I think Bryan Singer is a better producer than director - he has a solid collection of elements and it holds together well enough but doesn't have the visual clarity of say a Spielberg or Fincher. The good here outweighs the mediocre - they lucked out with Hugh Jackman, their X factor, but also Anna Paquin, Patrick Stewart, Ian MacKellen and the make up and Rebecca Romjin Stamos as Mystique. I also think Famke Janssen's contribution has been overlooked.
The performances from James Marsden and Halle Berry aren't so much bad as bland - so too the two non-blue henchmen villains. The core relationship between Jackman and Pacquin is solid.
It starts with a great deal of confidence but gets bogged down in lethargy. I couldn't put my finger on it - it doesn't seem to build. The final sequence has some decent fights and clever bits but no narrative build or pace. The film is remarkably sluggish.
I absolutely recognise the film's importance in the treatment of comic books by the movies. It has a serious subtext - the treatment of minorities - and effective moments. It just didn't light my fire.
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