X-Men: The Last Stand - Scene By Scene

[Boba_Fett_123]

Let's keep in perspective that both this thread and my analysis are meant to reflect both sides of the issue, 'kay?

 

[gambitfire]

As if thats the only thread.. ive been to the batman begins forums as well... and expressing distaste over batmans tights or calling his comic outfit underwear started a flamewar much like this one.. many of you guys need to get a grip. Many simply have argumentative povs.

So you're attacking this group based on something that happened in another thread?
WOW are you really that bad?

You act as if our side is the only one that has begun flame wars.

Anyways
Name another? I don't go into threads that don't favor my opinion. Unless it's an up for debate thread.

I may have done so once or twice but that was way back when the movie had just been released.

More cliches..give me a break. What you need to do is stop pretending fanatics on here are so innocent.

understanding and patience side?

Hey from over here that's one of the many things you're trying to do among trying too piss off some ppl clearly i'm one of them, i dunno what kind of a personal thing you developed against me as if i have done you so much wrong.

Frankly i don't care i just don't see why you must continue this bad behavior.

Thats bs and you know it. The strong language used is pretty much the language used here. Fair apparently isnt fair if youre a non fanboy.

LOL right because you have read all my post and arn't simply implicating something based of an assumption.

If you can pull that then i can simply state now that i simply disagree with certain posters that their povs are logical.. yet were pointing me out...hmmmm

Fair is fair. Lets see if this board is fair.

Hey you're the one prancing your superior knowledge and claiming everyone's inferiority.

I'm sorry for the BS you're right i think everyone is wrong and i and only i am correct. Is that what you want too hear?

Dude seriously you need to chill out with you're act because you're clearly being a troll, and i can just ignore you but i would rather try and reason with you. What are you trying to prove? You're just being rude and obnoxious. It's getting immature. even for my standards.

 

[XCX]

How about not faulting an average person for noticing theres much irrationality on a fanboy message board, which the world knows is common sense. Apparently thats a taboo subject here that starts flamewars. It shouldnt. Its the very thing missing thats making it unpleasant. No im not a troll, Im just reminded of the flamewars whenever rabid fans are exposed.

 

[XCX]

Let's keep in perspective that both this thread and my analysis are meant to reflect both sides of the issue, 'kay?

I dont mean to derail your topic.

 

[La_She-Beast]

Ya'll are cool, even tho we don't agree. I have nothing but warm hugs and love for you two.

Aaaw...*hugs*

Yea, that's what I'm trying to say. How would I fill it?

My rewrites are a place where I can do it. I would start with characterizations.

Scott would have story,and a long lost brother. Something more than Jean's arm, and what appears to be dead weight to her. He would have more to his personality than emo, and anal-ness. He would be great with numbers (cause he is) and maybe have a dirty joke ready at whim. I would make him more than "That Guy." Maybe he can be a musician when not teaching and fighting. Maybe that's how Jean fell for him. A camera pan of thier room would have been nice with a guitar in the corner. Maybe a line from Jean about how instead of falling in love with a look from Scott, she fell in love in with his voice.

Or maybe a funny line about Scott needing help with his laundry. Seeing only red, or everything with a red hue would make separating pink, reds, and whites diffucult.

All of this is actually in my rewrite.

Granted that's one of the best movies with one of the greatest actors, but that's what I'm talking about. If your going to do something, make sure to do it right, and make sure there's reason behind it.

I have more for more characters.

^See, that's the reason why I want you reply my PM...
But don't over do Scott... even if he's the leader/one of the main characters... he'll become somebody who just needs to be shown when he goes to the toilet, like Wolverine. But yeah, I like the ideas, they're original

Speaking of Scott... he really needed more time in the encounter with Jean.
He could've asked her to sit with him on a rock... just to make slightly more romantic- and fill the scene. Definetely he needed more dignity and pacing for his 'end'.

 

[The Guard]

Yes! We must have longer and longer scenes! NO! Four minutes is not long enough! THE SCENE MUST BE LONGER!!! LOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNGERRRRRRR!

 

[Boba_Fett_123]

Four minutes? Very few scenes in TLS were even that long.

 

[The Guard]

Very few scenes in X-MEN and X2 were that long, either. Ditto BATMAN BEGINS, SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE, or any other movie I've ever seen under three hours.

Yet they must be looooooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggerrrrr! Bret Ratner Has ADD! The Audience Is Stupid And Must Have Eight Minutes of Being Beaten Over The Head With a Concept to Understand it's relevance and importance! We Must Have Five Minute Long Scenes Without Exception! Pacing! Character Development! More Pacing! I'm A Film Connossiuer! Pacing!

 

[Boba_Fett_123]

Well, I am a film connoisseur, and this film is poorly paced. I'd go into further detail, but I'll wait for you to be not rude.

 

[Nell2ThaIzzay]

Well, way for my analysis to get lost in the midst of the bickering...

Anyways, without taking part in all of that crap, I continue:

-----

27. Skating on the Pond – Finally! A scene that just goes SLOW! Because of that, it's one of my favorite scenes in the film. Because, finally, we just have a character moment. A moment where the actions of the day can sink in. I was all against the inclusion of Kitty Pryde in this film. Well, I particularly enjoyed it here. Maybe because she was part of one of the very few pure character moments, but I enjoyed her inclusion. Iceman trying to cheer her up was a nice touch. I like the skate on the pond. Rogue watching it, and misinterpreting what is going on was a nice touch. This scene sets in motion her arc, an arc that, until the end, I think was well done.

28. Rogue Moves Out – So let's get to that scene. Rogue leaves, after seeing the moment between Iceman and Kitty Pryde. There is a very touching moment here with Wolverine that has me close to tearing up everytime. I dunno. It just hits me. So I give this scene credit for doing what it was supposed to do.

29. Magneto Talks to Jean – Finally, there's a little bit more explanation to this whole Jean situation. She's the next stage of evolution, Magneto sees her as a goddess while Xavier wanted to hold her back. Magneto strokes her ego. But she's Phoenix. So she's kinda crazy. And she toys with him using the cure needles. A VERY nice jab at Magneto, who's biggest attribute is his pride in his mutation. To show a threat towards that, Jean shows that she's the one in charge, that Magneto can't control her. His rebuttal towards her shows that he doesn't want to control her, he wants her to be what she is. For someone in her mental state, who's very confused, even if she doesn't need to ally with Magneto, the fact that someone is around, stroking her ego, telling her all the things she wants to hear, would be a very appealing situation. The interaction with Pyro, in which Magneto scolds him about Xavier, is absolutley brilliant, and a very good touch to showcase the respect that Xavier and Magneto have for each other.

