Fun flick but not the X-Men

Rating: 6/10 (25 May 2006)

I found 'X-Men: The Last Stand' to be enjoyable enough for an action flick yet it was lacks the essence of the comic books and leaves you wishing they had just waited for Bryan Singer to finish with 'Superman Returns' so he could work on this.
This film sees tensions between humans and mutants reach an all-time high as the government turn a mutant 'cure' into a weapon, something Magneto is all to quick to exploit for his Mutant Freedom cause. Meanwhile, Jean Grey has returned from the dead to unleash the darker side of her powers and her old team-mates are forced to realise she is now the enemy.
The usual main protagonist characters of Xavier, Wolverine, Storm, Cyclops, Jean, Rogue and Bobby are back and in usual form (with the exception of Jean, who has undergone a few changes!). Without giving too much away, how this film differs from the previous two is that we don't get almost full focus on Wolverine, Rogue and Xavier this time and instead Storm and Bobby are given the chance to play a larger role while new and lesser known characters are brought into the limelight. Kitty Pryde is finally given a bit of a personality rather than just being 'the girl who can walk through walls' and we get to meet Beast, who is wonderfully brought to life by Kelsey Grammar. On the sidelines, there is also more of Colossus and an introduction to Warren 'Angel' Worthington.
On the side of the antagonists, there is a deeper insight into Magneto's character and the audience are truly left wondering whether he is unhinged or just a determined man whose goals may be harsh but are right way for mutants. It's a dilemma that makes clear why Magneto is never short of supporters and Sir Ian McKellen's excellently vehement performance in the role serves to highlight there is much more to the character than his just being a stereotypical 'bad guy'. It's also interesting to see how he and Xavier were once good friends and even as their friendship has cooled when their differing goals for the future of mutants has divided them, there is still an underlying sense of respect between them. Pyro is back and though he tries to come across in a darker light, instead he just seems like a moody, self-absorbed brat who is in a huff because Bobby was teacher's pet. On the other hand, Vinnie Jones is effective as Juggernaut, getting to indulge in his real-life thuggery in the role.
The special effects are as spectacular as expected, with impressive action scenes (especially in the final battle) as we see the mutants' powers brought to life. So, what's the problem then? Well, quite simply, it wasn't all that was promised in the second film. X2 was superior because it did portray the idea that the X-Men are a team who all work together whereas here leaves you wondering 'where is everyone?' Also, Phoenix was not the awesome creature hinted at in X2 or depicted as in the comic books and instead she just seemed like Jean suffering from a bit of PMT. As such, there wasn't any sense of shock when she unleashed her powers but rather a sense that you wished she'd just give herself a shake and grow up. Purists of the comic books will definitely find it hard to digest the fact this film veers further away from comic book canon in the same vein as the previous two films did, especially the timeline of events like Angel's introduction and the fate of three major characters.
'X-Men: The Last Stand' will keep most people amused for a couple of hours, if they ignore comic book mythology, but I personally was left feeling as if it wasn't the X-Men that I loved in the comic books and Nineties cartoon show. And the ending is such that it is both a satisfying way to round off a trilogy and also leaves room for a possible fourth film, I hope they just reboot and start afresh if they ever do go back to the franchise. Maybe then, we can get a Cyclops and Storm who aren't a B-characters, the real Phoenix, an adult Rogue, a Gambit and many other important elements missing from the film series.