Better than the previous two

Rating: 7/10 (5 July 2006)

Some might think it ironic that each X-men movie is better than the previous, but what it actually shows us is that the X-men are better suited to episodic story telling than to single movies. In this sense, the X-men share more in common with Highlander and Stargate, in that while the movies were decent, the TV series they spawned were infinitely richer and better. It takes a while for a series to get its legs, develop the characters properly, find the right directing, etc. So X-men, now in its third season has jettisoned it's too-slow director (so he could go and make Superman Returns too slow) and is finally finding its legs.
This movie is by far the most graphically violent with the sense that real people are dying (not that it's gory). It is also the most mature in its storytelling. It doesn't fall victim to the classic blunder of trying to explain everything while giving us enough explanation for us to willingly suspend our disbelief. (Think Mitacloreans vs. "the force flows through all living things binding them together.") And finally, pay attention to Ellen Page's Kitty Pryde (the girl who can walk through walls). In one movie, she's already shown far more heart, spunk, and superhero attitude than Anna Paquin's Rogue has in three movies. No offense to Ms Paquin, but since when did Jubilee ever upstage Rogue? Rogue was miscast from the beginning, the choice to make her a child was a mistake, and it shows more than ever in this installment. Just be glad that there's enough other things going on so that you don't miss Rogue too much. And if your favorite character doesn't get enough screen time...don't worry. There will be plenty more X-men episodes--I mean movies--to come.