30. Close the School? – Kinda really a pointless scene. Xavier is dead, and Beast, one of his original pupils, wants to honor his legacy by closing down the school?! And then when Angel shows up, and Storm keeps it open, Beast is happy? Really, this was a pointless scene that really added nothing to the film. It was there to give Halle "more to do". And simply put, it didn't work. It's followed up by a little chuckle moment for Colossus, one that's inaccurate to his character, as he needs to be metal'd up in order to gain his strength. And how would Colossus have seen Rogue leave when she left late at night, and talked only to Wolverine? I dunno, just a lot about this sequence, except Iceman not finding Rogue, works.

31. Logan at the Grave – Okay, I guess it's an okay moment. But we're at that part of the movie right now that's doing everything it's not supposed to do. Really, I feel that this movie, from after Xavier's death, until Pyro bombing the cure clinic, does everything it shouldn't have. This is the part of the film where Logan is turned into Jean's savior. A role that should have been for Cyclops. And why the studio didn't want that, I'll never know. Did they actually think that less people would see this film if Cyclops was given a role? For telling the story that it's telling, it works. But it's not telling the right story at this point, and this is what's bad about it.

32. The Cure Clinic – Okay, now, we're done with that whole "doing everything we're not supposed to do" phase, and we're back on track. This is the first time Iceman and Pyro interact after Pyro's defection to the Brotherhood. And it's a VERY nice moment. "Come on Iceman. Make a move!" I love that. The terrorist tape on the TV from Magneto is absolutley brilliant, and captured a piece of Magneto's character that the previous films didn't. It's a small moment, but it's one of my favorites of the film. And of the trilogy. The President gets the military involved. We're seeing the stakes raised. We're seeing this war on the horizon, the one that Magneto has preached. He's now bringing that war to the doorstep. Everything about this sequence is very good. The movie is back to doing everything it's supposed to.

33. Fight in the Woods – We're having those pacing issues again; Wolverine got here pretty quick. But take that out of the equation, and we have a VERY nice scene. Once again, back to doing what it's supposed to do. Wolverine in berserker mode, in a very vicious fight sequence in the woods. This definatley rivals, possibly tops, Wolverine's berserker rage in the mansion from X2. Intertwined with Magneto's rallying cry, this scene is just amazing. Jean wanders off after seeing Wolverine, and he goes after her. And Magneto sneaks up on him. A very nice moment between Wolverine and Magneto. He's taking the role of Cyclops in this sequence, but it works, because Wolverine would do all of this.

34. Mystique Betrays Magneto – Nice cameo by Multiple Man here. "Hell hath no fury" line is kind of goofy. But it's a nice touch having Mystique get back at Magneto, even if it is cliche. I don't see this as Mystique tricking the government. After Magneto abandoned her, why would she help him? Magneto is just that smart. But unfortunatley, this scene just isn't all that it promised to be. We see glimpses of this scene in the trailers; the group looking at the monitors, the glance Trask gives the President, all of this promised to be something of very dire consequences. A very hard decision that the President had to face in light of a growing threat. Instead, it turned into whether or not to send armed troops in to gather wanted criminals. BIG letdown.

35. Back at the Mansion – And it begins. The climax to this trilogy is on the horizon. Wolverine informs the X-Men of Magneto's plan. Angel overhears. The X-Men suit up. And Wolverine becomes Scott. What? What happened to the alternate version, the one that keeps Wolverine in character, and gives Iceman, Kitty Pryde, and Colossus a bit more development, by showing them taking a stand for something? Instead, we have Scott Summers played by Wolverine, trying to convince the X-Men to take a stand. There is a nice recollection to Beast's past as part of the X-Men, that's a nice touch. But give me the alternate version of this scene, PLEASE!

36. The Golden Gate Bridge – Ah yes, the money shot. And it is everything it promised to be. The army storms Alcatraz via a relocated Golden Gate Bridge. Talk about sending a message. Quite frankly, I don't care about all of the *****ing and moaning and groaning about this scene. It's a sci-fi film, get over it. The scene is absolutley amazing. It's about more than what's happening, but the fact that Magneto is doing it. And the fact that he's doing it without a moment's hesitation. This is his war. And he'll fight it by any means neccesary.

37. Storming the Island – A good opening to this final battle, as Magneto sends in his pawns (please, spare me the complaints. A good general NEVER sends in his best troops first. He sends in the expendables in the first waves, and then brings in the heavy hitters to finish the job). And Magneto is actually caught off guard; "Plastic, they've learned". A very nice call back to X-Men with Magneto's "You homosapiens and your guns"

38. The Grand Entrance – Finally! THIS is the X-Men I've been waiting for! Leaping into battle, theme music blaring, lining up across the battlefield from the army of the Brotherhood. This is the X-Men in ways Singer never could bring us. This is the X-Men the way they are supposed to be. This takes me back to the cartoons and comics in ways the previous movies never could. The nerd in me is having fangasms. Take away Wolverine's Cyclopsesque battle commands of "Hold this line!", and it's the perfect sequence.

 

[Nell2ThaIzzay]

39. Alcatraz I – So it begins! X-Men action the way I've been waiting to see it. Wolverine clawing, Beast leaping, Iceman freezing, Colossus punching, Storm... well, she tried to make a wave, but Ratner stopped her before she had a chance. But she gets to fight Callisto! That's a nice comic book nod, even though the movie battle isn't nearly as significant as the battle between Storm and Callisto in the comics. But hey. The Juggernaut & Kitty Pryde chase scene is ****ing awesome. r0xx0rz ur s0xx0rz. The Morlocks going into the labs to get Warren Worthington was kind of a waste, as he just gets tossed over the ledge so Angel can swoop in at the most convenient moment ever and save him. What a waste of a character, really. But I guess we had to see Quill do something with his Quills. Dr. Kavita Rao, you won't be missed.

40. Alcatraz II – And now the Brotherhood gets pissed. Magneto and Pyro team up in an epic display of powers, turning Alcatraz Island into a true warzone. Cure weapons destroyed, there's nothing left for the military to do. The X-Men have to take cover or else they are toast as well. And then it comes to them; cure the son of a *****! Well, I guess it's a bit cliche`. but eh. We're given a nice showdown between Pyro and Iceman. People complain it wasn't enough, but really, it's not like Iceman and Pyro were TOP BILL characters here... what we got was nice. And we finally get to see Iceman ice up. Freaking yea! Another Fastball Special as Wolverine is launched towards Magneto as a distraction for Beast to leap behind and plunge the cure into Magneto's gut. Well, I guess that was kind of cliche`, but it works.

