So is it as good as the first two?
Hey rt,
Sorry this is unrelated to X-Men, but have you seen Babel? I read it is a masterpiece.
*so jealous* I can't wait to see it.
It was just 'not bad' ? Elaborate. What was the best and worst aspect of the movie? What would you give it, in a percentage?
It's maybe 3 stars. It simply didn't thrill me until the final sequence between Jean and Wolverine. Not quite sure how this happened, but Ratner doesn't pump the action up to the level it needs to be, IMO.
This is more a "sum of the parts" experience where certain scenes resonate---Jean ("Phoenix") attempting to seduce Wolverine after waking up, Jean levitating her childhood home in a face-off with Magneto and Xavier, Jean obliterating Alcatraz and turning the armies to dust with a feral, Carrie-like and almost demonic presence in the film's climax.
In other words, this film belongs to Famke Janssen who is alternately sympathetic and terrifying, and the introduction of her "schizophrenic" personalities gives her a chance to really run with the ball. The last scene between her and Wolverine is really something and I wish the rest of the film had been as gripping. She's way underrated in the biz.
Ian McKellen is also terrific here, as in everything. What other actor today can bring the same sterling authority to X-Men and just as comfortably to Da Vinci or Gods and Monsters or Richard III? I saw him a few seasons ago on Broadway in Stridberg's Dance of Death with Helen Mirren, and he blew me away (as did she). And I love how outspoken he is. Almost like a hero to me these days...
I found the theme (curing the "disease") to be heavy-handed and a little bit silly.
I liked it enough, I suppose, but wanted to love it. Ben Foster is really striking in a few scenes...
I also checked my watch a few times.......
I'm dying to see it too, and I probably will tomorrow night. There are a bunch of midnight showings here in the city.
Can I make a general request? If a thread or post is going into detail about a movie, to put SPOILERS in the subject somewhere? I know I could just avoid the thread before I see it, but I like the discussion and just want to be forewarned if someone's gonna give something away. Thanks.
Juan
My eyes are circled because of it but I went to see a midnight showing. I loved it, I'll probably see it again over the weekend. Emotionally it was very intense because of the fate of a few major characters, which ultimately I found to be a pretty bold choice. The idea for a cure to the mutant gene worked for me, since it continues the theme of prejudice and stigma. Some of the action sequences were amazing, and I loved how Wolverine and Storm were more center stage this time around, especially Storm.
I went with a friend who had only seen parts of X-2 and explained to her about the Phoenix storyline in the comics, and the way it was adapted for the movie was fine, no more incredulous than what the character's been through in the books. It wasn't as good as the second one, which set a pretty high standard. There were a ton of new characters, most of whom were handled well, especially Beast, Angel and Leech. Yeah, I'm gonna see it again by Monday, good stuff.
Juan
It's maybe 3 stars. It simply didn't thrill me until the final sequence between Jean and Wolverine. Not quite sure how this happened, but Ratner doesn't pump the action up to the level it needs to be, IMO.
This is more a "sum of the parts" experience where certain scenes resonate---Jean ("Phoenix") attempting to seduce Wolverine after waking up, Jean levitating her childhood home in a face-off with Magneto and Xavier, Jean obliterating Alcatraz and turning the armies to dust with a feral, Carrie-like and almost demonic presence in the film's climax.
In other words, this film belongs to Famke Janssen who is alternately sympathetic and terrifying, and the introduction of her "schizophrenic" personalities gives her a chance to really run with the ball. The last scene between her and Wolverine is really something and I wish the rest of the film had been as gripping. She's way underrated in the biz.
Ian McKellen is also terrific here, as in everything. What other actor today can bring the same sterling authority to X-Men and just as comfortably to Da Vinci or Gods and Monsters or Richard III? I saw him a few seasons ago on Broadway in Stridberg's Dance of Death with Helen Mirren, and he blew me away (as did she). And I love how outspoken he is. Almost like a hero to me these days...
I found the theme (curing the "disease") to be heavy-handed and a little bit silly.
I liked it enough, I suppose, but wanted to love it. Ben Foster is really striking in a few scenes...
I also checked my watch a few times.......
