Just got back from seeing X-Men: The Last Stand with bro, and we both came outta there saying the same thing: IN-FREAKEN-CREDIBLE. 

At least, bro seemed to enjoy it more from an energetic, mind-blowing summer blockbuster point of view; being a much bigger X fan than I, who pretty much knows the saga mythos inside out, he did have a number of qualms about how they took the direction to the story and many of the characters (especially Dark Phoenix), and fans also seem to agree that it was a bit shaky even for an adaptation.  Me, I thought it was utterly fantastic in every regard.  Was a little wary when I heard that Singer was replaced by Ratner as director, but the story and direction both totally worked for me and I consider the film a wonderful finale to the trilogy. (Although, I do regret missing the coda after the end credits; maybe I wouldn't quite be calling it a finale then?)  In addition, I very much liked John Powell's score; the use of orchestratons were rich, and the action cues appropriately forceful.

What about the rest of you X fans?  I'm genuinely interested to hear your opinions on the movie.  Darkheim?  Goldfish?  Skylark?

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Well I saw it. I'm no X-Men junkie. In comics terms I know roughly what was going on during Secret Wars and that about covers it. Anything else I've picked up from the odd cartoon episode or games.

So I saw X-Men 3 and it's no work of genius. There are many criticisms I could throw at it. But it's an enjoyable movie. It's a fun action film with some good sequences and even a few occasions where it tries a little message. I enjoyed Beast a lot - he sort of stole the show for me.

I'm a little baffled by some of the criticisms (some of yours are a little unique Conn so I won't even go there). It's not that this is some great work - I wouldn't say that. What I don't quite get is that there seems to be a feeling of disappointment. Like, after two fantastic films, this one really craps on both of them. Only...I haven't seen a fantastic X-Men film yet. Any criticism I would have for this movie (except maybe it turning night instantaneously) could also be directed at either of the first two.

I enjoyed it.

Me? I'm still gathering up the courage to handle X-Men 2, after the first movie...

Reading impressions all over from this one has me curious though, as to how they manage to fit so much into 2 hours or so. I might look into it just to satisfy my curiosity.

On the other hand...The Dark Phoenix Saga (and the original Phoenix Saga, for that matter) in the Fox cartoon was one of the best animated works I've ever sat through and I'm almost scared to see how it turned out here.

I've no clue what the hell Conn is going on about, but I do find myself agreeing with Jay.  I liked it for what it was---an X-Men movie---and the other two movies were disappointing because they utterly rape the source material, so I guess that lowered expectations helped.  Besides, outside of the post-credits cop-out, they did what Marvel should've done to Xavier a long time ago.  I also like that little scene with Magneto at the end too.  The only real disappointment I professed about this movie is that the Phoenix power never presented itself like it did in X2.

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Sorry Conn, I didn't mean to give the impression that I was getting at your comments - yours are just as valid as everyone elses and you shouldn't feel like you have to hold back. When I said they are unique, I meant that exactly. I haven't heard some of those points (particularly about the use of language) from anyone else.

1).  Psylocke was in the movie?  WHERE!?  WTF?

2).  Professor X and Juggernaut don't recognize one another?  WTF!?

3).  The nullify-mutant-powers-kid actually had an effect on Juggernaut?  WTF!?

1)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Psylocke-X-Men_3.jpg

2)Juggernaut is clearly just a mutant in this and no relation to Prof X. I have no problem with that. Magic whatevers is a whole different movie.

3)Yep, mutant.

Conn, I assume one or more of the filmmakers were aware of this redub of the X-Men cartoon that made the rounds along time ago; I found out about it only after watching the movie and one of my friends mentioned it:  http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid … 1022114445  Must've been a Myspace thing...

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I have not seen the movie (nor do I intend to), but a group of my co-workers went to see a midnight show and they all reported opinions very similar to the above.

I have yet to see X3, but I have to say that X2 was horrible!  A waste of talent in my opinion.  The first X was decent... as a former X-Men fan (I don't really read the books anymore, except for a few here and there) I must say that both the comic book and the Fox TV series are better than any of the movies (well, the first two).  Unfortunately, as is often the case with movies, they only go downhill...  why??   So, I'm guessing I'll have much the same reaction as Conn.  Still, nothing wrong with a good laugh

cheers,

-avatar!

Now, I'm a fan of cheesy, so-bad-they're-good spectacles (like, say, Batman Forever), but I thought X3 was just outright bad (perhaps not as bad as Batman & Robin, but pretty close). I couldn't even laugh at some of the horrible dialogue, awkward wirework, or gaping plotholes. The most aggravating part, however, was that the story went absolutely nowhere. By the end I felt as if absolutely nothing had happened.

There were also so many characters wasted that it's hard to pinpoint which one had the least amount of development. I think, though, that I'd go with Angel, who, despite a good setup, ending up doing nothing but fly out of nowhere and, according to one friend, "look pretty."