41. Phoenix Rises – Everyone calls the Phoenix vs. Xavier scene the best in the film. I call this. Okay, yes, it should be Cyclops, not Wolverine, but this scene is so well done that I forgot that it wasn't Cyclops, and it's not out of character; Wolverine WOULD do this for Jean. He might not be meant for Jean like Scott is, but he does love her. In the most emotional scene of the film, the most epic scene of the film, and the most visually pleasing scene of the film, we're shown Phoenix unleashed, and literally destroying Alcatraz Island. The beautiful shot of the water rising out of the bay, following by the camera panning around an amazed Wolverine as he witnesses the destruction around him, and turns to see Jean, the cause of it all. It's simply beautiful. His march up to the woman he loves, to stop her. It's simply beautiful. His words; "No, not for them. For you. For you." They are simply beautiful. To top it off, John Powell hit it out of the park with the score. He didn't just hit it out of the park, he hit a walk off grand slam in the bottom of the 9th inning in game 7 of the World Series. John Powell brought his A game, that's for sure, and the score only amplifies the emotion of this scene. Without a doubt, it is my favorite scene of the film, and it's up there for favorite scene of the trilogy. THIS is what this movie was supposed to be. This scene did everything it was supposed to, and then some.

42. Finale – After an amazing climax, the movie slips a bit back into "doing what we shouldn't" mode. The tombstones are insult to injury for deaths that shouldn't have occured (Scott Summers). Beast going to the U.N. was just out of place, and really cliche`. Rogue getting cured destroyed what could have been a wonderous arc. What was done right; Angel flying free through the San Francisco skies, flying past the rebuilding Golden Gate Bridge, symbolizing the freedom and acceptance of mutants, as the world rebuilds, both physically, and through their relationships with each other. I'm torn on Magneto. For one, I can't stand to see Magneto cured, and that's it. This ending offers hope. But at the same time, it brings contriversey to the main plotline; did the cure even work? Was everything that just happened worthless? We all have our theories about what happened, and because the writers wanted it to be obscure, we'll never know for sure. So it's a very mixed reaction type of ending. But hey, at least the music that plays during the credits is awesome!

 

[Nell2ThaIzzay]

Final Grade:

Action: A
-The action in this film was far superior to the action in the previous films. Only X2 had comparable action, and only in about 2 or 3 scenes. This film finally gave us a chance to see the X-Men fighting as a team, in a battle!

Character / Emotion: B-
-Not where is should have been / could have been, but it was still there when it needed to be. And the circumstances of this film lead to much deeper emotion than the previous 2, which boosts the grade.

Pacing: C-
-Pacing gets better as you watch the film more, but it's still pretty bad. People jump around from place to place way too quickly.

Faithfulness: B
-This is hit and miss. What the film did right, it did RIGHT. But what the film did wrong, it did WRONG. There are many instances when this film did everything it was supposed to. And other times when it did absolutley everything it WASN'T supposed to. For the drastic deviations, it's dropped a letter grade. But I can't ignore what was done right.

Score: A+
-This is the best score of the trilogy. Behind Lord of the Rings, this is my favorite score ever. It's absolutley amazing.

Visual Appeal: A
-The cinematograpy in this film is amazing. Much better than the previous 2 films. This shots in this film are wonderful, whether it's an aerial shot of Alkali Lake, or a special effects shot of the chaos on Alcatraz, the visual appeal this film is amazing.

Writing: C
-There's some good writing here, and there's some really bad writing. The bad writing is made up for by good acting, but it doesn't negate that it's bad writing.

Overall Enjoyment: A- (not an average)
-Simply put, this movie does many things right. It does many things that it was supposed to do, and does them as well as it should have. And a few mistakes can't take that away from me. There are some missed oppourtunities, or false promises. Trailers promised a more involved government, and higher political stakes. Possibly something along the lines of a Sentinel project. Instead, scenes that promised high political stakes, such as Trask's glance at the President, or the lines "Well then, you know what needs to be done" turned out to be sending the military in to catch wanted terrorists. So there were some false promises. But for the most part, this film did exactly what it should have. I refuse to let the mistakes that were made take away from all the other stuff that was done right.

 

[La_She-Beast]

Well, I am a film connoisseur, and this film is poorly paced. I'd go into further detail, but I'll wait for you to be not rude.

Ignore him. He doesn't want to understand, why bother?

 

[britrogue]

13. The Church of Magneto – Oh man. The most rushed scene EVER. He delivers his speech, which is really good. Except that he delivers half of it on the way up to the stage. And then he talks so fast that its over in seconds, and bam, he’s off stage again. It’s like Ratner told his actors to speak faster than they normally would just to get through shooting faster.

14. Mystique on the truck – It’s fluff, but it’s funny fluff. It’s worth it to see a close up of someone telling the President to shut up. The girl talking about killing him is suitably creepy, and a nice callback to Mystique’s ****ed up sense of humor.

15. Meet Jimmy – And now Beast is in San Francisco. At least we get to see Shoreh. Her skill is almost wasted on Kavita Rao, but hey, it’s Shoreh. Beast’s reaction to Jimmy’s powers are great. Third time the tone feels right for this film.

16. Alkali Lake I – Beautiful helicopter shot of Cyclops going to the lake. Jimmy acts the hell out of it too. And here is the travesty. That whirlpool. Every fanboy in the audience is on the edge of his seat, waiting to see Jean shoot out of the water in a brilliant display of…wait, what’s this? Angle on Scott…okay, well…what’s that light? Is that…aw, ****, it’s Jean. WTF? That’s it? That’s what I waited three years for? Let’s get something clear: the budget for this movie was INSANE. We needed more than a flashlight and a Saran wrap filter on the camera for ****ing PHOENIX RISING. But I could deal with just that. Instead, it gets worse. You see, for every second Scott is onscreen, Tom Rothman loses three cents, and we can’t have that.

