X3 Teaser Trailer Review...

Well, I’m a big fan of the X-Men movies and couldn’t wait to see what the new director would offer with the first teaser trailer hitting the ‘net on Monday. After having watched the new X3 teaser trailer more than a few times, and reading through some message boards, here’s some of my thoughts on it. I don’t think there is anything really spoilerish here compared to actually watching the trailer, but if you don’t want to know anything about the movie, stop reading now or skip down to Final Thoughts: The Good: Wolverine. Looking cool as always. ‘Course by now, Hugh Jackman could probably do the role in his sleep, but it looks like there’ll be some interesting spots with the character. Rogue. Looking Goooood…plus it looks like she’s got a uniform and gets in on some action this time around along with some of the other X-characters. Of course, there’s some discussion that one of the fight scenarios seen in the trailer is a Danger Room session, which would be a shame. Rumor has it she’s got a small role again, which would also be a shame, but at least the trailer shows some good spots as well. Was that a Fastball Special?! Yes it was! Missed it the first time I viewed it, but it’s there if you slow-mo the trailer. Yes, it’s kind of a cheesy thing to put in a movie, but come on, it’s a comic book classic and this is a comic book movie. Dr. Hank McCoy, aka Beast, finally gets into an X-Men movie. He’s one of the original classic characters, so it’s good to see them get him to the screen. Hard to believe it’s Kelsey Grammer (Fraser) under all that blue makeup, but his scenes looked good and I can’t wait to hear what they have him sound like. I thought getting Grammer to play the role was genius – Hank is a genius and talks in big words and flowery speech, so this should be good. Kitty Pryde makes the movie with what looks like the 3rd actress to play the role. She was always a cool character in the comics… The golden gate bridge being blown apart in broad daylight. Don’t know how that relates to the plot, but it’s a cool CGI spot to look at. The kid ‘flying’ the paper airplanes as he walks behind them is another cool CGI spot. The action scenes look fun, tight, and well directed. Should be a fun ride when things start blowing up… The Bad: Halle Berry. ‘Nuff said…Well, not quite. Looks like she finally got her wish and got her role brought to the forefront of the movie. Too bad she can’t act. I really hope that fan derided rumor of a Storm/Wolverine plot doesn’t make the movie. Plus, that whirly-gig spinning offensive move she does in the trailer looks really, really, lame. Storm is a cool character from the comics, too bad they can’t seem to do her justice in the movies. Kitty Pryde. Good that she’s got a bigger role, bad that they de-aged her to look all of what – 12? The Colossus / Kitty relationship is a comic classic, but there is no way they can do that in the movie with the actors they have without getting a bit of an uncomfortable factor. Plus, from the trailer it looks like Bobby (Iceman) goes after another girl he has no connection to in the comics just like he did with Rogue in X2. Too many characters. Unless this movie is close to three hours long, I can’t see how they’re going to do the storylines they seem to be bringing in justice. Plus, some of the favorite characters from the first 2 movies look like they’ll be pushed aside. If the rumors about Cyclops and Xavier are true, and I think they are, the short shrift those characters are getting is just sad. Especially in Cyclops’ case. After the end of X2, he should be front and center in this one… Too much of a good thing in the trailer. They’re giving too much away again, including major plot points. And remember, this is just the teaser. Imagine what the official trailer will be like with actual dialogue… The Ugly: Juggernaut. Looks cheesy as all get out. Couldn’t the FX department come up with something a bit more real looking than what looks like a leftover He-Man chest plate from the Kmart after-Halloween costume clearance sale? We get one line of dialogue in the teaser, and it is bad. Magneto must have just watched the old Sylvester Stallone movie Cobra before he had his meeting with his minions, cause that ‘cure’ line is a blatant rip off. It worked in Cobra, but it won’t work in X3. More than a few fans have a queasy feeling about plot and dialogue in this movie, and that line did not help. Have the screenwriters of this flick even read a single X-Men comic? Or did they just skim the character bios from Marvel’s website to see who has what power? One really has to wonder… Final Thoughts: All in all, a good trailer. It certainly did get me excited about the movie and wanting to see it. I just hope this isn't going into the 3rd Blade movie territory. I really loved the first movie, thought the second one was good but they tried to do too much and lost some of the heart of the first one, and am cautiously looking forward to this 3rd and what appears to be final installment of this franchise (at least with these actors.) I’m still wondering where exactly they’re going with the plot, or if there is one, and am worried about losing some good character moments in favor of flash and dash action. Not to mention they’ve got too many characters to give them all time and justice. The action does look good though, and from this trailer it looks like the new director might just pull this off. He’s got some big shoes to fill after the first 2 movies and the great job Singer did, but it looks like he’s holding his own. Can’t wait for next May!