X-Men Marks the Spot

Supposedly, two out of three ain't bad. But once you've seen two films in a trilogy and, assuming you enjoyed them, you're not likely to want to miss the third. How many people can honestly say they watched the first two instalments of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy but then skipped the third? I even went to see the third of the "Matrix" films, despite being less than impressed with the second, so there was no way I could fail to see the current "X-Men" film, having thoroughly enjoyed the first two.

As with "X-Men" 2, a scientist with a mutant child has found a way to mess with the mutant DNA. This time, however, they are claiming to have found a "cure" to the "illness" that causes mutation and have unveiled this to the world. This news is greeted relatively calmly by Professor Xavier, although Storm isn't happy that they are calling the mutation an illness. Even her reaction is nothing compared to Magneto's. Always suspicious of what humans would like to do to mutants, he feels that this "cure" is another step along the path to controlling and eradicating mutants and thinks it is time for the mutants to band together and fight back.

As ever, the real stars of this film are in the special effects and make up departments. Although you know that much of what you're seeing can't be real - such as Wolverine's claws - the illusion that is presented is so real that you'd have difficulty proving it. Even during the biggest sequences, there isn't an effect out of place. The music is pretty good as well, in that I wasn't really aware of it until the end credits. This, as far as I'm concerned, is ideal, as film music should be like the referee in a football match - there to complement, rather than get in the way of, the action.

The others aren't quite as effective, but do their jobs adequately enough. Hugh Jackman's Wolverine is better during the action sequences than he is when he's not required to fight and Famke Janssen as Jean Grey was better when she was more controlled and looked less comfortable in her main blockbuster scenes. Vinnie Jones played Vinnie Jones as Juggernaut - the role was really made for him as it didn't really ask him for much. Kelsey Grammer was pretty Frasier like as Hank McCoy and there were one or two lines that had him sounding very much like his Seattle radio show host, but he did do OK in the action sequences as well, although I never shook the feeling he was a blue, hairy Frasier.

It may be that some of the interaction between the X-Men as well as some of the moral choices were removed from the final cut of the film to make space. The whole thing feels pretty rushed, as if it is a 3 hour epic style film which has been crammed into 100 or so minutes. The whole film has a lack of balance, in that it takes a while to get going and then rushes towards a conclusion, missing out bits that could be important along the way.

It's tough to know whether to blame the script writers or the director, Brett Ratner, for these failings. Personally, I think it might be a combination of both, but it's impossible to know whether the missing parts were never in the script, or cut by a director keen to make his mark with a huge set piece scene after being removed from the soon to be released "Superman" film. Certainly this director does not seem to have the understanding of the X-Men that the director of the first two films did. Before, they were real people, but this time they're little more than action heroes.

If you're already a devoted "X-Men" film fan, this does need to be seen on the big screen, especially if you can take advantage of an offer like Orange Wednesdays and get two tickets for the price of one. It's worth the £5 or so admission to look at, but you do risk being disappointed after the last couple. But if you're that big a fan, wondering what you're missing could be worse than watching the film and realising what's missing. If you've never considered an X-Men film before, then you'd be better off skipping this one. It's not likely to make you a fan and you'll be slightly confused in a number of places which refer backwards in the series of films. If you only enjoyed the first couple of "X-Men" films a little, then you'd possibly be best giving this one a miss and waiting for the almost inevitable "X-Men Trilogy" DVD, which I expect to see either in time for Christmas 2006, or at some point in 2007, as that way, you know you'll be getting something really good for your money, even if you do end up not enjoying this film.