Very average

Rating: 4/10 (25 May 2006)

The first two films were great. They were also written by the same people. Bringing in a new director and new writers was a bad move. This film suffers most from bad writing. I think the script-writers tried to cover too much ground with not enough skill. It seemed like they just stuffed bits in to make up the story without giving any of it enough substance. The story-line was quite good, quite dark, but the way it was delivered is what is most disappointing. I liked the first 2 films. This one was only okay, not great as it should have been. It is the worst of the 3, but is rescued slightly by the dark story-line that was spot on for where the third installment should have gone.
The special effects were fine, but then most films have the same quality these days, so its a non-issue.
The director wasn't very good. The actors have proved that they are far better than they were in this film, so perhaps Brett Ratner was out of his depth. Some of the scenes were sub-standardly blocked. Still, that's not the worst thing about the film.
Wolverine's character was much tamer than he has been. There was absolutely no mention of the sub-plot involving his past, which was still unresolved. Storm had more lines, but her character came across as annoying rather than more 'developed'. Her look, while updated, was also out of character. She was never a 'lead' character, and should have stayed that way.
This film deviated quite considerably from the direction of the first 2 films in quality and the characters.
Mystique and Scott Summers were both wasted characters in this movie, not because of what happened to them, but the way it happened. Their parts were far to small considering their impact in the other films. Scott especially should have been used much more, even if the end result stayed the same. The film should have documented his downward spiral.
Jean Grey turned interesting, but is never more than that. She offers a few surprises, but is mostly wasted as a character.
Wait till the credits have finished rolling for the lead into the next film, which is in line with the X-Men comics. It'll be interesting to see where it goes. However, if it isn't better than this one, they shouldn't bother.