17. Alkali Lake II – In a scene that’s more or less unnecessary, but allows us to see our stars running heroically, Xavier tells Logan and Storm to go to Alkali Lake. No ****? So they go. Another cool shot, more random words for Halle to say so that her mouth doesn’t get tired. “You don’t wanna be here”. “Do you?” Are you ****ting me? The movie nearly collapses on itself at this scene. Good thing it’s so damn short. The effects are really good, though, and at least the mood is right, if not the words. Or the situation. Or the fact that Scott will not be mentioned again in five minutes time. Even though he ostensibly died. They don’t even look for Scott. Just, oh, hey, Scott’s glasses. I’ll just pocket these, they’ll come in handy when I assimilate Cyclops later on. You see, it’s not Xavier this time around. It’s Locutus. That’s the plot of X4: Locutus impersonated Xavier and made crazy **** happen. No lie. Rothman loves the crossover potential.

18. Examining Jean – Exposition. Snore. A cocoon of telekinetic energy. That’s the only possible explanation. Yup. Whatever, Borg scum. Jean’s mutation is seated in her limbic system, and Xavier blocked them off until she could learn to control them. But Jean developed a split personality and zzzz….Sorry. It’s just so boring. Anyway, the name Phoenix comes out of nowhere because they figure at least one aspect of this story should be faithful to the source. Xavier is really creepy, but he kind of sells the dilemma he has. Until he tells Logan he doesn’t have to explain himself. You sorta do, Charles. But yeah…so far, the Phoenix saga is pretty disappointing. Singer pretty explicitly set up an evolution of Jean’s powers, and to drop that and say she was Phoenix all along seems like more work than is necessary. It works as an explanation, but he seems a little eleventh hour for my taste.

19. Angel’s Cure – Who? Oh, right, the kid with the wings. He’s kinda hot now. I wonder what’s gonna happen. Rao offhandedly mentions Hank’s “personal issues”. I would rather have seen Hank talk about his personal issues, but I’ll settle for characterization however I can get it at this point. Again, this is a well acted scene. Ben Foster does a good job, and for once Ratner’s breakneck pacing serves the scene, ratcheting up the tension until Angel breaks out of his bonds. The pose looks kind of dumb, but okay, I’ll bite. The way he runs is a little silly, too, but again, not the end of the world. For some reason, Ratner puts the camera right in Michael Murphy’s face. I know Murphy knows better than to look in the camera, so it’s gotta be a choice on Ratner’s part to have that angle. It’s really distracting though. The shots of Angel flying are great, and I love Jimmy looking out the window at it. The tone is spot on here. I feel like I’m watching the sequel to X2.

20. Magneto Rescues Mystique – I like this scene. The effects are cool and shocking. Mystique killing the guard is kickass. I don’t like how the rest of the Brotherhood appears out of nowhere, though. It’s very Ed Wood. Mystique and Magneto have nice interaction. Multiple Man…oh, man. Eric Dane does so much with so little. Seriously, in about fifteen seconds he totally captures the character. In fact, it might be the most faithful translation in the film. As for Juggernaut…well, I guess it’s cool he got in. I wish he’d had some relation to Xavier, but as a mindless thug I guess it’s cool. And then Mystique takes the bullet for Magneto. Forgetting for the moment that Rebecca Romijn is naked, Powell’s score really kicks in. McKellen acts the scene really well, as does Romijn. It’s really sad. I probably would’ve lost the “she was so beautiful” line and held the shot of Mystique instead, but it’s effective as it is.

21. Hank Resigns – The president is on a slippery slope. Basically, this scene serves to get Hank back to the X-Men. Though I’m still trying to figure out how he’s already back in Washington. Unless it took Callisto a really long time to track down Mystique, in which case, she sucks.

22. Logan and Jean – I really like this scene. I even like that it’s Logan and not Scott, because Logan is IN CHARACTER. See, it’s amazing, Logan’s not half as annoying when he acts the way he’s supposed to. Anyway, the makeout session is maybe a bit superfluous, but there’s no denying these two have chemistry. There’s a reason this relationship moved to the center, and I honestly don’t have a problem with that, as long as Logan acts like Logan. The problem starts when he acts like Scott. But that’s for another day. Famke does a great job of acting the Phoenix part, but the scene doesn’t kick into high gear until Logan asks Jean about Scott. You can see the change in Jean’s eyes as Phoenix vanishes for a moment. The effects are great as Jean loses control. The writing is great, the cinematography is awesome, the acting is wonderful…I’ve said it a few times, but it’s worth repeating: the tone is appropriate. Especially Jean’s pleas for Logan to kill her. The rest of the movie needs to match this scene in tone, and then we’re getting somewhere.

23. Magneto Plots – The cure is gonna be a lightning rod. And something about an army. Oh, and Callisto senses a big electromagnetic force. I’m not sure why Phoenix is electromagnetic, but that’s what Magneto decides Callisto feels. I think we could’ve done without this scene, in exchange for some characterization elsewhere.

24. The Infirmary II – Xavier yells at Logan. He sells the fear. And then suddenly…

25. Jean’s House – Why was that last scene so short? We didn’t need either of those. The necessary plot points could have been dealt with in the beginning of this scene, or, honestly, skipped over. I’m gonna cover the Xavier/Magneto/Jean parts in a bit, but first, the rest. The fights are really well done. They give us what we want: action. It’s well executed action, and it serves to pace the confrontation between Xavier and Jean. I like it. The X-Men get their asses handed to them, but it works. Not much else to say. Now, the good stuff-this is the best scene in the movie, hands down. Famke absolutely sells it. Now, my conspiracy theory. Judging by the trailers, the promotional material, and this scene, I think this movie was a lot more Jean-centric than the final cut we saw in theatres. I think a lot got cut, more than is even on the DVDs, to make Jean a secondary plot, and essentially window dressing in the third act. But this scene…this is the benchmark for the entire film. This is a worthy successor to X2. This is what the rest of TLS should have been like. Instead, the movie gets a lot worse from here on out. This scene proves that Ratner and co. have it in them, so I wanna know what happened as far as everything else is concerned. Some people have said it’s too fast, but I’m curious, how long would you like to see Xavier and Jean concentrate at each other for? It’d get old. I like Logan’s struggle, I even like Xavier’s smile, though I wish that was the only remnant of the “twist” we got (it’s called subtlety, Brett: look it up). The only thing missing is the firebird, and again, budget = astronomical = no excuse for skimping on Phoenix.

