X-Men: The Last Stand
Directed by Brett Ratner
Starring Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, Famke Jannsen, Anna Paquin, Kelsey Grammer, James Marsden, Shawn Ashmore, Aron Stanford, and Vinnie Jones.
Backstory
Ah, the X-Men movies. They pretty much started the whole “comic-book movie” trend that’s been dominating summer blockbusters right now. I shuddered when I heard that Bryan Singer left the series, and wasn’t too sure about Brett Ratner, the guy who’s best-known movies were the Rush Hour films. But, still, I was there opening day for the first two, and I was going to do it again for the third!
Plot
A pharmaceutical company has developed a drug that can permanently repress a mutant’s powers, and they start selling it as a “cure.” Naturally, this just pisses of Magneto, and he’s ready to start a war over it. And who’s there to stand in his way? Why, the X-Men, of course. Meanwhile, in subplot #1, Jean Grey is back from the dead, now as a more-powerful entity called “Phoenix,” and she’s on the verge of a destructive rampage. In subplot #2, Rouge is very tempted by the cure, because it would mean her first real shot at physical intimacy. And throw in a bunch of new mutants like Angel, Juggernaut, and the one they’ve been teasing us with since the first film, Beast.
What I Liked
I got the same impression from this film that I got from, say…the final season of Justice League Unlimited, or even Star Trek: Enterprise. It’s like the makers said, “Look, we’re fairly certain this is the last one, so forget character, let’s just throw in all that cool stuff we always wanted to have but never got to!” Hugh Jackman still rocks as Wolverine. I was actually quite impressed with ol’ Dr. Frasier Crane, Kelsey Grammer, as Hank McCoy. Throw in some not-too-bad special effects, a few good fight scenes, and you’ve got a pretty good installment in the franchise.
What I Didn’t Like
There is just far too much going on and far too many characters for a movie this short. Seriously. I would have almost liked another half-hour so they could have given all the characters their due.
Final Assessment
I would have to say that it’s not as good as #2, but still a notch above #1. All in all, a nice capper to the trilogy.