It was definitely better than I expected. And I do agree with Danny and Jeff - a lot of wasted potential with some truly good moments.

*SPOILERS BELOW!*

PROS
  • Kelsey Grammer as the Beast. Seriously, I had my doubts as much as the next guy, but he definitely turned in a solid performance. I was particularly picky, as Beast is quite possibly my favorite X-Man. Well done, Dr. Crane!
  • "Don't you know who I am?! I'M THE JUGGERNAUT, BITCH!"
  • The titular "last stand". Abso-friggin'-lutely epic! In a lot of ways, this is kinda what I've been waiting all three movies to see. The kinda knock-down, drag-out, fight to the finish... it was a complete sensory overload, which is what I would expect from Ratner.
  • Iceman. The character really owned up to his full potential in this movie, to the point of even achieving his completely iced over state in order to bitch-slap Pyro. Lovely.
  • Ian McKellen. Seriously, is it possible for this man deliver a bad performance? His Magneto ranged from absolutely ruthless to genuinely scared to weakened and defeated.
  • The epilogue. If you didn't stay 'til the end of the credits, you didn't see the whole movie.


CONS
  • Angel. Seriously, what was the point? Was there one? I think Ben Foster (who, as Danny said, is a very talented actor - just watch Hostage) had - tops - five minutes of screen time. That's just ridiculous. Characters without names had more a purpose in this film. I kept waiting for Ratner to get back to him... and was disappointed when he didn't. Better to leave him out altogether than put him in for no reason.
  • James Marsden. Seriously, I feel bad for the guy. He had about five minutes in the last film and even less in this one. I mean, I understand he had to film Superman Returns, but still...
  • Anna Paquin. That girl is too much hotness not to be given more of a role. The entire first film centered around her character. By the third film, she's little more than a sidenote. And the payoff? She's not Rogue anymore. Granted, there's hope for the next film, especially seeing as Magneto seems to be getting his powers back, but there are no guarantees. I'll be pissed if she's not back for the next one.
  • No Nightcrawler. Another of my favorite X-Men, I thought Alan Cumming delivered a good, believable turn in the last film. And he is mysteriously absent... probably because Halle Berry was embarassed about not having a visually stunning leading man.
  • Death of Xavier. And so early in the film! I was definitely bummed, especially due to the fact that Patrick Stewart is one of my favorite actors.
  • The effects job done on Stewart and McKellen in the opening scene. Seriously, it was bad.
  • Trask - seriously, one of the most wooden performances I've ever seen.


I think the biggest difference between this film and the previous two was the execution. With Ratner, the focus shifted from storytelling (Singer's primary concern) to action. Honestly, I expected this from Ratner, which is why I remained so cautious about going into this film. Now, he did it well... but I was still a bit sorry to see so much wasted potential.

Despite what has been said, this movie is definitely set up for a sequel (at least, I would hope so, given the emphasis placed on the next generation - i.e. Iceman, Shadowcat, and Colossus). Plus, developments with Xavier and Lenssher lead me to believe that they haven't necessarily been written out to the extent they might've been otherwise. I think this was just a convenient way to write out anyone who might not have wanted to come back - especially since most of these actors signed three film contracts. That having been said, I will probably see future X-films... I'm hooked now.

Also, it's definitely gonna suck for Singer if this film gets worse reviews than Superman Returns. That would be a friggin' shame.