Solid from Top To Bottom

Rating: 7/10 (26 May 2006)

Around the country, in the Game Stops, the Comic Book Stores, and the action figure aisle at Wal-Mart, one subject has been on the minds and lips of every geek, nerd or dork in America: X-Men: The Last Stand. From the time it was announced, to the director changes, all the way up to today, opening day, it has been a people divided by one question: Will this film suck? It didn't, as I'm sure you can see from the score. My advice to movie goers: Don't go in expecting Schindler's List. The third installment of the X-Men series is a fun, energetic, popcorn movie. But that's it. The subject matter of the film, a supposed "cure" for the gene that gives mutants their powers, seems heavy from the outside, with some people I spoke to drawing an allegory to gay rights. While handled with finesse, there's so much going on in these 104 minutes that it's not given time to get too deep.
Speaking of, the pacing here could quite easily be described as breakneck. From the start, this movie puts it's foot on the gas and doesn't let up until the credits roll. A few times it's almost too much, but at these points things dial back for a moment with the tiny, inconsequential bit of character development given here. And precious little there is. One could venture to guess that at this stage in the game, the creators felt that plot was more important.
All around? This is a solid movie, a good addition to the series, and a credit to the genera. It's not the greatest Comic Book movie of all time, but it's leaps and bounds from the worst. Solid All Around.