Mildly exciting to the general public, a huge disappointment to fans...

Rating: 2/10 (31 May 2006)

*This comment contains some spoilers, if this movie could be more spoiled for you*
There were plenty of ways to make the final X-Men movie a good one. Plenty.
Unfortunately, there were also plenty of ways to ruin it, and it seems Brett Ratner and the scriptwriters for X-Men:The Last Stand made almost every mistake in the final X-Men movie of what-could've-been a remarkable trilogy.
The basic premise is that a cure to the mutant "disease" has been developed, and of course Magneto and his clan are out to stop humans from ending the lives of mutants (whom they believe are the next step in evolution). Throw in the return of Jean Grey as a psychic with a split-personality, and the most powerful mutant of them all.
First and foremost, this movie lets you down almost immediately with the quality and creativity of its action sequences. Remember the Nightcrawler scene from the beginning of X-2? Forget it. This movie offers nothing even remotely close to as beautifully simple as that scene. Then the let downs continue with the pointless return of Jean Grey (another comic- book plot ruined by Hollywood) as Phoenix, and the death of a major (yet constantly under- developed) character. The hits keep on missing, soon there are too many mutants to keep track of, a cure for the mutant disease, and one cheesy one-liner after another.
It's saddening for any fan of the comic books (or the cartoon series) to watch so many great potential plots be ruined in one fell swoop. And for those in the audience who are new to the X-Men, it's just confusing. Names and objectives are glossed over, action scenes are rushed, dialogue is choppy and uninformative, the background music is uninspired (even boring), and the actors seem to be floating through their roles.
Why did this happen?
Is it because Halle Berry and Hugh Jackman demanded larger roles? Storm (Berry) is a lot more impressive in this movie, and gets the chance to show off her powers, but she still takes a backseat to Wolverine, and the countless other nameless mutants (both good and bad) who litter the screen at any moment.
Don't get me wrong, this movie has it's moments. However, they are brief and forgettable. For instance, Multiple Man (who has a pretty interesting ability to multiply himself into countless copies) is only shown using his power once. It's a great moment, but it's a moment that could've happened more.
Where X2 fully explored the possibilities of its mutants (especially Nightcrawler and Wolverine), X3 introduces fantastic possibilities and then just lets them dangle, helpless, in your face. Just like the head of the Sentinel in the danger room scene (which seemed thrown in as an afterthought to please a few fans, and served to only anger them, it seems).
All I can hope is that Bryan Singer made the right move, and Superman Returns will be a movie to look forward to. Honestly, save your money, and wait a month for Mr. Singer to successfully tackle another comic book franchise and remind Brett Ratner how it's done.