X-Men 3

I just want to know why they felt some ridiculous need to more or less "invent" a new character, Quill/Spike, for this movie.

Technically, "Spike" has been the bastard child of the X-Universe for quite a while. He's never truly existed in the comics proper, at least not as a character of noteworthy status, yet he continues to appear in other X-related productions. They tried to push him with that new X-Men cartoon from around 2000/2001 and he never clicked with audiences. They all wanted Wolvie, Kitty Pryde, Phoenix, Xavier, etc, as well they should.

If I had to guess, Spike/Quill exists to fill a perceived gap in the X-roster, one that appeals to youth in that ever-so-cliched manner that actually doesn't appeal to youth at all. Spike is TOTALLY EXTREME HE'S LIKE ALL UP IN MY FACE WITH HIS RIGHTEOUS 'TUDE AND FRESH MOVES CHECK IT.

Executives think we want that shit. This is the same fucked-up logic that causes them to put rollerblading kangaroos on drink boxes.

Now I haven't read the script, so I don't know what purpose Quill/Spike serves in this movie. My guess is "fodder". But why have him there in the first place? Is the character so crucial that it couldn't have been replaced with someone whose already been canonized? If Quill is meant to bite the big one, then I feel they could've at least found a REAL, expendable character. Husk or Northstar comes to mind.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I saw the film tonight. It was actually better than I expected. One point annoyed me, something which displayed a general lack of back knowledge on the writers' part.

Spoiler:

When Kitty and Juggernaut square off in Leech's quarters, she fakes Juggernaut out by drawing him into Leech's "range", causing Juggernaut to helplessly collide with a reinforced wall. This is fucking stupid, as Cain Marko is not and never was a mutant. Any longtime fan can tell you that his power comes from the Gem of Cyttorak, a completely external source. Leech's presence should've had no effect and Kitty should have, by all rights, been a mutant pancake.

Other notes:

It was cool to see Beast actually knock some skulls around. Tapping into his feral side demonstrated a three-dimensional quality to the character, which is more than they ever did for Cyclops.

I never read through a full list of expected cameos, so seeing Jamie Madrox (Multiple Man), Callisto and Arclight was a pleasant surprise. Arclight seems like an odd choice, since she was a rather minor entity dating back to the old Marauders squad. But hey, that's what a cameo is, right?

Spoiler:

Callisto was grossly misrepresented. In the comics, she possesses heightened strength and speed, but not to the extremes that were depicted on screen. That sort of movement is on Quicksilver's level.
Also, Callisto CANNOT sense other mutants. She can sense her surroundings, sort of like Wolverine, but tracking other mutants is the skill of Caliban, one of Callisto's Morlock followers from the books. I thought this was sloppy writing.

Wolverine was chased in the forest by the guy who generated bony spikes. I'm going to presume this was the "Spike" character that was quasi-created f the movie. Here's what I don't like: his ability is congruous with Marrow, an established character. Why not thrill fans and simply use her?

I'm then going to presume the youngster who looked like a porcupine was "Flea". Another made-for-movie joke. There's no dearth of mutant villains out there. It would've been just as simple to write in Blob or Avalanche for the part, or "borrow" a good guy to play an evil role (a la Multiple Man). Dazzler, Sunfire or Wolfsbane could've worked in that situation.

Something that left me uncertain:

Spoiler:

Did Rogue get the cure? I saw the scene but it wasn't conclusive enough for me.

What I did like was the scene after the confrontation at Jean's house. Logan's grief was actually believable and not overworked.

I'm also not weeping at the lack of screentime for Cyclops. Teamwise, he's an anchor but he's also as exciting as driftwood. The character doesn't emote much and Marsden has always seemed incapable of showing emotion as well. Frankly, all scenes with Cyclops, past and current, have been something of a bore. I'm glad the writing and directing team finally realized this and cut him out early. At least Storm has a semblance of a personality to work with, even though Halle Berry doesn't.

Also, which one was Psylocke and where did she die?

There's nowhere I can't reach.