The Comic without the Story

Rating: 5/10 (5 June 2006)

I saw this one on opening night and have held back my decision to think about it. Being a devout fan of comic books while still recognizing the inherent differences in the different mediums, I like to see the stories make it to the screen when done well. Unfortunately, the newest X-Men simply does not come through where it should.
I appreciated the director's concern to show the vast number of mutants present in the world (even if we did not get to see their powers-e.g. Psylocke), even if it is dismissed by some as being a "special effects showoff". That's what good stories do- create epic, memorable scenes (Star Wars, Zulu, King Kong). I must say though, there are not epic scenes in this quickly moving three-peat.
There is little to no resonance with the other two films in the series. What of the Weapon X program/Wolverine's past that had been the centerpiece of the other two movies? Why does Toad appear only to never show again? What happened to Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler (perhaps one of the greatest, three-dimensional characters in a comic book movie to date)?
SPOILER's Below! I do not mind the butchering of the Phoenix story as much as some do, as the medium would simply not allow for a 3 hour side story in space with the Shi'ar. However, now Jean is dead, along with Scott (Cyclops) and Professor X (no matter what the clip after the trailer was supposed to show). I'm not convinced the "cure" really meant anything at all, with Magneto regaining his powers (with apparently no legal ramification for his crimes against humanity). At the end, what did the movie accomplish, except to quash the hopes of fans of a well done 4th film and free certain actors of their respective contracts.
In conclusion, this movie had the same stellar cast as the other two films (I especially enjoyed the addition of Vinnie Jones as Juggernaut) but no story to drive them. Try as they might, and look as good as they did in makeup and special effects, this movie is at the end, a failure.