A Hugely Disappointing Third Installment that Made Many Huge Mistakes

Rating: 5/10 (22 July 2017)

Like the "Karate Kid" and "Back To The Future" franchises, the "X-Men" series was a series that really dropped the ball with its third installment. This film has many problems, not the least of which is it's treatment of the characters and the source material.
One problem is that the film strays from the somewhat political themes of the first two movies and is more like your typical shoot-'em-up summer blockbuster. Replacing Bryan Singer with Brett Ratner didn't prove to be a good idea.
While Professor Charles Xavier's death was admittedly treated like a big deal, the other two deaths were not very well executed. Cyclops' death happened off-screen after the character had barely even been in the movie at all and Jean Grey's death felt very anti-climactic.
The movie feels very scatterbrained. There are FAR too many story lines and new characters introduced in this movie, none of which were explored very well. It failed to make everything cohesive. The overall plot felt rather rushed and, in addition, butchered one of the most beloved story lines from the comics.
The film does have redeeming qualities that make it watchable. Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart, and Ian McKellen all hand in really good performances as usual. For the time that he got, Kelsey Grammar was great as The Beast.
Some of the action scenes are fun to watch, and the special effects are as good as ever.
It's a shame that Bryan Singer decided to direct "Superman Returns," because Brett Ratner took the "X-Men" series in the wrong direction with this mediocre, overstuffed, and immensely disappointing movie.
RATING: C