26. The Funeral – Logan and Ororo rush into the living room, too late to save Xavier. And Logan cries like a baby. Or should I say like Scott? That smile was clearly Locutus entering Logan’s mind and allowing him to assimilate Scott. No question, it should have been Scott in this scene. It essentially is, except he’s being played by Hugh Jackman. Next: There’s really no other way to put this. Ororo’s eulogy is pretty good. But Halle delivers it really badly. She sounds like she’s reading a script. She doesn’t sound convincingly sad. Good thing Powell wrote the awesome cue in the background. Question, though: where did the huge ****ing memorial come from? And why are the X-Men stopping to have a fullblown funeral for Xavier, but not Scott? Not that I’m complaining, because anything to slow the pace down. But it doesn’t make logical sense to totally forget Jean and just have a funeral, even if it is very sad that Xavier died.

I'll finish tomorrow or Wednesday. Exams beckon at the moment.

13. The Church of Magneto - Again, this should have been a paramount moment of the film, for one thing, it's the first time we see Magneto, and more, the first time we see John, once potential X-Man as Pyro with Magneto. Dreadfully rushed, the only thing I really liked about this scene was Aaron's fabulous line "Back off". I love that man! I actually cringed in embarassment when Mags asks Callisto "What do you do?" and she runs around the room. WTF was that? I just thought it was badly acted out, especially for a man of Sir Ian's talents.

14. Mystique on the truck - Of all the stuff they cut out, why was this left in? Come on, it wasn't really that important was it? I would have much rather had some of the deleted scenes than this one.

15. Meet Jimmy - No great feelings here. I've always liked Cameron Bright, but admittedly was disappointed with his performance here. I don't think he was well cast for Leech. Shame. I really liked him in Godsend. Question - Has Beast taken the place of Nightcrawler? He sure gets around!

16. Alkali Lake 1 - I'm with you on everything you say Boba. Who else wanted to scream in frustration at this point? As soon as we saw Scott riding towards the Lake, I grabbed my friend's arm in excitement! THE single most anticipated moment in this film, and all we get was a hint and a rather pathetic (IMO) exchange of "Jean?", "Scott?", "How?", "I don't know." What do you mean you don't know? At least look slightly traumatised about it or something! And then, we have to suffer what looks as though Scott is indeed being killed off. Bastards.

17. Alkali Lake II - Yeah......whatever. I'm annoyed, leave me alone! (LOL)

18. Examining Jean - The truth of how badly they wanted to screw this beautiful opportunity up is upon us. Boba is right, everything Bryan Singer set up in the first two films has just been ignored and destroyed. The end of X2 has just become insignificant. Evolution hasn't just leapt forward, Xavier (who we all thought was one of the good guys) has just been keeping the power of the Phoenix (apparently it just chose to call itself that.........yawn) prisoner all these years. Why? Erm......good point. Hey! He doesn't have to expain himself to you! Let's just call this what it is. A severe cop out.

19. Angel's cure - Ok, by now, I think I've just accepted that the filmmakers have tried to end this film before it's even started. Yet another clip that we'd already seen (thanks to Fox leaving nothing to the imagination). Yeah, Ben Foster isn't too bad, but does anyone feel that he's kind of taking Rogue's place as the central hard done by character? They do seem to have based his character on her's from the original film. I agree on the cheesy pose once free from the machine, but I did like the whole flying scene. Much better than the shots of Storm flying IMO

20. Magneto rescues Mystique - Sorry Boba, I hated this scene. The only good thing about it is that Pyro is in it, but then I'm biased and not afraid to admit it. I personally felt that this was the most rushed scene of the film. It started off well, but I thought the introduction of Multiple Man and Juggernaut just plain sucked. No "who are you", nothing. Just, "whatever, I'll allow you to boss me around." Grrrrr......... However, I will confess, the effects used on Mystique becoming human was good, and she acted the scene and emotion extremely well. Kudos Rebecca, I believed you suffered a broken heart there!

21. Hank resigns. - No strong feelings. Another scene which failed to make an impression on me really.

22. Logan and Jean - As much as I LOVE this scene, I still think it lacked the electricity felt when Jean says "Kill Me" in the trailer. Probably because that wasn't the first time she'd said it. The first time she asks Logan is weaker, and kind of takes the emphasis off it. The trailer clip was definately better. Logan's speech was more effective as well, but hey ho, it still serves as a great scene. Forget Scott for a moment, nobody can deny that these two sizzle together! And Famke is back to her best here. She's such a fabulous actress, and pulls off both sides of Jean's tormented character very well. However, at this point, I was kind of missing the beautiful fiery eyes effect captured in X2. Dark Phoenix never needed to LOOK scary. She was dark and beautiful at the same time. But, in the absence of the firebird, the dark zombie effect works. I just would have rathered the firebird (stamps feet under desk)

23. Magneto plots. - Another scene that is too short to get a real impression about. And another chilling trailer line that left no impact when delivered in the actual film. Weird. At this point, I thin I decided that if I hadn't seen the trailer, I would have liked the film a hell of a lot better.

24. The Infirmary II - Another scene where they make Xavier look like a nasty old man. And they're not really selling a very good relationship between Logan and Xavier, which kind of mystifies me as to Logan's Scott-like grief a little later.

25. Jean's House - Arguably the best scene of the film. I'm going to deal with what I didn't like first, then rave about what I did. Call me picky, but I really hate the score when Storm does her tornado swoop down on Callisto, Quill and Arclight. BTW, what happens to them (Quill and Arclight) for the rest of this punch-up? And where exactly was Pyro at this point? The rest of the fight wasn't bad, but to be honest, I would have preffered to see more of Jean/Mags and Xavier. Anyway, the initial conversation between these guys is excellent, and I love, love, LOVE Jean's line "Stay out of my head!" The way she snarls it at him is amazing! I remember wishing at the time that there was some form of mental conversation going on between the two during this fight, but having heard the conversation now, I prefer it as it is! Famke looks damned creepy in this scene! Again, the firebird is missing, but I'm enjoying the show too much to care. This scene has just rescued this film from total letdown.

26. The Funeral - Very moving, very beautiful, but hello? Why the hell is Scott not getting a mention at all? That is just unforgivable. I'm moving on now in a huff.

 

[Obsidian]

42. Finale – After an amazing climax, the movie slips a bit back into "doing what we shouldn't" mode. The tombstones are insult to injury for deaths that shouldn't have occured (Scott Summers). Beast going to the U.N. was just out of place, and really cliche`. Rogue getting cured destroyed what could have been a wonderous arc. What was done right; Angel flying free through the San Francisco skies, flying past the rebuilding Golden Gate Bridge, symbolizing the freedom and acceptance of mutants, as the world rebuilds, both physically, and through their relationships with each other. I'm torn on Magneto. For one, I can't stand to see Magneto cured, and that's it. This ending offers hope. But at the same time, it brings contriversey to the main plotline; did the cure even work? Was everything that just happened worthless? We all have our theories about what happened, and because the writers wanted it to be obscure, we'll never know for sure. So it's a very mixed reaction type of ending. But hey, at least the music that plays during the credits is awesome!

