I enjoyed it while I was watching it. It was entertaining, and I was never bored. However, when I walked out of the theatre, it hit me how many opportunities were missed. So many enticing possibilities, so many interesting characters... Few of them employed to their maximum potential. Still, the movie has its naive charms.
Warning: This will be a very candid, train-of-thought review.
Part of the problem is the screenplay. It's written by the same people who did "Elektra". Need I say more? Most of the dialogue is awful ("If you're with us, then be with us" What?). I also wish that the writers followed through with what they started. What ever happened to that rather intriguing friendship between Rogue and Logan? What about Angel (Ben Foster), who should have had more screen time? What about Colussus, who certainly could have been featured more in the final battle? Was that really the payoff that the Jean Grey/Scott Summer subplot deserved? Where the hell is Gambit?!?! What about more depth to the relationship between Magneto and Professor X? These two characters have years - decades, even - of back story. Where is it? Thankfully, actors like Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen are around to do what they can.
And what about this "cure" that we keep hearing about? I was really interested, but there was very little explaining its creation. Nor, was there any struggle between the characters of who was to take the cure, and why. Rogue (the luminous Anna Paquin) seemed to be the only one of the group who was not only extremely eager to take it, but the only one who cared about the friggin' thing at all! I understand that the final battle was directly related to the cure and all, but there was no dramatic build-up to speak of. Much of the emphasis is focused on Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), and her transformation into the deadly Phoenix.
Another problem is the running time. I would have gladly sat through a two and a half hour movie if it offered any development of the ideas that the final product had raised. Hell, "X2" is one of the best superhero movies because it took its time, and it offered more than mindless action. Also, many of the characters aren't given nearly the time they should. Take Mystique, for example. It's almost as if Rebecca Romijn was in a rush to finish shooting her role, and they compromised at the expense of the script. And Rogue -whom, I might add, was being set up in the first film to play a major part in the trilogy - does nothing to speak of. And, I do mean nothing.
Yet another problem is director is Brett Ratner. I enjoyed "Rush Hour" and especially "Red Dragon", but this guy seems to have no clue how to properly block, light, and shoot action sequences (or, in this case, any sequence). Also, the pacing in this movie felt really off to me. There was never a chance to breathe. I would also like to know who gave these chuckleheads any permission to kill off some major characters. How could Stan Lee allow this? If the script was good, I might have allowed it. But, this is X-Men we're talking about here. Be careful who you get rid of, or the die-hard fans (like myself) will have a cow.
And can someone please tell me why Halle Berry's performance as Storm seems to change with each passing film? Berry is a gorgeous woman and a good actress, but if she's gonna make choices with her character, she should keep them consistent. In the first one, she was close to how I imagined the character. By now, she is just playing Halle Berry with white hair. Which brings me to another problem with this movie: You have a long roster of gifted actors... let them act!!! Very few of these talented and attractive individuals get a chance to show their stuff.
Still, as much as it seems I hated the film, I really didn't. Though I complain about the film's pacing problems, I can't ever say that it was slow. The damn thing moved like a race car, all the way to the finish line. And, as I said in the first paragraph, I'd be lying if I said I didn't have fun for the duration. For those who aren't as involved with the X-Men universe, and even for some of those who are, the movie is a harmless breeze. Hugh Jackman has always been the exciting force holding these films together, and he is no sloucher here. The only two other thespians in this one who gave me glimpses of what could have been were Janssen and McKellen, who is excellent as usual. Kelsey Grammer (as Beast) and Ellen Page (as Kitty Pryde) were welcome presences.
Overall, I'm disappointed. This movie should not have been rushed in order to avoid competing with "Superman". Now, I'm not going to name names (*ahem*Halle Berry), but I know that several of the actors don't want to do another one. One can only hope that the studio gives them enough money next time, provided that there is a next time. There HAS to be another one, if only to compensate for this one... Until then, the fans will be feverishly watching and waiting for the next boob to mess it all up.
PS - There was no
Snakes on a Plane trailer when I saw it. I'm kinda pissed.
Updated On: 5/30/06 at 10:18 PM
