An entertaining chapter, but clearly the weakest

Rating: 5/10 (29 May 2006)

What if a "cure" was developed that could permanently remove mutant defects and enhancements? What if we could all fix perceived flaws and differences through modern medicine? And what if a fresh director took over the reigns of the X-men franchise? In X-men: The Last Stand, we at least get an answer to the last question.
It's nice to let a new director tackle the franchise, but Rattner clearly cannot create the same polished product that Singer could. The most important part, the plot, is not outright bad. It presents some interesting questions but doesn't delve any deeper into further discussion.
But its presentation, execution, and resolution are unorganized and overly broad. The movie tries to net in many new characters, including four new core X-men; and yet, most of the dialog remains focused on mainstays Wolverine and Storm. The obvious result is a lack of characterization that makes it hard to identify with the newer characters. It's important that the makers shift towards these newer, younger characters; I assume they will play more critical roles in upcoming X-men movies as the traditional actors move on to other projects.
The movie also suffers from too many "earth-shattering" events. In X-men 2, one major character was killed off. In X-men 3, three major characters were killed off and three others had their powers "nullified." So in X-men 4 (and there WILL be an X-men 4), the writers will have to think of a way to undo this mess, reviving and re-energizing characters in precisely the manner that robbed comic books of their credibility through 20 years of silly explanations involving aliens, robots, magic, clones, demons and other absurd plot devices. In short, the franchise cannot sustain this rate of radical upheaval.
"The Last Stand" DOES have plenty of action. This was actually one of my only complaints with the first two; the action was lacking and seemed a bit mundane at times. I'm glad that Rattner exploits the action potential of the X-men, but several scenes couldn't help coming off as excessive while others were outright corny or low-rent. There were of course disappointments and lost opportunities, but I concede that they can't please everyone.
Finally, the movie had noticeably poor editing and pacing. The movie frequently felt choppy, and some scenes seemed out of place or contributed nothing. The characters had some poor lines, and many were completely mischaracterized or had their integrity butchered in order to advance a few silly side-plots.
I realize my opinion is swayed by my comic-book background and I grant the movie makers their creative leeway. But we comic book fans are VERY protective of our superheroes. We do NOT want our comic-based movies to be reduced to Hollywood drivel as in the past. Certain creative masterminds have worked very hard to earn respect for superhero movies among mainstream audiences. And maybe that is why comic-book fans are spooked by "The Last Stand": it is without a doubt one step closer to the inane senselessness of the reviled "Batman and Robin." "The Last Stand" shows hints towards losing the balance and self-restraint against the over-excessive bizarreness in comic books, much like the Phoenix power itself.