That's one problem I had with the film is how quickly they resolved the world's attitude toward mutants. I wanted the acceptance of mutants to be progressive and not done overnight. It should've gotten worse before it got better. Somewhat akin to the approach they're taking with Gotham in the new Batman movies that escalation will happen before things improve in Gotham.

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

Well, this thread certainly saw its share of rudeness, brawling aind insult-hurling yesterday.

Let's not repeat that behavior today.

 

[Halcohol]

Well, this thread certainly saw its share of rudeness, brawling aind insult-hurling yesterday.

Let's not repeat that behavior today.

Or else....

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

Damn skippy.

 

[Boba_Fett_123]

To Lightning, you listen. He knows his stuff.

Nell, I'll get to your analysis at some point. I agree with a lot of what you have to say, though I especially want to talk about the Phoenix destruction with you. t:

 

[Halcohol]

Damn skippy.

That's "damn hippy", thank you very much

 

[The Guard]

1. 20 Years Ago – This is a very good scene that helps to establish Jean's character. It gives us a foundation of her powers, and her true potential. What this scene (and overall, the movie) would have benefitted from, however, was incorporating Jean's childhood friend, whom Jean "felt" die. It would help to explain the "evil" Phoenix persona that we see later in the film.

Could you elaborate?

9. Charles and Storm - For the most part, this scene is just bad. The little introduction on the balcony is pretty good, the whole "I don't have to be psychic to see that something's bothering you" is a nice touch of the bond between Ororo and Xavier. The cameo in the hall of the student with the airplanes helps to give off that Singer-feel that the Ethics Class scene did. But the discussion between Storm and Xavier is horrible. "I was hoping you'd take my place someday" "But Scott's..." "Scott's a changed man"... he's no longer Scott Summers, he's Richard White, and he went to Metropolis. This scene is just so full of "we're totally ****ing over a major character, and we don't really care" that it hurts. Storm's "There's something you're not telling us" is quickly forgotten as they meet Beast, and never really recalled again in the film. This scene just hurts.

If you're going to have Storm take over the school, however...then wouldn't you agree that some of the moments in this scene make sense?
"You killed the man you love because you couldn't control your power!"
"But we lost the Professor. We lost Scott. And if we don't fight now, everytying they believed will die with them."

10. The Cure – It's a nice establishement that Beast knows Xavier, Storm, and the X-Men from a previous time. My only concern is, how did he get here so quickly after his meeting in Washington? I suppose he could have taken that 3 hour train ride from DC to New York, but still, it's a little too fast for my tastes. This is where I first noticed this movie was going to be paced a bit too quickly. But otherwise, it's a rather effective introduction to what is going to be the main plot of the movie.

Don't you think Beast getting to the school quickly is paramount? I am really not understanding why you don't get this "passage of time" thing. It's no different than having the X-Men at the museum in one scene in X2, and in the next, having them at the mansion. How'd they get there so fast? For all we know, Xavier's in the middle of a school day.

Okay, so the way that Multiple Man and Juggernaut blindly followed Magneto's cause is a bit awkward.

He broke them out of prison. Odds are they hate humans, too. If you're a mutant, Magneto's cause looks pretty good.

The way Mystique has been made up physically works brilliantly in this scene; being naked allowed her to be naked in this scene. And this isn't a perverted "I WANT BOOBIES!" thing. No longer mutant, Mystique is emotionally naked, and her lying naked on the floor brilliantly demonstrates that. I mean, it's the Rat-man, I'm sure he was just jumping at the chance to get Rebecca naked without the paint. But on an emotional and symbolic level, that scene works wonders.

I also loved the "naked" metaphor. So much for him being a "stupid action director".

How did comic book movies that don't stay true to the source happen to do bad, those that do happen to do good stay true to the source, am i to believe that it's a giant coincidence(In some cases it may be).

Think again. SUPERMAN: TH EMOVIE deviated bigtime from the source material, and did amazingly. Ditto BATMAN (1989). Ditto X3. Hmm...

My rewrites are a place where I can do it. I would start with characterizations.

Scott would have story,and a long lost brother. Something more than Jean's arm, and what appears to be dead weight to her. He would have more to his personality than emo, and anal-ness. He would be great with numbers (cause he is) and maybe have a dirty joke ready at whim. I would make him more than "That Guy." Maybe he can be a musician when not teaching and fighting. Maybe that's how Jean fell for him. A camera pan of thier room would have been nice with a guitar in the corner. Maybe a line from Jean about how instead of falling in love with a look from Scott, she fell in love in with his voice.

I'd be interesting in reading your script. Really. I wonder if there'd be room for anything else with all the descriptions of things you're putting in to show "character". BTW, a lot of that is up to the director...not the writer. Sure it's not SCOTT: THE MOVIE and not an X-Men film?

X-Men and X2 are faithful, consistently (except with Storm, but I'm okay with Storm in the first two.

Except for Toad, Storm, Stryker, Wolverine's past and who ran Weapon X, Bobby and Rogue...

A lot is technically wrong with this film, solely on a filmmaking basis.

Odd that many of the same "flaws" can be found in X-MEN and X2.

Someone compared Jean's resurrection the scene in Psycho where Janet Leigh is killed. No comparison there, buddy. Hitchcock used cut aways and jump shots for artistic reasons. Ratner holds on Scott for I don't know why. And in Psycho, you do see the knife at some point. You see what Leigh is reacting to. Scott's reaction is very well acted, but it's not enough, because this is X-MEN 3. There are fan expectations which, yes, do need to be lived up to. The rules are different for comic book films.

I did not compare the scene itself. I'm pointing out that not showing something important and dramatic is a relevant and accepted filmmaking technique. Phoenix Rising is clearly one of them. And don't tell me it's just because they were lazy...you SAW the CGI "rising" effects.

The writing is objectively bad in many of the scenes. So is the acting. So is the direction.

Where is the acting objectively bad?

He could've asked her to sit with him on a rock... just to make slightly more romantic- and fill the scene. Definetely he needed more dignity and pacing for his 'end'.

