The captain (YES YOU Ratner!!!) should've went down with his ship.

Rating: 3/10 (3 June 2008)

Shocking. Shocking beyond belief. Right up there with the Hindenburgh disaster 40 years ago. This (final?) third installment of the critically praised first two films is proof in that comparison. Was it writer's block that fumbled this film? Was it sheer ineptness? Lack of any real genuine motivation or conviction? Or was it to simply make money; at the cost of artistic value? It's all of the above, unfortunately clearly as in the case of this film.
The plot: Poorly executed and lopsided. Since Brian Singer had great respect for the material and was deeply passionate on his craft, very little if any respect is given to the film whatsoever. Brett Ratner's take on X-men is more in line with commercial interests in mind and it is very apparent throughout the entire film; namely that of the new characters such as Angel, Beast, Juggernaut, Multiple Man, and Leech. Barely any of them as well as Storm or Kitty Pride get a chance to develop due to the hyperactive, ADD-infused screenplay with no backbone. Never do the audience get an insight into the inner workings of the actual plot (or lack thereof) and atmosphere that made parts 1 and 2 so riveting.
The acting: With regards to Halle Berry, the beautiful actress who won an Oscar for her performance in "Monster's Ball" is still awfully restrained and wooden in X3. I found it hard to emote with her simply because all her lines were spoken as if they were read off of cue cards as things went along. The screenwriters and Ratner make a HUGE critical mistake of reducing Cyclops (James Marsden) for lack of a better term a "token character" who gets "cop'd out" early in the film. This is also true of Famke Janssen as the Dark Phoenix, a mutant with astronomically astounding psionic powers. Her scenes with Cyclops and Wolverine were so lifelessly stilted it almost felt as if I was watching Charlie Chaplin for the first time. It's a shame the producers couldn't elaborate more on her character or ANY of the old and new mutants for that matter and that's why the film suffers for those very same reasons.
Continuity errors: Oh my. There are so many in abundance, I'll just note some of them; especially the scene where Magneto (played excellently by Ian McKellan) uses his magnetic powers to move the Golden Gate bridge when day INSTANTLY turns to night. The first time I saw that scene, I nearly burst into laughter and tears and as far back as I can remember, I don't think I was ever alone at the time it happened and when the Juggernaut said "Do you know who I am? I'm the Juggernaut, bitch!!!, I completely lost it. Personally, I don't know why the Danger Room was included, other than to be "just another cool effect". with no rationale behind it all. Frankly, showing the mutants on a coffee break should suffice.
One thing I can't do is accuse the film of lacking action. The action scenes and special effects are simply impressive. Watching them was like witnessing a very good fireworks display with the wide eyes of a child. Yes the film has some very good action scenes but even they couldn't save this film from mediocrity.
X-Men 3: The Last Stand is the worst movie in the franchise...period. None of the awe, mystery, and magic are in this film. Brett Ratner butchered the treasured mythology of these classic mutants into a bloody, incoherent mess. This crap-fest should be done. Done.
And one more thing: Iron Man grossed more money than X3. YES!!!!!!!