The Final Installment

Rating: 6/10 (27 January 2012)

This is the conclusion of the X-men Trilogy, and since the release of this film the focus has shifted to prequel movies, such as Wolverine and First Class. There are rumours that a sequel to First Class is in the works, and a sequel to Wolverine is in production (due for release in 2013) where Wolverine goes to Japan. However that is a bit of a tangent. In the film we are introduced to Beast, a heavily mutated human which the qualities of an orangutan (and it is rather amusing to see him refer to Wolverine as a boy when we discover, later, that he fought in the American Civil War, and I believe in the first film it is suggested that it is impossible to know how old he really is due to his ability to regenerate, and also that he has lost his memory).
This film is based on two story arcs from the comics, Dark Phoenix Rising and Gifted (which was written by Buffy and Firefly creator Joss Wheldon). This first story arc is about how Jean Grey is overwhelmed by her telekinetic and telepathic ability, while the second is about how a cure to the mutation is discovered. It should be noted that by referring to the comic books, Brett Ratner said that there were over 40 years of stories that could be adapted to the big screen, though it is a shame that a number of the main characters (Cyclops, Sabretooth, and Toad) are all dead.
This film starts sometime after the end of the second film, and Wolverine has been co-opted to assist in the school since Cyclops has fallen into a fit of depression. However, after hearing voices that suggest that Jean is not dead, he travels to Northern Canada, and does not return. After a psychic alarm is triggered, Xavier sends Wolverine and Storm off to Northern Canada where they discovered Cyclops' glasses and an unconscious Jean, however no Cyclops. It is quickly discovered that Jean did not die when the water collapsed onto her, and that the event has triggered a number of latent abilities, and not only does she become more powerful, but she embraces that power, and leaves the X-men to join Magneto's brotherhood of Mutants.
Magneto is traveling about looking to regroup his Brotherhood, and begins to approach a number of mutants who have not joined Xavier's school. It is here that we learn that the mutants are organised into classes, with one being the lowest and five being the highest. Most of the main cast are rated as four, and I suspect that it does not necessarily relate to their powers, but their ability to control their powers. Magneto's power is so great that he is able to move the Golden Gate Bridge, while Storm not only has the power to manipulate the weather, but she can also fly, and shoot lightning bolts from her hands. Wolverine has the claws and the ability to regenerate (the adamantium skeleton was added later).
There are a few continuity issues in the film compared with First Class. The film opens with Xavier walking into Jean Gray's house with Magneto. In First Class, Xavier was able to walk, but also had a full head of hair. Further, when Xavier and Magneto were still allies, they had not actually met Jean Gray, but it is suggested that it happens later. However, it can be difficult to to try to remain consistent, and we note that since they once again recast Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in first class (though he only makes a cameo) it is suggested that they are trying to maintain continuity. Personally I feel that these films are pretty good, and it would be good to try to maintain continuity, however it may be necessary to redo a couple of the scenes (and as entertainment slowly moves in the direction of internet streaming, this may become possible).