The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

Continuing with my pursuit of checking out most Summer movie releases, a thirst for action came about with my decision to see X-Men III. It's almost compulsory you see the first two movies so you understand the reactions and emotions of some of the characters. Just to let you know where I'm coming from, I liked the first two, didn't love them as much as others did, and still feel that Wolverine's mutant powers and abilities are nowhere near as interesting as say, Magneto or Professor X. But audiences and comic-book readers love their Wolverine, so he gets ample screen time.

Anyway, X-Men III is probably a disappointment compared to the first two. Some scenes added for humour just aren't that funny. Some action scenes are ok but nothing really that grabs you. I thought Mission Impossible III did a much better job at supplying thrills.

The acting is very good. I was especially surprised by how well Kelsey Grammar portrays Dr. Hank McCoy or "Beast", his mutant name not explicitly mentioned in the movie as far as I can recall. The character of Jean/Phoenix isn't as interesting as it should have been. She looked like an Exorcist reject and the conflict the character of Wolverine is confronted with is by the numbers and not too engaging.

Bryan Singer directed the first two X-Men films only so that he could have the chance to helm the upcoming Superman Lives movie. I have a feeling he would have done a much better job than director Brett Ratner provided. Still, I've seen worse, it's not boring, and worth a rental when it reaches video stores.

By the way, I found out after the fact you should stick around during the credits to see a bonus scene.