Sit on a rock? So let's just go right ahead and KILL the romantic tension of the scene right off the bat?
Well, way for my analysis to get lost in the midst of the bickering... For telling the story that it's telling, it works. But it's not telling the right story at this point, and this is what's bad about it.

33. Fight in the Woods – We're having those pacing issues again; Wolverine got here pretty quick.

Again...why is this an issue?

34. Mystique Betrays Magneto – Nice cameo by Multiple Man here. "Hell hath no fury" line is kind of goofy. But it's a nice touch having Mystique get back at Magneto, even if it is cliche. I don't see this as Mystique tricking the government. After Magneto abandoned her, why would she help him? Magneto is just that smart.

I don't see how she could have been in contact with Magneto.

35. Back at the Mansion – And it begins. The climax to this trilogy is on the horizon. Wolverine informs the X-Men of Magneto's plan. Angel overhears. The X-Men suit up. And Wolverine becomes Scott. What? What happened to the alternate version, the one that keeps Wolverine in character, and gives Iceman, Kitty Pryde, and Colossus a bit more development, by showing them taking a stand for something? Instead, we have Scott Summers played by Wolverine, trying to convince the X-Men to take a stand. There is a nice recollection to Beast's past as part of the X-Men, that's a nice touch. But give me the alternate version of this scene, PLEASE!

I dunno. I see it as Wolverine turning into the character they've clearly been turning him into the entire franchise. Kinda like Scott? Yeah. But he speaks with Wolverine's "voice".

39. Alcatraz I – So it begins! X-Men action the way I've been waiting to see it. Wolverine clawing, Beast leaping, Iceman freezing, Colossus punching, Storm... well, she tried to make a wave, but Ratner stopped her before she had a chance.

Ratner...or FOX? Because Ratner shot the scene...and probably oversaw the effects.
I'm unsure of what you mean about cliche moment regarding the cure. I've never in my life seen a villain "cured" in film. Ever.

41. Phoenix Rises – Everyone calls the Phoenix vs. Xavier scene the best in the film. I call this. Okay, yes, it should be Cyclops, not Wolverine, but this scene is so well done that I forgot that it wasn't Cyclops, and it's not out of character; Wolverine WOULD do this for Jean.

Exactly. And he did, during a recent comic book arc.

He might not be meant for Jean like Scott is, but he does love her. In the most emotional scene of the film, the most epic scene of the film, and the most visually pleasing scene of the film, we're shown Phoenix unleashed, and literally destroying Alcatraz Island. The beautiful shot of the water rising out of the bay, following by the camera panning around an amazed Wolverine as he witnesses the destruction around him, and turns to see Jean, the cause of it all. It's simply beautiful. His march up to the woman he loves, to stop her. It's simply beautiful. His words; "No, not for them. For you. For you." They are simply beautiful.

Agreed. Beautiful...and something Cyclops couldn't do, ironically enough.

To top it off, John Powell hit it out of the park with the score. He didn't just hit it out of the park, he hit a walk off grand slam in the bottom of the 9th inning in game 7 of the World Series.

Hell yes.

42. Finale – After an amazing climax, the movie slips a bit back into "doing what we shouldn't" mode. The tombstones are insult to injury for deaths that shouldn't have occured (Scott Summers). Beast going to the U.N. was just out of place, and really cliche`.

I don't think it's cliche, so much as it's a bit "cheesy". The more I think about it, the more I think Beast going to the U.N. is their way to show the political turmoil changing without having a long drawn out scene about it. There's really nothing inherent in Beast returning to the school to suggest that things are better with mutants and the outside world.

I'm torn on Magneto. For one, I can't stand to see Magneto cured, and that's it. This ending offers hope. But at the same time, it brings contriversey to the main plotline; did the cure even work? Was everything that just happened worthless? We all have our theories about what happened, and because the writers wanted it to be obscure, we'll never know for sure. So it's a very mixed reaction type of ending. But hey, at least the music that plays during the credits is awesome!

Pacing: C-
-Pacing gets better as you watch the film more, but it's still pretty bad. People jump around from place to place way too quickly.

Is this really a pacing issue...or is it that you don't get to see them traveling? People jumped from place to place quickly in X-MEN and X2, as well, when you think about it.

13. The Church of Magneto - Again, this should have been a paramount moment of the film, for one thing, it's the first time we see Magneto, and more, the first time we see John, once potential X-Man as Pyro with Magneto. Dreadfully rushed, the only thing I really liked about this scene was Aaron's fabulous line "Back off". I love that man! I actually cringed in embarassment when Mags asks Callisto "What do you do?" and she runs around the room. WTF was that? I just thought it was badly acted out, especially for a man of Sir Ian's talents.

How is this moment NOT paramount? It sets up Magneto's assembly of his army. And sets up Magneto as a more political, vocal leader.

15. Meet Jimmy - No great feelings here. I've always liked Cameron Bright, but admittedly was disappointed with his performance here. I don't think he was well cast for Leech. Shame. I really liked him in Godsend. Question - Has Beast taken the place of Nightcrawler? He sure gets around!

Beast is a government offical. Government officials get around. Problem solved.

THE single most anticipated moment in this film, and all we get was a hint and a rather pathetic (IMO) exchange of "Jean?", "Scott?", "How?", "I don't know."

You...did see the enormous waterspout, the enormous whirlpool, the brilliant light, and the shockwave, right? That's a bit more than a "hint".

26. The Funeral - Very moving, very beautiful, but hello? Why the hell is Scott not getting a mention at all? That is just unforgivable. I'm moving on now in a huff.

Scott's not getting a mention because it's Xavier's funeral. You don't mention other people at someone else's funeral.

That's one problem I had with the film is how quickly they resolved the world's attitude toward mutants. I wanted the acceptance of mutants to be progressive and not done overnight. It should've gotten worse before it got better. Somewhat akin to the approach they're taking with Gotham in the new Batman movies that escalation will happen before things improve in Gotham.

That happened in X2. Things got worse before they got better. You can't just assume that because there is progress made in the movie that the world is suddenly just hunky dory with mutants. Anyone who knows anything about bigotry and intolerance should realize that the same problems will always exist.

 

[BMM]

That's one problem I had with the film is how quickly they resolved the world's attitude toward mutants. I wanted the acceptance of mutants to be progressive and not done overnight. It should've gotten worse before it got better. Somewhat akin to the approach they're taking with Gotham in the new Batman movies that escalation will happen before things improve in Gotham.

I think this is a pretty nice idea as well.

 

[Nell2ThaIzzay]

Could you elaborate?

