Good, but typical sequel *spoiler*

Rating: 7/10 (29 May 2006)

I loved comic books as a child, and I think the X-men movies are the best adaptation from the comics. The acting has always been superb, the direction excellent, and the scripts have been strong. Unlike many superhero movies, X-Men has always taken itself seriously (with just a few campy moments for needed comic relief). This is how I read the tone in the writing as a boy, and the films succeed at so many levels. With much anticipation about the release of X-Men III:The Last Stand, I was preprogrammed to believe this could be the crowning jewel of the series, however, I was a little disappointed in a few things. So, this is a SPOILER next:
1. They should have used the 'massive' system by Peter Jackson's company (Lord of the Rings), and had way more mutants - some of the staging was unimpressive. Then again, the production design was great as always.
2. Kelsey Grammar and Patrick Stewart are two of the finest actors, so they could have used some more interaction - the script writers should have realized that and let these two riff a bit more.
3. Even when a comic book character dies, they should stay dead. Unless the actor's agent holds out for more money on X-Men 4.
4. This film shows the potential for this series in other media - much like The Matrix did with Animatrix, X-Men is a long-term franchise, and could even be spun into a cable or network series. I wonder what number the accountants have set up for that to happen?
5. Famke was kind of uninteresting to me this time around as Jean Grey/Phoenix (was that how her character died in the comic book? I don't recall the details from my youth!). She looked very wooden at times (I guess she was kind of dead already?), and maybe that's how Ratner directed her, but something was missing. Maybe I felt no emotional connection between her and Wolverine (the script? what I "read into it"? their chemistry)?)
Choosing a script is probably the first decision that impacts a film's success as an art, and in the case of this X-Men movie, The Last Stand only gets a 7.5; it's special effects, while excellent in places and well integrated, the live action overlays looked thin at times. The story script would have benefited from some character relationship development. All in all, a competent, but not ground-breaking. Probably a good time to do away with the specific characters, and bring some younger blood in. Although I would like to see Halle and Hugh get together (in the next one?) - if I were Wolverine, I would've been on Storm in about 2 seconds, but those actors are probably past their "sell by date" for steamy love scenes.
There, I've torn it apart. Now I'm going to buy it for my DVD collection because it is a part of the series. In other words, "two thumbs up", "I loved it", and "destined to be a classic". They better make X-Men 4. If only someone would pay me to write it.....