Now that you've seen it, how would you say X3 measures against the first two films?

[Nathaniel_Essex]

I liked it, but there were a few things that could have made the film great.

1- Rogue should have been part of the melee at the end. She was the focus of the first movie, and in the most relevant one to her she was uninvolved.
2- Ages ago when i was a regular poster, some people had issues with Marsden as Cyclops. To me, I saw in this movie how important he is. Him leaving the mansion wasn't the negative, but he is the heart of Xavier's dream, and for him to be uninvolved (I've heard the reasons why), I felt that this movie was missing something.
3- Call me greedy, but I wish Iceman did the ice-slide. I know it sound ungrateful considering he did ice up.
4- Madrox should have been in the last fight, though I don't think he was misused.
5- Storm should've stabbed Callisto (being greedy again).

 

[LEX]

X3 is better than X1, but not as good as X2

Yes, it's WAY more fun to watch than X1. More action-packed, plenty of emotion, heart and drama (Jean/Logan infirmary scene, Jean/Xavier battle, Mystique cured and the climax).

Obviously, X2 is superior to X3 in terms of longer runtime and character developments.

 

[StorminNorman]

best of the 3. All the character development was pre-established. As a trilogy it gave a climax that out did anything seen in the previous 2.

i didnt care about the lack of cyclops because singers cyclops was different than the comics. He was never a central character.

This more or less sums it up for me. I am have not touched an X Men comic so I went into this movie having no thoughts on where the story should go and I think it helped me enjoy this movie. The main characters were already developed and they brought enough background into the characters introduced (Beast, Kitty etc) to make them work well in the movie. The story was clearly not as deep as X2 (however not as dull either), so I can see how some would be disapointed by this, however I thought it was fun and I enjoyed the pace and it made for a fun movie.

This movie does not have the depth of a V for Vendetta or Batman Begins, however neither did X2 or X1 IMO. I enjoyed this movie far more than the previous two, however I can see and accept the flaws in it.

 

[CapBeerCino]

Bump

 

[SuperT]

I think X3 was leaps better then X1, but not as good as X2.

Same as any usual trilogy. Good opener, spectacular middle, great ending but not as good as the second one. I still thoroughly enjoyed myself the whole movie. Can't wait until it comes out on DVD!

 

[Johnichi Chiba]

Worst of the 3

 

[Marvel Dude]

After watching X2 for the thousanth time I sort of thought X3 should have had alot more closure than it did.

 

[Nell2ThaIzzay]

I believe it's better than X-Men, but not as good as X2: X-Men United.

I feel that it was a more than solid closer to the trilogy. Closure was brought, I can't at least off the top of my head, think of any story arcs or loose ends that weren't fixed with X-Men: The Last Stand.

And overall, I think the film works. Overall, it keeps consistant with both the characters of the comics, and of the movies. There are some deviations, yes, but nothing that I found to be TOO drastic.

The only drastic change was killing off Cyclops. However, as much as I hate that creative decision (and I will never view it as the right decision), it still works in the film.

Jean Grey becomes so overwhelmed and corrupted by her powers, that she will kill the 2 people she loves the most in Cyclops and Professor X, just out of passion for that power.

She killed Cyclops because she let the power control her, and she killed Professor X because he wanted to take that power away from her.

Some of the essence is retained (although a lot is lost), as the scene in the infirmary with Wolverine and Phoenix, Jean Grey returns to her normal self again when Wolverine asks about Cyclops. The thought of Cyclops brings Jean out of her Phoenix state, if even for a moment, before the Phoenix takes over again when Wolverine talks about making it the way it was.

And in the final scene with Wolverine killing Phoenix, it might not be Cyclops' love specifically that brings her back long enough for her to be dealt with, but it's the love that makes someone go as far as dying for her that brings her back.

Wolverine's love for her is championed in this film instead of Cyclops... and that is the wrong decision, no matter how you look at it. But in terms of the movie, it still works.

But yea, overall, this is a great final chapter to the trilogy...

The characters are already developed, and there is a bit of evolution for them as the movie goes on. The events of the previous movies set up the action in this film, and it really is a natural progression.

I do think it could have been a better film. Again, Cyclops should not have died, he should have fulfilled his role in the Phoenix Saga, and been the one to bring Jean back. Angel should have joined the team for the final battle. He overheard the X-Men talk about the attack on Alcatraz, he should have approached them to go along with them, instead of showing up out of nowhere. Iceman should have used the ice-slide for his entrance into the final battle. And Gambit should have been in it

But what's done is done, we can't change it now. The only thing left to do is take this movie for what it is, and either enjoy it as the final chapter in the X-Men motion picture trilogy, or bash it for not being what we wanted it to be.

 

[Casius--J]

In all honesty i prefered this to the previous movies, i always felt the first films were holding back and this one seemed to just go all out.

