(Spoiler Warning - Read at your own risk)
We went to see X-Men III on Friday night and I came out of the movie with mixed feelings. Not quite sure if I liked it as much as I or II. On one hand to the good, my least favorite character got offed. I always felt Cyclops was far too whiny to be an effective X-Man. On the other, not so good, so did Professor X and Jean Grey/Phoenix. Mystique and Magneto pretty much neutered and normalized - not good. And the legion of mutants led by a motley crue of wanna-be's *sigh*. The mutant sniffer chick reminded me too much of the Anna-Lucia character from Lost (very irritating) while the sonic clapper chick was just plain weird. The trailers played up Arcangel yet he had very little screen time, and damnit - no Nightcrawler this time, however, introducing The Beast was good. Yet finally, the storyline was kind of weak - what if we could make everyone "normal". Now define "normal". Which theme, of course, lends itself well to a polarizing of camps (good mutants, X-Men vs bad mutants, Magneto's crew). Maybe I'm missing a greater theme, that of humanity seeking to control biology/nature/evolution... (ok I'm reaching here) and the Pandora's box that can unleash.
Hmmm, looks like the cons are outweiging the pros right now. I think the movies are getting a little tired - maybe it's time to put them to rest. On a positive note, I'll be eagerly awaiting Wolverine which is scheduled to be released in 2007.
For X-Men III: 3 out of 5 stars.