The lost X-factor

[Spoiler warning: don't read on if you haven't watched the movie]

Alas, despite great expectations against the contrary, the inevitable sequel curse has befallen another beloved series. I'm disappointed. And a little sad, that the last installment of the franchise would end in a whimper rather than a bang. The couple of cliff-hangers the movie dangles at you in the end were pathetic attempts to make up for what amounted to just another cookie-cutter summer blockbuster, surely an ignoble end to what could have been a great series. Jude would say that I'm being unduly harsh, and that they did indeed stay true to the source material, but for me, X-Men III lacked the pathos, depth, and ironically, humanity of the first two films.

What made the first two X-Men, and my other favorite comic-to-film adaptation- Batmans I, II and Batman Begins- great, was that they weren't just about the heroic side of these people; it wasn't so much about what they could do but who they were, what they were inside- their souls. While it's always fun to see the different powers each mutant has and how they use it, honestly, when you've seen Storm conjure the elements once, you've pretty much seen it all. It's like, ok, I get it already... What I've always found more compelling was the whole issue of how mutants could or could not co-exist in society with human beings. It was about standing out, fitting in, and how you deal with things like discrimination and prejudice. Pacifism, choice, aggression, retaliation, forgiveness, acceptance, tolerance are universal themes, as resonant in reality as they are in the comic.

But alas, there was little of those sentiments in X-Men III, and regrettably so. The material was so rich in potential- the whole notion of a cure for mutanism was such a ripe opportunity to explore a whole myriad of existential issues. Instead, Brett Ratner merely clumsily used it as an excuse for a huge, unecessarily pyrotechnic showdown... And what's with those cheap laughs and even cheaper gimmicks? They felt like Ratner's Rush Hour 3 leftovers... I'm not asking for an intellectual tome of a movie where everyone just mopes about and questions the meaning of their existence; but if there's anything the first two films proved, is that you can have an intensely exciting and entertaining blockbuster movie without sacrificing depth and a compelling narrative.

And not like these guys didn't have the right material- the resurrection of Jean Grey alone could have made for an amazing storyline. But where was her struggle? The rage and anger at her duality? Instead, we see her prop-like, looking blankly out as if her mind and soul were as bereft of any emotion and feeling as her stare. And when she does emote, it is an indiscriminate, inexplicable rage with no hint of internal battle; sadly, it became all about how many cars she can lift and how many people she can vaporize into dust. What a pity...

With great powers come great responsibility, or so they say. Use it well, so it is also said. So why wasn't anyone listening?...