I loved it!!!!

 

[Patch/wolverine]

Having read a lot of X-men comics I knew some stuff in there wasn’t going to translate to the big screen so I was not disappointed when the third movie didn’t follow the comics exactly (I never expect this anyway.) The point is that you need to maintain at least the essence of X-men, which I feel wasn’t accomplished.

At the least the movie needed more screen time, especially with the story of the Dark Phoenix. I wasn’t expecting her to wake up and blow up a planet, like in the comics. I wasn’t expecting the whole cosmic force of the Omegas to be explained. But after the classic line “I don’t know” it just went *bamph* I think I feel like killing Cyclops *bamph* why not the professor too? I had to look at my ticket and make sure I wasn’t in a remake of Carrie. This is not about what happened in the comics, it’s the fact that their version of the Dark Phoenix needed to make sense, needed more screen time, needed to be more than a sub-plot.

Fearing that I’ll be just restating what most people have said I’ll say this: everyone had a different experience. I went in with the expectation that this movie was going to great and left thinking it could have been. Yes it’s a “war” but who cares about who lives or dies if you have no emotional attachment to them. And I’m not talking about Xavier or Cyclops (why the heck did they kill off a main character of X-men?). I’m talking about Callisto, Arclight and Quill. What was the purpose of that? Who cares if Dark Phoenix, Juggernaut, Colossus, Angel, etc are in the movie if all they are doing is cussing or flying around?

Others I’m sure enjoyed it because it had a lot of action compared to the other movies. But I’ll just say that for me personally, this better be the last because it is heading in the direction that the Batman industry had gone. Too many characters, no one knew what the hell was going on, bat nipples…need I say more?

SO
Great Action film
Terrible Superhero film
You are all welcome to your opinions.

I completely agree, when they died i felt no sympathy whatsoever, in fact i didnt even notice that Cyclops was dead. Professor Xaviers death merely annoyed me rather than provoking any positive emotions and by positive i mean cry lol. Ok the action was good and all but i completely agree with the dark pheonix being merely a sub-plot. Bad Idea! Her character is way too complex to reduce it to a sub plot. I wanted it to be about her, which i know is hard with the cast but maybe they shouldnt have tackled the story at all. They didnt do it justice.

 

[J.Howlett]

X2=4 stars without even thinking about it.
X-Men=3 stars. It started the film genre we have today.
X-Men The Last Stand=2 stars. If I'm really harsh, it really only deserves 1 star, especially if you like the first two films.

goaliebat's analysis is right on the freaking money when it comes to The Last Stand. Excellent.

 

[GuestStar2004]

Too much FOX in the way, but Well ratner Didn't want to upset fans of the First 2 wolverin... i mean x men films

 

[The Ones]

People whine about how they killed the Professer and Cyclops but i felt it added more the the emotional weight of the film.

Cyke: It shows that Jean has gone past psychotic deamon and cant control her powers that she obliterates the one man that cared for her, and when she wakes up, shes doesnt regret it. Evil

Pro X: He is shown as an all powerful marauder and can overcome any foe, but for him to die at phoenix's "hands" makes you think that if the "head honcho" cant stop her, then the X-men are doomed

 

[DACrowe]

Terrible. Singer took liberties but he didn't rape the stories he was adapting (killing cyclops iin the Dark Pheonex Saga?) nor did he ever compromise his story for faster SFX or lazy writing (the destruction of the characters of Cyclops literally, Rogue figuratively, the misrepresentation of Magneto and Logan, the....you get the picture).

It just doesn't have the depth of the first two. No character de3velopment (and yeah for the Dark Pheonex Saga it was definetly needed for her and Cyke.....and we never got to really spend time with Rogue at least so her decision is more emotional, the new characters like Kitty and Angel and Collossus are merely window dressing with only Beast as the exception).....it was just bad. It lacked a tight pace, good characters, atistic and intelligent direction (just look at the way the camera moves in X2 and doesn't in X3 or compare the cinematography compositions that are rich and nuanced in the first two but flat and ugly in the third)....

It just is nowhere near as good as the first two. I think SR looks good, but in all honesty watching the X-Men franchise be butchered on its last film was not worth it.

 

[Storm22]

Slightly better than X1 but not as good as X2!

 

[hitmanyr2k]

X3 was significantly better than X1 but not better than X2.

 

[DACrowe]

Please tell me, why was it better than X1?

 

[hitmanyr2k]

Please tell me, why was it better than X1?

I pretty much gave my reasons in the box office thread in the Misc Forum but I'll copy and paste it here....

Whenever I think of X1 the first thing that comes to mind is TV pilot...that's the kind of vibe it gives off. I've seen X1 twice and after the 2nd viewing I realized I would never watch that movie again. It simply doesn't entertain. There's no fun factor or any kind of payoff whatsoever in that movie. It's just one long tedious setup with bland action scenes.

