X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

• Review: *** (out of ****)
• Starring: Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Anna Paquin, Kelsey Grammer, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Stanford, Vinnie Jones, Patrick Stewart, Ben Foster, Dania Ramirez, Josef Sommer, Ellen Page, Michael Murphy, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Bill Duke, Daniel Cudmore, Eric Dane, Haley Ramm, Cameron Bright
• Director: Brett Ratner
• Screenplay: Simon Kinberg, Zak Penn
• Length: 104 min.
• MPAA Rating: PG-13 (For intense sequences of action violence, some sexual content and language)

The franchise that dared to be different. Instead of pickinga single super hero and one or two super villains, the X-Men franchise instead focuses on an array of characters as bothheroes and villains. It’s what ensemble directors like Robert Altman and PaulThomas Anderson might have created, except with a popcorn edge.

Bryan Singer was the perfect director for such an effort.His first two efforts were among the super hero genres’ best films. However,when he quit to work on Superman Returns,a new director took over the project. A director whose flair for visuals isstrong but whose ability to blend stories is weak. The Last Stand survives mainly on its cast of characters and notfor any outstanding plot that supports it.

While nothing could be considered standard about a plotinvolving a mutant whose powers have exceeded her ability to control them,there are still reminiscent scenes of patriarchal defeat and noble sacrifice.Still, for all its detriments, X-Men 3 is still a satisfactory conclusion to an otherwise stellar trilogy.

When Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) supposedly died at the end of X-Men United, comic book fans wereleft with a special closing treat, that of a fire bird soaring under the waterof the lake that took Grey’s life. They knew the Phoenix would rise from the ashes and so shehas. As a fictionalized pre-tale scene of friends Charles Xavier (PatrickStewart) and Eric Lensherr (Ian McKellen), whose identities are Professor X andMagneto respectively, arrive at young Grey’s house to persuade her to joinXavier’s school for gifted youngsters, they know then that she has powers shecannot control.

Throughout the film, we learn more about Jean’s marvelouspowers and how, under immense feelings, she can’t stop from doing things shemight later regret. She goes so far as to join the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants,run by Magneto, who pledges to not control her. However, as evil is wont to do,they do use her for their own purposes though her presence is more of a liabilitythan a benefit as the Brotherhood finds out in a climactic battle that isemotionally charged and visually stunning.

Janssen’s performance, far removed from her breakthroughrole in Bond film GoldenEye, isn’tone of intensity nor temerity. It’s a mannered charicature of a woman troubled,not one that would easily win praise. Fellow evil mutant Pyro (Aaron Stanford) is an equally unimpressive character thanks to Stanford’s simplistic angry teenturn.

Though a superhero film can’t be considered a haven forfantastic performances, some great actors do up the stakes. Stewart andMcKellen are renowned thesps who know how to turn a phrase for dramatic effectand though they don’t reach the peaks of X-Men: United, they nonetheless provide great services. Likewise, Hugh Jackman asthe blood-letting beast Wolverine brings a nuance to a character that, in thecomic books, is nothing but a brash malcontent. Jackman, whose own fame hasmagnified over the last 10 years, receives the bulk of the film’s screen timeas the only remaining lover in Jean Grey’s life and the one person who might beable to save her from herself if he can do it in time.

There are few trilogies that succeed in a combined whole.Even The Godfather trilogy couldn’thold up with its third part. However, the X-Men trilogy at least surpasses recent third-part disappointments like The Matrix: Revolutions and Scream 3. The Last Stand never fails to deliver surprises and for that, wecan be grateful. The shocks are intended to take the viewer’s mind off of otherflaws. While it accomplishes such a feat, one can’t help but wonder how thefilm could have soared had Superman not gotten in the way.

-Wesley Lovell (September 13, 2006)