It is never easy walking into a sequel, especially when the original(s) are held in high esteem. It is even worse when the latest in the franchise is being directed by someone different, not out of choice but because the original director had decided to call it quits (or run off to another project, in this case, another superhero film). This creates a sense of unease. In most situations, you either walk into the flick with high expectations or you walk in with low ones. X3 is an example of a franchise film where your expectations themselves are at odds. On the one hand, the first 2 films have created a great legacy and on the other, all signs point towards certain doom. There are 2 different expectations to meet and if they're not, chances are that the result will be bittersweet.And bittersweet is exactly how I felt walking out of the theater, more bitter than sweet though I felt relieved that it didn't turn out as bad as I thought it could.

Before I continue though, there is one important aspect of the film that must be pointed out, which may invariably be the deciding factor for many if their 2 hour experience was worthwhile or not. At no moment did X3 feel like it was a sequel made to just cash in on the success of its name. The intentions of the studio and all those involved seemed genuinely noble from the get go. X3 has a premise that is compelling, a moral debate that is sound and intelligent, main characters that show hints of depth and as expected off all summer blockbusters, tonnes of action with CGI that may not be jaw dropping but respectable enough. If I really think about it, X3 seemed to cover its basis in just about all respects and everyone deserves a big pat on the back. Well, almost everyone. Something did go wrong somewhere right?

Somehow, even with all the right elements thrown into the movie, none of it seemed to properly work and integrate together. While there is ample action, there is little excitement. While there is a moral dilemma, there is a lack of an emotional response. It is quick to blame the bad execution of the film on the director but putting the entire blame on the director's shoulders would be unfair. The problems lie with the script more so than with the director. It is inconsistent, with irregular pacing and even worse, with dodgy development. It's like every great aspect of the film was marred by moments in the script that if I look back, made little sense.

X3 is a film that can essentially be divided into 2 segments. The build up and the 30 minute long CGI laden finale (and by that, I am not implying negativity. I'm part of the popcorn crowd and have never considered CGI as bad unless its horrible). Both segments show clear evidence of there being something wrong with how the entire project was executed. The build up sets up everything for our grand finale but the entire time, it only deals with 'who, what, when, why, and how'. Every bit of dialogue and every scene caters to driving the premise and the premise only. Does my negativity on this sound odd? Well think about having a conversation with someone who just deals with telling you the important facts and never deters from it and never becomes casual? You may feel that the content of the conversation is important but it also becomes less engaging. Due to this, the entire film till the very end just feels rushed, with no side tracking. I would say that it gives no breathing room but that is not possible. Due to the way the script is written and the way it is executed, it lacks a certain amount of excitement. Instead of building the audience up to the grand finale, when it finally comes, it is more of a moment of relief than anything. And even then, things aren't spectacular.

Which leads me to my next problem. The characters behave in ways that do not make much sense. The story progresses in a way that does not make much sense. They make for great action pieces but at the end of the day, in all honesty, should have been avoided. There are examples of this throughout the film. Lets take Magneto for example. Here, we have a villain who is not necessarily driven by evil intentions. His intentions, in his mind, are noble which in many ways makes him more dangerous but not necessarily an immoral person. Why would he sacrifice his own brethren as 'pawns' when we can avoid the death of so many of them by taking 2 of the most powerful X-Men (out of the 6 that stood together) out of commission by a single thought? Why would he recruit Phoenix, when he was only going to use her as a last resort. The entire mutant population is fighting for their own survival, and we all see early on how magneto treats those who are no longer 'like him'. Why would a particular mutant character in the middle of the movie sacrifice himself for the greater good of the entire mutant community. It made little sense to me, much like the actions of a lot of characters. Characters show off their powers in fashions they don't necessarily have to, the motivations of many seem unclear and sadly at the end of the day, I felt little emotion for even the lead characters who are dealing with their respective predicaments.

As negative as I sound, X3 is not a bad movie. As I said in the beginning, it had everything going against it and its problems lay in its execution. X3 calls itself the Last Stand and many actors have confirmed for us that this will be the last in this mutant franchise. Don't be surprised though if you get the vibe that the studio doesn't feel the same way : )