Image courtesy of www.impawards.com
Director :
Brett Ratner
Cast :
Hugh Jackman……….Logan/Wolverine
Halle Berry……….Ororo Munroe/Storm
Ian McKellen……….Eric Lensherr/Magneto
Famke Janssen……….Dr. Jean Grey/Phoenix
Anna Paquin……….Marie/Rogue
Kelsey Grammer……….Dr. Hank McCoy/Beast
Vinnie Jones……….Cain Marko/Juggernaut
Patrick Stewart……….Professor Charles Xavier
Cameron Bright……….Jimmy/Leech
T.S Eliot once wrote that “This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper” in “The Hollow Men” circa 1925. It seems that many great things tend to end in this way; once large companies and civilizations fade into oblivion with only history recording their prowess for future generations. And so X-Men, the franchise which launched the current tidal wave of superhero movies, seemingly fades into history’s annals with a seemingly decisive finale in X-Men: The Last Stand.
Following the events of the second film, the landscape of this particular comic universe has turned a bit favorable towards mutants. Dr. Hank McCoy (Kelsey Grammer) is a member of the President’s cabinet, Secretary of the Department of Mutant Affairs. The President himself is a much more favorable ear to super-powered people than the previous office holder as well; as a whole the world seems to be adapting and changing to a more acceptable attitude towards mutants.
Things have changed for Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and his school for gifted children. Scott Summers (James Marsden), erstwhile leader of the group, is an emotional wreck following the apparent death of Jean Grey (Famke Janssen). Magneto (Ian McKellen) is raising an army with evil intentions, much to the chagrin of both the White House and Xavier, but both sides of the mutant equation are troubled when something peculiar happens. A drug synthesized off the mutant abilities of Jimmy (Cameron Bright) becomes a “cure” for the mutants and it causes a dilemma that makes both sides pause. There are lots of questions about choice to be found as well; is it ok to take a pill to try and fit in with the populace or are the unique powers of mutants something not to be thrown away for the sake of conformity?
And if the film were a tense drama it would work much more effectively than it does as an action film. The film’s first act establishes a strong storyline about choice and the dilemma involved in whether or not to take the pill; Rogue (Anna Paquin), whose powers come from being able to take powers from mutants and memories from humans by touch, wants to fit in and be able to touch someone’s flesh without taking part of them with her. With the debate between the returning ensemble cast from the prior two films raging, this is an intriguing topic and a smartly written first third of the film.
The problem is that the film’s requisite action takes over early on and never lets go, leaving the intellectual stuffs aside for a super-powered finale as mutants clash as the X-Men strive to save the day from Magneto and his army. There are some spectacular sequences and seeing Grammer and Hugh Jackman trade wisecracks mid-fight does make for an interesting experience. Credit Brett Ratner for realizing the bar has been raised in terms of superhero violence and raising this installment up to try and keep suit. Ratner may have come on to the film as a last minute replacement to two other directors but takes what was already done and tries to stay true to the franchise’s roots. But in doing so he takes with it the problems of the previous two films.
With the abundance of characters and limited screen time there isn’t near enough time to try and get enough character development in for everyone involved, and that’s been a problem since the first film. With the classically trained and sounding Grammer hamming it up as an action star, as well as a seemingly refocused Halle Berry and an energized Hugh Jackman getting much more screen time than before, there isn’t room enough to try and fit everyone in to the equation. With either a longer film or less characters the film could have exceeded its predecessors in terms of quality but that would also require a much more extended story as well. There are plenty of other characters that only get token appearances as well; much more could be done with Vinnie Jones as the Juggernaut, for example.
And that’s a relative weakness to the film that also extends from its roots in two other films; the film’s story has Bryan Singer’s handprints all over it, as he was in line to direct until he left for Superman Returns, but the film feels like it’s two or three films compressed into 105 minutes. With enough material in the film for several more subplots it’s a rushed conclusion to a rushed franchise.
| CATEGORY | SCORE |
| STORY | 4 / 10 |
| ACTING | 7.5 / 10 |
| LOOK/FEEL | 8 / 10 |
| ORIGINALITY | 5 / 10 |
| ENTERTAINMENT VALUE | 6.5 / 10 |
