Slight disappointment but still a good film

Rating: 5/10 (28 May 2006)

I walked into this film with great trepidation and apprehension. I set myself up for a big disappointment. And, to an extent, I was right. This is a far cry from the first two, both masterpieces in their own right. X1 is one of the best pure fun films of recent memory, and a fantastic starting point for the franchise. X2 is just brilliant. X3, on the other hand, is a step down from both. It has neither the fun of the first nor the drama of the second. The screenplay is quite lazy and poorly written here. That being said, this is still a good flick.
The movie did have its moments. The action scene at the end was quite good, as was the scene in Jean Grey's house. Wolverine remains the best character of the films, but he is rivaled here by Magneto. Jackman and McKellan are by far the best. The effects were perfect, but I would have preferred some more "background mutants" like the second one had. The new mutants were interesting, but underused. The general story about the cure was intriguing but, again, underused. I didn't really mind the random killing of some beloved characters, but Cyclops and Mystique should have been given a proper send-off. And Xavier's death was too... disturbing. I did like the way they did away with Magneto, though, as well as the last scene which leaves room for a sequel. And the scene after the credits was pretty cool.
The real problem with this film is the script. Ratner's direction is fine - he certainly knows how to film action - but Singer brought his writers with him to Superman, and their replacements aren't that good. Many sub-plots are introduced but not resolved. Many characters are underused (Colussus and Angel especially). Some of the dialogue borders on after-school special cheese. Some scenes are perfect examples of lazy writing. And the plot attempts to bring about some moral and ethical depth but ultimately falls short. This is a film which would have greatly benefited by being 20-30 minutes longer and broadening the story. Greatly disappointing.
All in all, this is a worthy addition (conclusion?) to the X-Men series, albeit a step down. I doubt it really is "the last stand" as the scenes bookending the credits seem to suggest otherwise. I am sure that with Singer at the helm, and more competent writers, this would have been just as excellent as the first two. I give it a B+.