In 2000,
X-Men started the resurgence of the comic book movie. Guided by visionary director Bryan Singer (
The Usual Suspects), the movie shed the campy and childish stigma that plagued comic book movies. Singer aptly went a darker route, opting realism for camp. But most importantly, Singer was still able to make the film fun. The movie was a success, spawning other comic book movies. The sequel,
X2: X-Men United, was even a greater success.
Singer was slated to direct the third movie,
X-Men: The Last Stand, before he jumped ship to another comic book movie,
Superman Returns. His departure and the subsequent appointment of Brett Ratner (
Rush Hour), a capable but unremarkable director, raised a few questions about the how the movie is going to fare. Thankfully, while the movie loses some spark the first two had, it still has the same tone and, quite possibly, has more excitement.
The Last Stand’s plot revolves around a “cure.” A pharmaceutical company has developed a treatment that would permanently eliminate the mutant gene. The news of a cure naturally draws a line between the Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart)’s more pacifist X-Men and Magneto (Ian McKellen)’s radical Brotherhood. A complication comes in the return of Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), an X-Man who was thought died in the previous movie. As Phoenix, Grey now possesses frightening power that could destroy worlds and appears to be losing control of it. The X-Men must now face the threat of both the Brotherhood and the malevolent Phoenix.
A quick note to those familiar with the comic books: The plot is a mesh of the Claremont/Byrne classic, “The Dark Phoenix Saga,” and the more recent Whedon/Cassaday story, “Gifted.” But don’t expect the movie to play out like the original stories. Screenwriters Simon Kinberg (
Mr. & Mrs. Smith) and Zak Penn (
X2:X-Men United) took the basic premise of the comic books but, in the end, went their own way in writing the script.
The movie has the largest cast yet. The main characters are all back: Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Storm (Halle Berry), Iceman (Shawn Ashmore), Rogue (Anna Paquin), and Cyclops (James Marsden). We also get new characters like Beast (Kelsey Grammer), Colossus (Daniel Cudmore), Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page), and Angel (Ben Foster). X-Fans are getting their money’s worth seeing all the characters in the movie.
Unfortunately, the huge cast proves to be a flaw in the movie. The writers are trying to do too much with the characters, especially considering the movie’s 104 minutes runtime. They try to both wrap up the plot threads from the previous movies and introduce several new ones. As a result, the movie feels rushed; several storylines, Angel’s and Rogue’s for instance, are barely touched. The story is still enjoyable, but undoubtedly loses some of the dramatic impact that is prevalent in the previous movies.
What the movie lacks in drama, it makes up for it in excitement. The movie’s hectic pace gives a sense of urgency; the deaths of several major characters only accentuate it. New director Brett Ratner does a great job replacing Bryan Singer. While he doesn’t quite have Singer’s eye for visual composition, he certainly knows how create dynamic and exciting scenes. The movie’s plentiful action pieces are thrilling spectacles. The extended action finale, which involves the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, is a really impressive scene that perfectly caps off the movie and, quite possibly, the franchise.
The producers of the
X-Men franchise have said that
The Last Stand is the last of the series. But after seeing the movie, it’s rather a shame to see the franchise end. The Last Stand is a great example of a successful comic book movie. It brilliantly translates the explosive and imaginative visuals in the static pages into a moving, breathing picture. It’s also a great example of a summer blockbuster. It might not be a masterpiece in filmmaking, but it’s incredibly fun and exciting to watch.