And I thought Angel was pretty much wasted.
btw, if you enjoyed the film enough to stay to the end, you must sit to the very end of the credits.I didn't know this the first time!!!! So after dinner last night, my friends and I went to see it again. Brief but worth it!
But we did wonder why she came back to the school. She wasn't a mutant anymore. Why didn't she just go home?
I watched this film, also saw one and two (and enjoyed them all), but for some reason I was hoping for something more in this. I thought the end was a bit corny.
One thing I really like about the X-Men films is they bring in emotional impact which some action flicks don't have to this extent. I would recommend it but would caution it wasn't quite what I was expecting.
She was in love with Bobby - that was the whole point of her taking the "cure". That's why she came back to the school.
Which ending? ;D
What were you expecting?
So, in spite of Wolverine's warning, she DID do it for Bobby and their relationship and not for herself.
*SPOILERS*
I was expecting something different regarding Jean and Logan. I hadn't read anything prior to watching the film, so I hadn't spoiled myself in any way. I guess I didn't know what Pheonix was going to be like in this installment, so that was a surprise. I was stunned that Jean killed Scott...that came out of left field for me. The whole thing went down differently than I expected, but it wasn't entirely a bad thing.
Yeah, I think Marie did it for Bobby more than anything, but I do think she had a lot of her own motivations on needing to be able to touch anyone, not just Bobby. But she came back for him, so I think that was her bigger motivation.
I saw it again and liked it much better the second time. However, I do think the scene at the end of the credits is beyond silly, one of those reversals that calls into question every single thing you've seen for three films.
Could have easily done without that little "twist."
i did go "whoa!" when I first saw it, but my overly geeky mind went into over time. Within the framework of the mutant universe, would Charles become just a man in that body. The mutant powers exist because of their genetics, their mutant dna. That means their power is bound to their particular body. When a mind transfer happens (assuming it could) Xavier's power would still be bound to his old body, wouldn't it? And would he still be Charles?
For me, I loved the philosophical questions that were explored in the comics, and enjoyed some of it in the first two. I felt like this last one, only touch on them without an real exploration. The idea of identity is import, but what happens when part of that identity is altered/suppressed. The "cure" has such a huge philosophic implication, and the film did nothing with that. For example, people who are bipolar struggle with the fact that taking medication suppress some of their mental acuity. They feel like they're in a fog all the time and don't feel like themselves. They feel like the medication takes away some of their identity. The "cure" in the X-men take that to a whole other level.
And the same question is also touched upon, with Jean/Pheonix. If Pheonix is a suppressed part of Jean, then is Jean also only a part of her whole, and not fully who she is? I would have loved to see Jean struggle with Pheonix more. I was hoping that like the comics, Jean finally does win out in that struggle, takes control of her body and her powers, but in an act of self sacrifice, destroys herself to prevent a cosmic disaster that Pheonix had started. I would have loved for her death to be more proactive and meaningful than it was.
I hear you on how the movie didn't fully explore the ramifications of the cure on how those who took it felt about themselves afterwards. Rogue coming back to the mansion afterwards was touching to me because she could have seen herself as no longer "belonging", and it would have been interesting to see how Bobby and the other folks related to her long term. I don't really follow the analogy of curing mutants with medicating people with mental illness. Incorporating those symptoms into one's identity could be seen as part of the pathology. I think a closer analogy would be the research to cure deafness or change sexual orientation.
I'm not so much comparing "the cure" with the treatment for bipolar disorder, but rather was pointing out that in that treatment, the side effect takes away something from those being treated. They feel like they're in a mental fog all the time and express a feeling like they've lost a part of themselves. On a human level, it's an complex issue, and definitely one worth exploring. They have to give up a part of their identity in order to fit into our world. That's a parallel on some level with the film. In any case, it's just one example of many that can be drawn from.I see what you mean. Even though the cure is for the condition, it can still be experienced as cutting off something that one sees as part of their identity. In the case of mental illness, my instinct is to say that feeling that loss of a part of themselves is positive, something to be worked through, rather than holding on to the pathology. Giving up that part is one's identity so one can be accepted or fit in...in a way it's like making choices about what one is willing to give up or change. Very good point there.
*SPOILERS*
I was stunned that Jean killed Scott...that came out of left field for me.