"Stand" tall and deliver indeed, Exciting, eye dazzling, popcorn summer blockbuster! Ratner does not disappoint

Rating: 6/10 (27 May 2006)

***1/2 Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Kelsey Gramer, Anna Paquin, Famke Janssen, Shawn Ashmore, Jamse Mardsen. Vinnie Jones and Cameron Bright. Directed by Brett Ratner
Comic fans rejoice, the X-men are back and in full form. After a certain buzz with Brett Ratner taking the director's helm after Bryan Singer didn't come back. And I must say the buzz is good, Ratner does not disappoint and this may be my favorite "X-men" movie to date. Ratner brings in new mutants and we grow into more depth on a few of them.
After a cure is found through the genes of a little child (Bright) the government decide to take charge and administer the cure to all willing. But Magneto (McKellen) enables an army of mutants and with great wrath decide to over throw the cure with force. Leading to a righteous battle at the climax of the movie. And once deceased Jean Grey (Janssen) comes back with her alter ego Phoenix raging all hell on those who get in her way.
Luckily for McKellen this is his second summer movie and long awaited to after last weeks "Da Vinci Code" opened up. So he'll be getting a nice little pay check this month for his sky rocketing sales at the theaters.
I'll admit the movie was not long and we could have used more depth into some character study but Ratner pulls it off. With showing us Kelsey Gramer's angry side as he pounces Magneto's army as Beast. A far different side from his show "Fraiser" but Gramer still has that clever tongue of his.
The effects are well done, I was looking forward to all of May's releases "MI:3", "Poseidon", "Da Vinci Code" and "X-men" and after viewing them all "X-men" is the right choice. While other summer block busters to be left me cold and bored "X-men" does the deed to make 2006 a promising year in comic book adaptations as well as Singer's "Super Man Returns" movie. Which hopefully won't disappoint, but with Singer he has yet to do so. So I guess it's too early to tell.