My second take on X3.

Rating: 6/10 (30 May 2006)

I saw it at a theater when it was released. I remember making up excuses for it, anything to make it more appealing. After all, X2 was my favorite superhero film (and still is) at the time and I really wanted X3 to be great for me. I did review it earlier, but only now can I see the whole picture after all these years (and repeat viewings. yes, I own the film).
It never bothered me that characters don't appear or act exactly like in the comics. The most important thing was the "feel". You know, like "go cyclops!", anything that made me root for those guys and make them seem as they were real. That said, I enjoyed both X-men and X2. After X2, I was so hooked I was waiting for this one so much that I think I haven't waited for any other movie.
It was...It was alright. I did notice all the things people are complaining about. A lot of wasted potential, some bad dialogue (yet some good too), the film was too short and felt a bit rushed, a few irritating scenes...but it was OK as a popcorn flick. For me, that's bad. I don't want my X-men movies to be rushed popcorn flicks that render themselves useless, cheap and even damaging to the franchise itself over time.
The movie tries to be emotional, and at times succeeds. Yes, I felt something for Cyclops and Professor X. On the other hand, Cyclops was treated like a nobody in this movie and his fate didn't actually have any impact on anything. Same with Professor X. And when you try to force the emotional impact with Wolverine crying, I might have a problem. Certainly a fanboy problem only, but still a problem. Many characters and things are just put there (Juggernaut, Multiple Man, Callisto) without establishing anything that well, forced and crammed, treated cheaply, and this is what you get. An OK popcorn flick.
I wanted to see how Phoenix would be handled. It was my favorite storyline when I grew up with the comics. It was very disappointing. I don't have a problem with the "origins" of Phoenix in this story. It's just like many things: she's just put there, waiting for her big scene and that's it. Janssen isn't a bad actor and certainly portrays a confused all-powerful woman well, but oh my, such a waste. A huge waste.
How about the action? Eye candy, mostly well done. FX are very good, and although the action scenes lack certain character (for example: compare Wolverine's bland claw fighting to anything in X2) they are well made. The humor is there and one-liners too, although sometimes the movie is tacky and tries too hard. There are ways to dispense some comic relief in an otherwise dark-mooded film, but again - it isn't as funny when it really tries to be nor as dark as it pretends to be.
The movie is too short, things are rushed (though the pacing manages to work adequately) and it has an effect on many things. The characters aren't allowed to react or breathe, same with the story. It just rolls along and stuff happens, and you feel the waste of potential drama and certain depth. Even if the stuff that happens isn't boring - I'll give it that - that's pretty much all this movie really succeeds at. It's not boring. That's it. All the other aspects and possibilities are a bit wasted.
It may sound like I really hate this movie. I don't. As I said, It's OK. Which is very disappointing for me. Time for me to list some good stuff. McKellen and Stewart are joy to watch as always. I liked Angel's very small role and the certain symbolism in it. I liked that the movie tried to be dramatic. I certainly loved "Frasier" (as this stupid form won't let me spell his last name correctly for whatever reason) as Beast and Ellen Page as Kitty Pryde. There are good things in this movie, even though most of them are casting choices and just some particular scenes. So I give it a 6. My nerdrage would demand a 3 or 4, but I'm trying to be sensible.
Sadly, X3 is the movie that had the most at stake, basically finishing a trilogy. It is the movie that wasted the potential of Phoenix and killed off beloved characters. I'm certainly not saying that killing characters is bad and shouldn't happen, but in a disappointing movie like this, much of the impact is wasted. Even now, when "Days of future Past" is around the corner, Bryan Singer is "fixing" some things X3 gave us with the help of a story that includes time travel. X3 suffers from its disappointing aftermath just as much as it suffers from its flaws. It's seen as something that has to be fixed, forgotten or ignored. This is of course a problem for the fans and those creating sequels/prequels and not a problem in the movie itself, but you get the point.
Singer, thanks for the first films and for building up this one, love the great work. Ratner, you didn't totally suck, but don't ever do this again, no matter what the franchise. Stop it. Don't do it.