New guys on the block have totally lost the plot

Rating: 3/10 (3 June 2006)

My my, what a change of director and screenplay writer can do for a franchise.
After the brilliant X1 and the solid X2, we now have main characters solely for comic value (read: The Beast), a plethora of bad and good guys that we can barely keep track of before they're all vaporized anyway, so I ask the makers of the film this: would you rather have Juggernaught Bitch or Gambit, really. We don't need this many heroes, and certainly not this many meaningless ones.
Nowhere to be seen is the awe-inspiring Nightcrawler (for reasons explained only in the even more crappy video game), replaced somewhat by the totally ineffective guy with angel wings. Yea, that's right, I don't even know his name. Nor do I care to find out, either. Performing a Deus-Ex Machina requires that you build up some credit beforehand.
Let's talk a little about Phoenix. Why does she love standing around so much doing absolutely nothing? And does her execution mean that it is true that some of us are beyond redemption? And why exactly does she mindlessly follow Magneto onto the Golden Gate Bridge fiasco? She doesn't even like him, and is probably aware of what's going on, judging by her remark "you're just like him (Xavier)".
You know, despite all the overdone explosions occurring every five seconds, Stewart, McKellen, and a select few others manage to turn in some jolly damn good performances. Better even than their contributions to the first two films, I would say. Unfortunately any of the talent being displayed is so completely buried beneath a massive pile of improbabilities and inanities.
It's a cardinal rule of film - you can't be killing off your main characters so frequently. The audience will feel disconnected. Another cardinal rule is not to cheapen those deaths by miraculous resurrections (even if they do happen after the credits) or the regaining of powers. I know, I know, this last part was adhering to the comic, but if you don't adhere to the comic in other important areas, why should you here, when it only serves to lessen the emotional impact? There are only hints to some of these, but the hints are essentially foreshadowing, else it would be stupid to give such hints.
I am seriously disappointed, and I sincerely hope this is the end of the X-Men films. I don't see how they could possibly produce another coherent offering.