I could get over my disappointment with the story if the action and effects were good enough, but I don't think the movie fully delivered in those respects. I thought there were a few nice instances of CG, particularly in the opening scene and the, umm, "bridge" scene, but other effects seemed rushed and unfinished. Actually, rushed and unfinished pretty much describe the whole movie. Some of the deleted scenes make me wonder what could have been: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/vine/show … stcount=36

It's actually closer to 90 minutes. Colossus, one of the main characters, gets all of one line. Basically, they managed to fit two movies worth of plot into one by cutting out all the useless stuff: story, character development, logic, and emotional resonance.

Agreed. The cartoon was surprisingly faithful to the comic (or as faithful as they could get on a Saturday morning cartoon) when it came to the Phoenix sagas. In lieu of watching the movie, I'd suggest just re-watching the following episodes of the animated series: "The Cure," "The Phoenix Saga Parts 1-5," "The Dark Phoenix Saga Parts 1-4," and "Graduation Day." Sure, there are a few cheesetastic moments ("I. AM. PHOENIX!"), but nothing so utterly cringeworthy as "Way to go, furball."

I'm a casual fan of comics and my knowledge of the X-Men is mostly limited to what happened in the 90s cartoon. If I were to see this movie, it would pretty much solely be to see Kelsey Grammer as the goddamn Beast.

I'm not really concerned if the movie is extremely faithful to the comic book continuity or is a well-crafted cinematic experience. I don't care if it's laughable or breathtaking. I wouldn't be seeing the movie for the movie--so the question is, would I enjoy the performance of Sideshow Frasier Beast?

Haven't seen the movie. I have heard the soundtrack though and aside from one good theme, I found it overwrought and aimless.

My point was, about Psylocke, is that she didn't have her actual powers.  She walked through a wall...?

And yeah, with Juggy and Prof X, I should've expected that because Wolverine and Sabretooth didn't know each other in the first movie and the same thing happened again with Wolverine and Lady Deathstrike in part 2 -- we both know that Wolverine has a long, long history with both characters.

And we both know that Juggernaut is not a mutant. 

But, for people not as familiar with the comic, I'm sure it doesn't make a difference.  But many times  I can't look past the inconsistencies.

I don't want to post a long rant on this, as I've done that elsewhere...but suffice to say I was cringing as common sense and good taste were butchered left and right throughout this movie. It seems in the hands of the writers & director the X-Men here were just a means to an end, the end being pretty special effects and explosions. I was constantly feeling "that scene exists just so they can show soandso's powers." That was basically the level of thought that I felt went into this movie. I didn't feel like there was any real vision, coherence or substance behind this film at all. After X1 and X2, this felt like a slap in the face. OTOH, plenty of people are saying this is their favorite. I just don't see how...but yeah, to each their own

Have the original FOX cartoon series ever been released on DVD?

Possible spoilers, but I doubt it.

My biggest complaint with the movie is something few would even notice. The Phoenix supposedly could do anything. There is a problem with that - she could not control herself, therefore, she had limits. So she could not do anything.

My sentiments exactly. While I wouldn't be suprised at people finding it enjoyable, I am entirely suprised that people find the movie good, great, or any other superlative term, at all.

I thought that, too, at first, but someone later explained to me that she was using her ability to teleport by way of shadows. Why they'd choose to showcase that lesser-known ability instead of her psi-knives is beyond me. Then again, I'm more perplexed by the casting. I'm sort of glad a fellow Filipino was cast, but then again, wasn't Psylocke Japanese (well, after she was British, anyway)?

Don't forget the wealth of potential they had when Rogue, Nightcrawler, and Mystique were all featured in X2.

Universal did a couple of really cheap release waaay back. Then, when Disney acquired the rights, they released another two DVDs. Sadly, no season sets yet. Somehow, I did have the foresight to record the first airings of both the Phoenix saga and the Dark Phoenix saga, so I think I'll have a look at them soon to wash away the bitterness left by watching X3.

Well, I did think it was the crappiest superhero movie I've seen in a while. Then again, what else would one expect from the writers who brought us Elektra and xXx: State of the Union? And if they're going to have horrible dialogue, they should camp it up with stuff more akin to "Do you know what happens to a toad when it's struck by lightning? The same thing that happens to everything else."

Say what you will about the first two X movies, but I still can't help but get a kick out of the fact that Solid Snake wrote them.

THE super hero movie this summer is going to be Superman
Looking forward to that!

-avatar!

'Pretty cool, huh? It's my Animality, do you like it?'

I liked it, although I know hardcore X-men fans will whine about certain aspects that were changed for the movie. At least 2 such X-men fans that I know have already done so.

So what exactly WAS at the end of the credits? We left about halfway through the credits when ABSOLUTELY NO ONE ELSE in the theater left. I was wondering what was up.