"X-Men: The Last Stand"- A disappointing and overstuffed conclusion

Rating: 5/10 (7 August 2007)

The fatal flaw of "X-Men: The Last Stand"... studio greed. Bryan Singer, the marvelous director of the first two entries in the series departed to work on his Superman film, though he promised he would return to helm the third and final installment of the "X-Men" franchise afterword.
Apparently, his word was not enough for 20th Century Fox or Marvel Entertainment, who promptly hired a new director (Brett Ratner of "Rush Hour" and "Red Dragon" fame) and apparently had a script hastily written. Why? More than likely because of the money the film promised, and their unnecessary bitterness towards Singer's brief departure.
Now, I like Brett Ratner's other films. The "Rush Hour" films are fun action/comedies, "Red Dragon" was a sharp and well-done thriller. But putting him in charge of a summer-blockbuster ($100 million+) film was a mistake. Especially when that film already has a strong fan-following. His light-hearted and fun style and interpretation of the characters/stories clashes with the dark and harsh stage that Bryan Singer had already set.
Also problematic is the script/story. While the first two films built up slowly towards emotionally-driven and spectacular finales, this third film starts big and tries to maintain it's sloppy and recklessly special-effects driven pseudo-story. And it often fails at keeping a good pace and structure.
Like many "third" movies, specifically comic-book films, this one tries to cram a lot of story into a fairly short time-frame. However, unlike "Spider-Man 3" or "Blade: Trinity", which at least maintained or even extended their running times to accommodate the overstuffed tales, this film tries to fit more into LESS time. Running about half an hour shorter than either of the previous films, while trying to tell what seems to be twice as many plots and subplots, we end up with a jumbles mess. It is no secret that some characters die, and some traumatic events unfold, but the film deals with these events and moves on so quickly, I found myself feeling more anger than the sadness that was intended. "Why did they just kill so-and-so, and why do none of the other characters seem to care?" I asked myself several times during the film.
All that being said, the film is not without some good moments. While the rest of the film falls flat, the several action scenes throughout work very well and may be the only part of this film that outdoes the previous two. Specifically well-done is the climactic battles.
Also, though far too many new characters are introduced, Beast (Kelsey Grammar) shines as the intellectual-yet-visually-intimidating character we all know and love.
The plot line? A young mutant (Leech) has been discovered, who is able to render other mutants powerless by stripping them of their abilities. The father of the mutant Angel, ashamed by his son, plans on harvesting the "cure" from Leech and mass producing it, for the purpose of "fixing" mutants.
In a nutshell, the X-Men become somewhat divided with conflicting feelings regarding this cure, and Magneto plans on storming the structure holding Leech (Alcatrez) and killing him. This is a set up for the supposed "final showdown" between the Brotherhood (Magneto's cronies) and the X-Men.
Like I have said, though it does sound promising, most everything in this film falls flat.
Also notable is the blatant style changes Ratner has made. The X-Men seem more "cartoonish", with costumes and looks that are just cheesy. Dark Pheonix's red outfit is laughable if you pay attention (where the heck did she get it?) and Colossus looks like a bad 60's cartoon hero with jetting hair and a huge chin.
My final verdict... though a severe letdown for me, I am betting enough people will like the film. I suggest giving it a rent, because it isn't the worst movie ever made, and it at least has some fun action scenes and silly jokes to hold you over.
5/10 (By the way, I give the original an 8/10 and "X2" a 9/10)