Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12586 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-12-26
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 99 minutes

Synopsis
As the third installment of the X-Men series opens, the world has entered a relatively peaceful period for mutants. There's a mutant-tolerant president of the United States, a blue furry mutant named Beast (Kelsey Grammer) heading up the Department of Mutant Affairs, and Magneto's shape-shifting femme fatale, Mystique, has been captured. The tranquility is shattered by two events. Worthington Laboratories, using a powerful mutant boy, develops a serum that eliminates the 'mutant X gene' permanently. This so-called 'cure' quickly divides the mutant community; Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and his school are willing to give the government the benefit of the doubt, but Magneto (Ian McKellen) and his mutant Brotherhood see the serum as a vile threat to their way of life. They form an army of mutants and march on the fortified Worthington Laboratory located on Alcatraz Island. A much more dire threat appears in the form of the resurrected super-mutant Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), who has succumbed to her cataclysmic identity known as The Phoenix. To face these menaces Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and Storm (Halle Berry) and the younger members of the X-Men must leap into action, but they must do so without the guidance of Professor Xavier--in a showdown with the powers of The Phoenix, his mind-control powers proved insufficient. To his credit, new X-Men director Brett Ratner emulates the style and tone struck by Bryan Singer (director of the two previous films) by combining outrageous special effects and hyperkinetic action sequences with earnest soul-searching and mutant 'issues' that are clearly meant to parallel the political hot-button topics of tolerance, prejudice, power, and responsibility.

Customer Reviews

An Under-rated Film
I found this film highly enjoyable and I recommend it. Some have said that this franchise went downhill when Brian Singer left, but I would much rather watch this than have to sit through Superman Returns again.

Alright, but not great.
The third part of the X-men trilogy continues the story of the rivalry between Magneto and Charles Xavier as they seek to control the diverse powers of the mutants. The film moves to a visually impressive climax as the two armies battle for supremacy on the Golden Gate Bridge.
Yet this film lacks the strength and integrity of the two previous films. The carefully constructed dialogue and attention to the details of character is replaced by action sequences and CGI-imagery. New characters are introduced but are not explored, serving only to deflect attention from the rivalries and affections of the leads. Crucially, three important characters from the previous films are eliminated well before the climax.
The film does boast some effective scenes, mostly when McKellen is onscreen and once again his scenes with Patrick Stewart generate an energy and tension that other scenes lack. The battle sequences are imaginative and well-constructed and the ending is fine. However, compared to the previous films in the trilogy, this movie does feel somewhat soulless and lacking the same passion for the source material.

Worth a second look
When I saw this in the cinema I was disappointed and it would be fair to say it is the weaker of the 3 films.
I could be picky and say there were too many new characters with not enough character development (i.e. Angel) and there was less action.
However I chanced a second watch and it is actually rather good, not great but good. I does round off the series and the plot `although simple' is well done.
It is ironic that we critic an action film for not enough action, but also too much action at the expense of a good plot.