Not up to the high standards of the first two, but still slightly fun

Rating: 5/10 (9 July 2006)

Watching X3 was the weirdest experience for me. Everyone who knows me, knows that I'm opinionated. Not only opinionated, but passionately so; I pick a side and fight. That's why I cannot explain this completely neutral feeling about X3.
I realize that the hammy story, god-awful dialog, and terrible acting should have me literally cursing the director's name, but it didn't. It was almost entertaining. All I have is a feeling, but it's there. I didn't hate itheck I didn't even dislike it.
Enough with that; let's get to some of the bad parts about this movie. First off, the story in this movie is bad even for a comic book film. It's clichéd, poorly written, and boring. The storyline in the previous X-Men films have been thin, but passable. This one wasn't even close. Plus, the ending is completely contrary to the message that the writers are trying to convey.
The actors are shameful. X3 has one of the most star-studded casts of the year and none of them deliver. Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, both of which are always fantastic, were very forgettable in this movie. And they're the best of the bunch. Halle Berry is cringe-worthy as Storm. How did you get from Monster's Ball to this, Halle? Hugh Jackman, it seems, leaves all his coolness in his other jacket. He's gone from glorified bad to sappy and unbelievable.
I'm making this film sound terrible, but I'll say it again, I actually kinda liked it. After the initial few minutes of dialog-setup, it settles into an mildly entertaining zone. The action is pretty decent. While this is no Crouching Tiger, the choreographer did the best he could.
Another thing to be criticized about this movie, is the editing style. They never spend more than 3 minutes on a single scene. This bothered me. At one point, Logan is involved in, what should have been a very emotional scene. The filmmakers could have lingered a bit there, and give Hugh Jackman a chance to sell us. But instead, they cut away from it like everything else in the movie. It cheapens the moment and the style never works. Although, I just watched The Deer Hunter and it could have used a little quicker hand on the edit button I could continue to harp on the film's mistakes, but why bother? The bottom line is: This movie is the best blockbuster out there now. If you find yourself needing to see something blow up, or a fight scene, this movie could do it. Before wasting money on Mission Impossible 3 or The Da Vinci Code, give X3 a try. Keep your expectations low, and X3 might just show you a good time.