X-Men 3: The Last Stand

Brian Singer, the director for the first two X-Men films gave a decent, if not an average performance, for a superhero film that had high expectations.

Enter Brett Ratner known for movies such as the hilarious 'Rush Hour 1 & 2' and the the action packed 'After the Sunset', and you have to date another contender in the battle of 'Best Superhero flick'.

X-Men 3: The Last Stand is by far the best Xmen movie of the lot! It eradicates the problems the first two films encountered, and keeps viewers very satisfied with a much better performance.

This film has two story lines to it:- One being of a controversial cure for mutants, the other being the revival of a an old character.

The film continues on from X-men 2. Jean Grey has just sacrificed her life in order to save her friends from the face of death. Deeply saddened by these events were her secret love Wolverine (played by Hugh Jackman), and most heavily her Long time boyfriend Cyclops, a.k.a Scott Summer (played by James Marsden), who encounters a nervous breakdown in response to her death. However, surprisingly, all is not lost.

In pursuit of some time alone to clear his head, Scott discovers Jean is alive and has discovered some new found powers.

The opening scene of the film tells the story 20 years ago, of Jean Grey before she arrives at the Xavier academy for gifted children. Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and long time friend Eric Lensherr a.k.a Magneto (Sir Ian Mckellen) talk to Jean about her potential power and ways for her to control it. It is known to Magneto and Xavier that Jean Grey has a hidden power, which exceeds the strength of any other mutant. It is known as the Phoenix; powerful, however, both dangerous and almost unstoppable.

The film also sees yet another battle between Humans and Mutants, after a controversial cure is introduced that is hoping to cure all mutants from their powers.

With both positive and negative view points from both sides the cure causes an immediate problem.

X-Men 3: The Last Stand also sees the introduction of popular characters such as Beast, a.k.a Dr Hank McCoy, played by the lead man of hit American Comedy series Frasier, Kelsey Grammar. British Hard Man Vinnie Jones takes the role of the super strong Juggernaut. Characters like Colossus and Angel have also been included as well.

However, after waiting for 3 films, the very popular character of Gambit has failed to appear in any of the films, which I feel is quite surprising, seeing as he is a character of great importance.

The special effects in this film are spectacular! One of the scenes from the film which really shows this, is when Magneto rips apart San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. The director has really made you think that it is actually happening.

The film provides a lot of action; much more than its predecessors, the best being the climatic fight scene, which is amazing.

The film is quite high on emotional intensity, as it contains some scenes that may not be suitable for the younger generation. There is also some fairly decent humour in this film; enough to keep you giggling with laughter.

Overall, it is an excellent film! Possibly one of the best Superhero films out right now, along with Superman Returns and Batman Begins. Brett Ratner has produced an excellent film, and he has given the audience an insight into the potential he has with Superhero films.

The best X-Men movie of the three without a doubt.

The aptly titled X-Men: The Last Stand can best be compared to a well developed...peach. Beautiful on the outside, but once you tear it apart, you begin to realise that it isn't quite pleasing on the inside. With that being said, general movie -ers will enjoy the film for what it was meant to be; a full-on, high adrenaline, special effects extravaganza. Hardcore fans however, will be disappointed.

The movie begins with a flashback, as a Professor Xavier and Mageto visit a young and adorable Jean Grey. From this moment, one can easily forsee the intent of this visit, and it makes a good setup as Jean displays her powers, thus building up to the point where she goes haywire later on.

The story itself won't win any prizes for originality. A pharmaceutical company has developed a permanent cure for mutation. The source of this cure is a young mutant called Leech, who has the power to unwillingly strip away a mutants powers in close proximity. This news divides humanity and mutant kind right down the middle, and annoys a few 'mutant renegades' including Magneto and his Brotherhood. They devise a plan to eliminate Leech, but not before recruiting the all powerful Jean Gray AKA Pheonix along the way.

Jean is the central focus of the story, as we see her transformation into the 'Pheonix', and ultimately the consequences of her inevitable mutation. Famke Jansen does an incredible job portraying the angst and frustration of her character, and gets the most out of the little screen time she gets. From her reappearance at the lake and the shock that follows immediately, viewers are reminded early that this 'entity' is no longer the Dr. Jean Grey we all know and love, but a malevolent force that can and will destroy anything that opposes it.

The original cast also return, minus Nightcrawler, previously played by Alan Cumming. Halle Berry's Storm gets a major makeover, including a new haircut and a larger script. She does her best to make up for the lack of screentime given to her in the prequels, and does a decent job, once again proving that she didn't recieve the Oscar for nothing.

Hugh Jackman aslo returns as fan favorite Wolverine, and shows why he's the only actor who can do it. Both have become equally adept at portaying their counterparts with a touch of zest and enthusiasm, which is just as well since most of the movie rests on their shoulders.

Of the half dozen new characters introcuded in the film, only one seems to stand heads and shoulders above the rest. Beast, one of the most beloved characters in the comic franchise is immortalised by the brillaint Kelsey Grammar, last seen in the hit comedy show Frasier. Grammar's high brow attitude and sophisticated speech patterns bring a much needed believablility to the furry blue boy, who plays a mutant activist for the US government. Watch as he contradicts everything he stands for (peace and unity)and gets down and dirty when the time calls. Displaying a level of ferocity never seen before, Beast is most entertaing when he's kicking ass.

To level the playing field, the villains get a few recruits of their own. However, like all villains in a superhero ensemble, they are reduced to simply cannon fodder. Juggernaut, one of the most powerful beings in the comic universe, is horribly miscast and portrayed as nothing more than a thug with half a brain. A few others make an appearance, but are hardly worth mentioning.

The movie is chock full of great set pieces, and from a filmmakers point of view, it is understandble why Ratner chose to take the film in this particular direction. Everything the fans have wanted to see are in this film. Huge battles, fireballs, ultimate showdowns and other neat touches from the comic are present in spades. However, strip this all away and you're left with a movie lacking any real emotion and intelligence that blessed the prequels. The dialogue is especially cheesy, and although this may not detract from the viewing experience immediately, it will kick in. ' WIth lines such as ''Coccoon of telekinesis.'', be prepared to choke on your popcorn.

In conclusion, X-Men: The Last Stand is a worthy addition to the franchise. It may lack the charm of the prequels, but as a pure popcorn film, it delivers a great experience you'll be talking about for days. Just make sure you stay for the extra scene at the end of the credits.

In X-Men 3: The Last Stand a supposed cure is found for mutants, some are embracing it while others are up in arms about it, however the cure starts out opional for all mutants. Magneto and the Brotherhood act like their usual bad selves and the president turns the cure into a weapon against them and all mutants.

I was not impressed by the Juggernaut, the writers decided to make him a mutant for this film, in the comics his power came from the ancient helmet that he wears.

Jean Grey's alterego is in this film the Phoenix, although the Phoenix is nothing like one from the comic, she is actually more like Dark Phoenix (basically when the Phoenix went bad). This subject leaves you with a lot of questions that will hopefully be answered in the next film.

Overall a good film, a little rushed but any X Men fan will enjoy it and criticise parts at the same time. Things happen in this film that you absolutely would not expect.

Worth Seeing.