Pretty Good

Rating: 8/10 (28 January 2007)

You know, I never read the X-Men Comics by Marvel. I just can't handle all the pictures and narration being intermingled. I always miss out on part of the storyline or spend my time trying to find the darn thing. But, I did enjoy the animated series when I was younger and so went to see the first and second installments of the most recent X-Men movies at the theater. I enjoyed them very much and was told by several friends that the storyline wasn't quite perfect, but that the stories themselves were OK in their own right. I personally would likely hate the movies if I had read the comics with the fervor that so many have over the years. Luckily, I can say I enjoyed even this, the third installment in the series: likely to become more than a trilogy. Considering that Star Wars by George Lucas should have stopped at the first three (anyone who enjoyed the 4th, 5th and 6th in the series -- Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi -- and was a "real" fan hated the 1st, 2nd and 3rd installments which surfaced so many years later. I never saw the 2nd or 3rd because the 1st was so horrible.) I'm hoping X-Men writers don't make the same mistake. Some of the CGI that was done was unsettling (they make Charles Xavier and Magneto look like their younger selves at the beginning of this one). And some of the CGI was very impressive. The storyline reminded me very much of the animated series, since -- of course -- The Phoenix was involved. I always had trouble understanding The Phoenix's heartfelt wish to die, since I didn't know all that was behind it. The movie does a very good job of helping the viewer understand what's going on behind the request for help. The cartoon just couldn't get that graphic, I guess. Make sure you watch the little video clips near the credits. Just watch until you get back to the DVD menu. You'll see why there will likely be a 4th movie. My guess is, they will wait for a decent screenplay and people contracting again with them. Money is at the root. Did the third movie do well enough in the box office to warrant a 4th being made? If they improve upon the 3rd, I hope they make it. If they pull a George Lucas, I hope someone will keep a 5th from surfacing.