I think having Jean "feel" her friend die would show a much more logical reason for her desent into darkness. It was because of her powers that she felt her friend die. Her powers, and that experience, could totally change her, to the point in which she needs Xavier's help. And he helps her. Unfortunatley, his help is really only a band-aid. And then when the band-aid breaks (mental blocks broken), her desent into darkness begins all over again after her "death", and her subconcious mind was able to take over once again.

I'm sure that feeling death, not just witnessing it, but FEELING it, would be enough to make somebody a bit different...

If you're going to have Storm take over the school, however...then wouldn't you agree that some of the moments in this scene make sense?
"You killed the man you love because you couldn't control your power!"
"But we lost the Professor. We lost Scott. And if we don't fight now, everytying they believed will die with them."

Storm took over the school for political reasons; the studio wanted Cyclops out. This scene wreaks of that. It's not just "Storm, I want you to take my place someday", it just wreaks of "Scott is supposed to take over the school, but we're writing him out of the story in an unneccesary way, so we now need to establish you as the one who's going to take over, despite the fact that it should be Cyclops and that was established in a previous film"

He broke them out of prison. Odds are they hate humans, too. If you're a mutant, Magneto's cause looks pretty good.

They don't even know who he is. He wasn't even there for them. He was there for Mystique. Magneto is not some kind of iconic figure. He just says "I could use a man of your talents", and Multiple Man blindly says "I'm in!".

How do we know that Magneto didn't want to do one Multiple Man in the butt, while another duplicate did Magneto in the butt?

Pssh... there's plenty of other, less extreme things, that it could have been as well. Multiple Man wouldn't have known who Magneto was (Callisto and the Morlocks didn't even know who he was), and Multiple Man had no way of knowing that Magneto was building an army against the human establishment. It was random.

I dunno. I see it as Wolverine turning into the character they've clearly been turning him into the entire franchise. Kinda like Scott? Yeah. But he speaks with Wolverine's "voice".

It's not Wolverine's character. He's not a leader. He was made into that character because Cyclops was vital to the plotline. The only problem was Cyclops wasn't around. So they had to get Cyclops in somehow, so they turned Wolverine into Cyclops.

I'm unsure of what you mean about cliche moment regarding the cure. I've never in my life seen a villain "cured" in film. Ever.

Cliche` in the fact that it was a very predictable way for the main villian to be taken out.

Agreed. Beautiful...and something Cyclops couldn't do, ironically enough.

If they wanted him to, they could have.

Is this really a pacing issue...or is it that you don't get to see them traveling? People jumped from place to place quickly in X-MEN and X2, as well, when you think about it.

The difference is, that X-Men and X2 didn't jump so frantically around to the point where what was happening was incomprehensible at times.

The characters in X-Men and X2 may move around fast as well, but the pacing isn't so utterly frantic.

 

[Boba_Fett_123]

I'll go all out tomorrow, but I just wanna quickly address Nell's last point: At no point during X-Men or X2 does the timeline become convoluted. Guard's example of the museum/mansion transition is not valid: that's a standard cut. On the other hand, The Last Stand expects us to believe that Magneto walked from the harbor to the bridge and the X-Men got from New York to California in the same span of time, which is silly.

 

[X-Maniac]

I think having Jean "feel" her friend die would show a much more logical reason for her desent into darkness. It was because of her powers that she felt her friend die. Her powers, and that experience, could totally change her, to the point in which she needs Xavier's help. And he helps her. Unfortunatley, his help is really only a band-aid. And then when the band-aid breaks (mental blocks broken), her desent into darkness begins all over again after her "death", and her subconcious mind was able to take over once again.

I'm sure that feeling death, not just witnessing it, but FEELING it, would be enough to make somebody a bit different...

I had mentioned this too, but not for the reasons you want it. My thoughts were considering how this might play out as an alternative scene - Jean and Annie playing outside, Annie gets knocked down, Jean's power emerges and pushes the car aside but in a chaotic, uncontrolled way (thus showing her lack of control and the need for mental blocks). This would have had more impact and power as a scene (X3's intro lacks the 'power' of X1's Auschwitz or X2's presidential attack). But the scene as shown was fine as a gentle foreshadowing for an older Xavier and Magneto to return to that very same place to see a very diffeent Jean 20 or so years later.

Storm took over the school for political reasons; the studio wanted Cyclops out. This scene wreaks of that. It's not just "Storm, I want you to take my place someday", it just wreaks of "Scott is supposed to take over the school, but we're writing him out of the story in an unneccesary way, so we now need to establish you as the one who's going to take over, despite the fact that it should be Cyclops and that was established in a previous film"

I think you must see past the politics here. We are clearly shown Scott in his room, depressed, haunted by Jean's death (we have the advantage of knowing she is communicating with him, he is not going crazy). So the dialogue makes sense. It acknowledges Scott, so it's not random.

They don't even know who he is. He wasn't even there for them. He was there for Mystique. Magneto is not some kind of iconic figure. He just says "I could use a man of your talents", and Multiple Man blindly says "I'm in!".

How do we know that Magneto didn't want to do one Multiple Man in the butt, while another duplicate did Magneto in the butt?

Pssh... there's plenty of other, less extreme things, that it could have been as well. Multiple Man wouldn't have known who Magneto was (Callisto and the Morlocks didn't even know who he was), and Multiple Man had no way of knowing that Magneto was building an army against the human establishment. It was random.

I think this scene has more going on than that. I had an impression of Mystique having communicated with the other prisoners - she knows MM has robbed all those banks for instance. The way MM says 'I'm in' implies he was told about Magneto's cause. Also, and MANY people miss this, the line 'I'm in' is a joke - he says it after reabsorbing all his clones and as they are no longer outside him, they/he is literally 'in'.

MM is a robber, Juggernaut a thug, they are likely to be attracted to villainous causes and 'go along for the ride' for the moment....

The difference is, that X-Men and X2 didn't jump so frantically around to the point where what was happening was incomprehensible at times.

The characters in X-Men and X2 may move around fast as well, but the pacing isn't so utterly frantic.

I don't think there's too much of a problem in not showing people travelling all over the place, long scenes of people in cars, on motorbikes, in helicopters, etc, just wouldn't add anything. Given the number of characters, which means many locations, it's not necessary to show all the 'movement.' We were shown it at times - Cyclops on his bike (and obviously he didn't trave 2,000 miles without stopping along the way), Beast in the hellcopter, etc. To show everyone's travel arrangements would make the movie a mess.