Disappointing

Rating: 6/10 (1 June 2006)

I liked the first two movies and had hopes for this one but in the end it was just disappointing. The first two films weren't as good as the Spiderman movies but they were decent comic book actioners. This one just falls flat. Comics fans who have seen the trailer will probably know that there is a Phoenix storyline and a Magneto storyline. They do a better job of unifying them than I would have expected but the lack of ability to decide between the two signifies the muddled nature and poor writing of the film.
First the things I liked: -Some advancement in mutant affairs: Unlike the comics they've actually made some advances. Hank McCoy is a cabinet officer and the President seems to be dedicated to achieving harmony between humans and mutants.
-Juggernaut and Phoenix as mutants: In the comics both had other explanations for their powers. Making them mutants streamlines the background a bit and actually worked pretty well.
-Wolverine: Jackman turns in another good performance.
-FX: The special effects are still pretty darn good and there's two impressive scenes involving Magneto and Phoenix.
-Kitty Pryde: As a long time Kitty fan it was good to see her character given more screen time, and even a place on the team, in this film.
-Jamie Madrox: He had a small role but Eric Dane was good as Multiple Man.
-The Cure: They handled the logic of the cure well. Yes, the obvious step is to wepaonize it. Yes, some mutants will want to take it, and the film doesn't take the easy route out of condemning it. An important character from the first two films takes it and it's portrayed as a good thing.
-"I'm the Juggernaut Bitch!": fans of the internet cartoon will laugh as hard as I did at the line.
What I didn't like: -Bad writing: The script writer was AWFUL. There were a lot of cheesy lines and some plot problems (The time frame of the film is all messed up, how did Angel get across the country, how did the Golden Gate Bridge stay up).
-Pointless characters. They introduce Angel but there's really no reason for him. Cyclops is in two scenes and seems to have no purpose either.
-Bad fight scenes: The fight scenes aren't great. There's a scene where Wolverine is taking out some mutant sentries but only one of them seems to have any powers. Similarly in the big final combat only a handful of mutants seem to have powers. There's another scene where Storm, who can fly and throw lightning bolts, decides that the best way to fight some guys is to spin like a top and punch them. Dumb.
-Bad use of effects: Even though the effects were impressive sometimes they were stupid. Several people get torn apart in the film. But rather than being the bits of gore that should result from that, they instead turn into neat little grains of sand. There's also a scene where Kitty Pryde is fighting the Juggernaut. She leaves him half embedded in a floor. Such a maneuver should have killed him but instead he merely breaks free.
-Little dumb things: There's just tons of little dumb moments in the film, like Wolverine not recognizing Beast, or all the mutants being dressed like Goths. With all the time it took to make this film they should have spent time putting together a good script.