An Opportunity Lost.

Rating: 1/10 (25 July 2006)

Where did it all go wrong, eh? The X-men movies looked to be the first trilogy to have each succeeding better than the previous. 'X-2' was a vast improvement on the already good 'X-men' which set the precedent and allowed so many other superhero films to be made. Given the characters were developed and three dimensional, the plot lines were already set up and an increased budget, the adaptation of one of the greatest X-men story arcs in a new and interesting way, the entire cast returning, nothing could go wrong, oh but it did.
Heres the thing, I wanted to like this film, I really did, I loved the previous two movies and am a total fanboy and when the first few reviews of the film were slightly disappointing, I gladly defended the film and reserved my judgement, refusing to jump on the bandwagon. Of course I had mixed feelings, Bryan Singer, quite possibly one of my favourite directors had left the franchise and his replacement Brett Ratner(best known for the 'Rush Hour' films), hardly filled me with confidence but I was willing to give him a chance. I wish Fox hadn't.
Where to start? The plot. Okay, I know the movies shouldn't be exactly like the comics, I'm not complaining, different is good, fresh, new, an adaptation. But it's how it was changed. From early pre-production, we knew the movie would be grounded in reality and the Phoenix arc would be changed to suit this. I had no problems with this however, despite an great turn from Famke Janssen who without a doubt is the saving grace of the film(whenever she is given something to do), the whole Phoenix was little more than a sub-plot, a poorly-written, poorly-explained sub plot. Memo to writers: Unless you are going to do the story some form of justice, don't bother. Phoenix is mute, a bystander in Magneto's war and a total disappointment.
The main plot - the cure was a great idea. Sadly it is full of loose plot threads and things are left unexplained. Angel who was widely advertised in promoting the film does absolutely nothing, wasted and the whole relationship with his father underdeveloped. Anna Paquin, the terrific, young actress is relegated to a stupidly, small role. Her character has no development except a self-pitying, selfish woman. The chance of real emotion and dramatic scenes came from her plot, her wanting to finally touch but no. She disappears and another chance of some character development is lost. Sadly Rogue isn't the only character to suffer this fate. James Marsden's Cyclops, may as well not be in the film. Instead to finally being given his chance to shine as an actor and a character, he's is quickly(and poorly) written out. Instead lines and actions that belong to him, the leader of the X-men, are given to Halle Berry(in a remarkably poor performance) and Jackman's Wolverine. The pair basically take over the film, neither character is worthy of the amount of screen time they receive.
The good points in the film are few and far between. There is some terrific imagery, the scene of a young Angel, hacking off his wings comes to mind and another featuring Phoenix seductively sitting on a chair while the house comes apart around her. Kelsey Grammar was the only choice as Beast, and subsequently delivers the best performance in the film. Ellen Page is also great as Kitty Pryde but sadly again her role is very under-developed.
The most disappointing is the complete disregard of certain characters and their pathos. A classic and popular character like Psylocke is wasted in a small, under-written, cookie-cutter villain role. The fabulous Ian McKellen does his best with the clichéd role of Magneto. Gone is the elegance and developed character, instead a really camp and just poor version of what once was. Stewart's Xavier deserves another mention, very badly-written and nothing at all like the caring father figure we've come to expect. Other special mentions include, the wasted Mystique and the awful, awful performance form Vinnie Jones as Juggernaut. His character is cringe-worthy and delivers nothing but stupid, cheesy one liners reminiscent of Schumaccher's abomination 'Batman and Robin'.
So, The Last Stand, one can't really blame Ratner, you feel he tried his best, but he is nowhere near as stylish and experienced director as Singer. He delivers action but there is no heart! But this is partly due to a poorly written script. Moments that should provoke emotion, provoke nothing. We care little for these characters. This is a remarkable feat given how much care I felt for them in the previous film. I get the feeling that the people involved were making a release date instead of a film. The film is not an ensemble picture, it is a vechile to show the 'talents' of Halle Berry and Hugh Jackamn, and to put it bluntly both were disappointing. A totally wasted opportunity.