X-scruciating place to take a franchise

Heidi MacDonald, the trusty "Beat" over at Comicon.con, sums up nearly everything about "X-Men 3" I could possibly want to mention.

Her best quote: "In general this film was loud and noisy. It was certainly not a good movie, and I don't think it was a very good X-Men movie, either. If you went in loving the X-men you got all kinds of fan service, and I liked that part, but in general the set pieces were unimaginative, powers were used unimaginatively, and it was shot in a very dull, ordinary way, The script was awkward and cliched. But I enjoyed it. Because I do love the X-men. I just wish this movie had been better. It's a huge hit, and Brett Ratner will get the credit when the real credit belongs to the powerful franchise."

Damn you Ratner -- but perhaps the biggest damns are reserved for Avi Arad and Lauren Shuler Donner, the producers who opted to go down the Ratner route.