Let’s just get this out of the way: Brett Ratner is no Bryan Singer. This third and final installment of X-Men lacks the sleek look and feel of the first two films, to the detriment of the entire trilogy. The moral debate of equality and “human” rights gets lost in the violent bombardment of action, leaving the movie with a craterous void that isn’t filled with the ethical substance of Singer’s versions. Audiences expect more than this of a highly anticipated finale.

Far be it for me to criticize the adaptation from comic book to silver screen, as I was mainly an avid fan of the FOX cartoon series, but I think I am largely right in saying that a lot of the X-Men mythology gets lost in Ratner’s translation. Cyclops is highly under-represented and -utilized (although this was the same in the previous films), Angel’s role, which is a major selling point in the trailers, is almost entirely insignificant, Colossus sounds American, Beast looks like My Pet Monster, and the Phoenix storyline is simply riddled with errors. Perhaps the most unforgivable act of this movie was the decision of Ratner et al. to kill off fundamental characters in the X-Men universe. Jared does a good job outlining other qualms I have with the film.

Now let’s focus on the good things, and there are a few. The action sequences, although the seeming main focus of the movie, are exciting—they reel you in. The dynamic between Wolverine and Jean Grey/the Phoenix is an intriguing one, although it’s a shame they didn’t keep Cyclops around long enough to toy around with it a bit more. Despite others’ criticism of the main narrative, I thought the “cure” storyline was an interesting one to pursue, as it brings up a lot of the social issues that the X-Men universe parallels, such as prejudice, discrimination, and acceptance. Of course, these larger issues get swept aside in the chaos, but at least the intention is there.