Director Brett Ratner takes over the X-Men helm from Bryan Singer, and the result is less than satisfying. Oh sure, it's a loud, frenzied summer action film with lots of explosions and special effects, but something was lost in the translation from Singer's vision of the franchise to Ratner's. I will say Ratner and his writers made some bold choices with the film, some of which may put off those fans who enjoyed Singer's two X-Men films.
The plot: a pharmaceutical company has developed a cure for the "Mutant X" gene that causes mutation; the cure will transform any mutant into an ordinary human being. Naturally, this revelation is met with skepticism by some, especially Magneto (Sir Ian McKellen) and his "brotherhood of mutants," Magneto's mutant army. Magneto believes the cure will actually be used to involuntarily transform mutants into normal humans, and raises his army to do battle. Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) opposes violence and wants to resolve the matter peacefully.
We meet many new mutants this time around, including Dr. Hank McCoy (Kelsey Grammer), also known as Beast, a furry blue mutant who is the newly appointed Secretary for Mutant Affairs. Other mutants come and go; we see them briefly in one or two scenes, and there are just too many to keep track of. On Magneto's side, among others, is a huge mutant named Juggernaut (Vinnie Jones), who is on hand to, apparently, run through walls. There are other mutants on Magneto's side, but they just don't register in our memories. I think Ratner is juggling too many characters.
The series regulars are back, including Wolverine (Hugh Jackman); Storm (Halle Berry); Cyclops (James Marsden, in a very brief appearance); and, apparently back from the dead, Dr. Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), who has developed a new personality, the all-powerful Phoenix. Also returning is Iceman (Shawn Ashmore) and Pyro (Aaron Stanford). Anna Paquin is back as Rogue, but like so many others in this film, she doesn't occupy a lot of screen time. Rogue is interested in the mutant cure, due to the fact that her mutation can cause death if she comes into physical contact with someone. Very briefly we are introduced to Angel (Ben Foster), a mutant with giant wings, who doesn't really seem to serve any purpose, other than to fly around in a few scenes.
Article comments
1 - Keith Demko
Great review ... I felt exactly the same way .. not a terrible film, perhaps, but definitely lacking
2 - reggie von woic
This movie was excellent. I thought after watching MI:3 i wouldn't enjoy another action movie this year....i was wrong, Ya?