X-Men 3

Actually, I don't think it was titled X-Men 3, but rather, X-Men: The Last Stand. Regardless, it was the third movie in the series, and according to public consensus, the last.

I saw it early Friday evening, with a pretty packed house. I went in with virtually no expectations, as the release date sort of snuck up on me. I had seen the trailer a few times, but read no reviews or heard anything from anyone who had seen the midnight premiere. Anyone who knows me knows I avoid spoilers like the plague, so I hadn't been spoiled going in, and I'll keep any spoilers out of my discussion here.

If this is the last in the series, what a way to go. Wolverine kicking serious ass (finally), Colossus and Beast doing their thing (awesome), mutants versus mutants versus humans on a large scale, love triangles (yeah, that's plural), shocking deaths (no, I won't say who died, but there was one that was definitely unexpected, and the funeral scene got me a little choked up. The first movie to accomplish that since The Green Mile, IIRC. There were some sniffles from the rest of the audience, as well, something that I honestly don't ever remember experiencing at the theatre. I certainly didn't expect that sort of emotional impact from a comic book movie), and lots and lots of violence. Seriously, the body count was staggering. Probably one of the most violent PG-13 rated movies I've ever seen. I think it would have gotten an R if the deaths had been bloodier or more prominent.

My recommendation: Must see, at the theatre, preferably with a lot of other people. Prior knowledge of the X-Men really not necessary, but if you haven't seen the first two films, you're definitely missing out on a couple of awesome flicks. My local paper gave X3 2 and half stars. I don't remember what they gave the first two, but I think this was the lowest, and they didn't seem as enamored with it as I am. But what the hell do critics know, anyway? Two thumbs up, bitches.