey Grammar's entire performance. 2: Ian McKellen's wonderful voice. Bad things: Everything else. I mean everything.)