 

[xmenfan84]

X3 and X1 are about the same, X3 is a litte better. The action of X3 is much better than the first, but it lacked the character development. Plus, X3 was so rushed it felt like they were showing the movie in fast forward.

 

[Nathan]

X3 is the worst of all.

- ****ed up characterisation
- Character development = non
- Scene transition is horrendous
- Too much story crammed into it that doesn't get explored properly



Just because characters break out in tears occasionally and it has more action than the previous movies doesn't make it a good movie.

 

[drwalle]

I thought it was an excellent wrap up to the trilogy.
Thinking back to X1 where Wolverine and Rogue were introduced, these characters came full circle. Professor X "dying" and Magneto regretting it was done very tastefully.
Yes, I'm in the "Cyclops shouldn't have died" camp, but his death was only hinted at and not shown, so it did leave the door open.
Logan killing Jean to save her was only fitting.
I can't believe people thought this movie was bad!
I give all of them equal footing. I can't make up my mind as to which one was better. I thought they all were wonderful.

 

[DACrowe]

Well I just don't see it as better than the first. The first explored its characters. You gave a damn about Logan (this was before he was overused, and I don't think Singer ever crossed the line....like killing off Cyke and letting Lgan become Jean's true love and the team leader) and Rogue was a very interesting subtle character. Whenever Magneto was on screen HE WAS MENACING. McKellan wasn't bored this time and just hamming it up for the paycheck like in X3. In this one when he was talking to Charles at the beginning or coming into the train or playing chess with Charles at the end, he was a menace and a great fascinating villain who seemed far more complex than X3 gave him credit for (and X2 showed he was far more loyal to Mystique than X3 could comprehend or the writers of X3 anyway).

I agree the movie has a slow pace but it develops its characters. Well all except Storm. I think for a movie at that length we get a very good intro to Jean and even Cyclops I feel had a few moments to really be developed (which the third obviously did not use nor did the second, but the second still gave him a great scene). Magneto's speeches carried weight and were just not stereotypes and generic villainous uprising lines in this one.

And the humor was just wittier. The banter between Logan and Cyclops especially on Liberty Island was intelligent but very funny and didn't rely on ripping off lousy internet cartoons ("I'M THE JUGGERNAUT *****!") and I think Bobby's one liner against Pyro was worse than Storm's against Toad. And the climax on the torch showed teamwork, Scott taking a comman initative and was far more suspensful than any scene in X3 and still is.

You have the Logan and Rogue subplot at the movies' core though that gives it an emotional weight. X3 is as light as a feather. When it seems like Wolverine died (or almost did) to save Rogue it is very sad and even a bit emotional. You don't feel that when Xavier dies. Compare the reaction to Jean's death in X2 and their following reactions to that of X3. It is appalling how far down the writing and direction dropped between the two.

 

[Karea07]

X3 is the worst of all.

- ****ed up characterisation
- Character development = non
- Scene transition is horrendous
- Too much story crammed into it that doesn't get explored properly



Just because characters break out in tears occasionally and it has more action than the previous movies doesn't make it a good movie.

This is the third movie in a series... how much character development do you need? Do you really need some development for Callisto and the other new bad mutants? No. They were just brought in to pretty much die.

Angel got a little development as well as did Beast and his role in the government.

 

[Daniella]

Ah, come on... the worst of all ? Never...

I think that they risked more on X3... X2 and X1 where somewhat preditable... I mean, in X1 it was preditable that they would fight Mags in the end... x2 wasn't too predictable, as the end when they put the Phoenix in the very end, but it was clear to all that they would fight Striker...

X3 was predictable in one thing... the mutants would have to fight the cure... but it was the Phoenix "effect" that wasn't predictable... and it was the danger room, that wasn't predictable... that's why it isn't the worst... if equal, I would say it was equal X2...

Dany

 

[Nathan]

This is the third movie in a series... how much character development do you need? Do you really need some development for Callisto and the other new bad mutants? No. They were just brought in to pretty much die.

Angel got a little development as well as did Beast and his role in the government.

Wolverine, Xavier, Magneto and the rest that had a good amount of screen time in the previous Movies didn't need much more development, but characters like Angel, Jean, even Rogue etc, could have needed some.

Here's how these characters were handled.

Rogue

"I can't touch my boyfriend, I think he's going to cheat on me, off to get the cure." No struggle if she should do it or not, nothing.

Angel

"Hi, I'm Warren, my dad wanted to cure me and I ran off, can I stay?"

Storm

"Nooo, Xavier is dead. Let's kill Jean I never liked her. Eat my lightning."

Jean/Phoenix

"I'm desire, joy and rage. First I kill Xavier and then I'll stand around doing nothing, maybe I'll go on a killing spree when the Movie is almost over."