A pleasant surprise

Rating: 6/10 (25 May 2006)

Dread filled me when I heard Brett Ratner was making this. But he actually has managed to deliver a decent movie that, admittedly doesn't match the first two but still feels part of the bunch. It's a little too short for my liking and I feel as though an extra 20 mins would have given the film that extra gravitas it was striving for.
First off, the film did seem a little rushed, the script could've done with some development, because some characters in principal have something to contribute but are left aside. A prime example of this is Angel, who has very little significance, in fact his Dad gets more screen time.
Beast was a welcome addition and Kelsey Grammar did a really good job and I'm also glad that they used make up rather than CG, it really makes a difference. On the other hand Juggernaut was a complete fowl up. Vinnie Jones is miscast and out of his depth, all his lines are terrible and I can't understand why he was chosen.
Wolverine is less the focal point this time, which is not so bad it's just that too often he comes across as comic relief because when he isn't wisecracking he's just whining about Jean Grey. Storm features a lot more than before, but Halle Berry is so ineffectual it makes little difference to her character. Cyclops is wasted once again (he really can't catch a break) but as usual Magneto and Professor X are superb.
The action was also quite good, perhaps a step up from the others, because Ratner seems more comfortable with it, whereas some of the exposition was a little clunky. I think some fans might bitch about it because it is flawed, but I genuinely enjoyed it because it just about does the job, which is more than I could have hoped for considering I generally don't like any of Ratner's other films and I had low expectations.
It's worth a watch if you like X-men, just don't expect it to be amazing that's all.