wait for rental-Do Not Buy on DVD or Pay For A Ticket

Rating: 4/10 (25 May 2006)

Okay, so heres the deal: I am a casual X-men fan. So I dig the series, have read a few comics, but I don't really care if the movies vary from the comic. I only say this so you know that this review is not coming from a die-hard fan, angry about the costume colors being wrong or something.
This was not a good movie. It was sub-par. The action scenes were unimaginative and predictable. The character development and plot were non-existent. Heck, even the CGI was obvious.
No single character was on screen long enough to establish a presence, or a role. One of the reasons for this was the overwhelming number of mutants that the writers chose to showcase. The great thing about the first two movies was the light touch taken with the auxiliary characters, pointing some out so that those in the know can take notice, but maintaining a strong focus on the principles. But Ratner has the directing touch of a sledgehammer. Tens of mutants were showcased which is a lot in a movie thats only an hour and a half long. Each person was on too briefly to establish a life, too long for a minor role. The movie was choppy, mercurial and poorly assembled.
I also think that when your movie is about X-men with names like Beast, Wolverine, Iceman, Mystique etc, you should be very careful with the humor you use, because you're already on the ludicrous border. But once again, old ham fist-Ratner comes to the rescue with dull and tired comic relief. The fight scene repartee reminded me of Rush Hour (unsurprisingly). That works with Chris Tucker, but not with Hugh Jackman and Kelsey Grammar.
If you're smart you'll just pretend this one doesn't exist, like Godfather III. Never happened. It makes it easier to enjoy the other two.