Mixed Emotions of a female X-Men fan

Rating: 4/10 (31 May 2006)

I wasn't going to write a review of this film - but after seeing how well it did at the box office, and seeing people rushing to heap praise on it, I felt compelled to write this.
I don't understand how anyone who has been an X-Men fan from before the first film could truly like this film. Now, that doesn't mean I'm saying don't go see it. But it doesn't necessarily mean that you will be entirely happy with what you see. I never read / bought comic books except for the rebooted X-Men in the 90s. I realize now that X-Men fans accepted and even appreciated the first two films because Bryan Singer is a talented filmmaker who didn't ignore (for the most part) the excellent writing and artistry of the X-Men phenomenon. I had a friend tell me that she's really not into superhero/science fiction films except for the X-Men. I think it can be explained by the 'team' aspect. It's because X-Men involve multiple personalities, powers, and the interplay on a "team" of superheroes. That's why the 'Superfriends' was always my favorite Saturday morning cartoon show when I was a child (yes, I know it's cheese). And hands down, the X-Men which flowed from those crazy minds at Marvel and Stan Lee are, hands down, the coolest superheroes ever. Wolverine alone, with his back story, is a legend.
This film delivers on the action, but to me the fights don't make sense (as many have pointed out on the message boards). And the scene with Jean Grey disintegrating Xavier with her mind was mindblowing (no pun intended). Well, to me those are the only two high points. If you want to see some mutants in action, and are not particular about which ones, then see the film. But I had issues with a whole host of things about this film - so Wolverine finds Cyclops' glasses, brings them back and NO ONE SAYS ANYTHING ??? The death of Cyclops deserves something more than a passing reference long after he has died!!! Why did Phoenix kill him? For the hell of it? She could have killed lots of lesser people, she tortures or plays with others, yet she kills the man who resurrects her. This was basically the most ridiculous part of the film. And no one blinks an eye.
The final assault with Magneto lobbing cars set on fire by Pyro has to be the lamest idea I can think of. That scene lacked the intensity and mass scale that a true X Men fight could entail. And other than Storm and Wolverine, we're left with no one else with whom we've connected. Iceman just seemed too 'green.' It was all about Wolverine.
The script of this film is lame, and is it me, or do the actors look like they're done with this? Of course, Halle Berry has never really been Storm - she was always "phoning in" her performance, and has always just played Halle Berry in an X-Men uniform.
This movie is definitely worse than its predecessor, so don't let ticket sales fool you. What else were people gonna see on Memorial Day weekend? People are seeing this film DESPITE the fact that Brett Ratner has completely massacred (in some cases literally) the X-Men name. They're seeing this film because of the X-Men - who shine through a crap-fest of a film. And yeah, a lot of stuff explodes and there are loud noises. Enjoy. I could have done without.