A great sequel? Definitely! The final chapter of a trilogy?...maybe

Rating: 7/10 (30 May 2006)

I treated myself to X-Men 3: The Last Stand on Memorial Day, which was perhaps a very good occasion for it. Although a work of fantasy and fiction, this movie definitely pays a degree of homage to the fallen heroes whose sacrifices preserved freedom for others. A shorter running time might appeal to those overwhelmed by the 2+ hour viewing frame increasingly disgorged by Hollywood lately, but it doesn't quite click in a sequel that features MORE freakin' mutants than were in the first two movies COMBINED!! As a result, no new characters, although a flurry are introduced, receive much background or development, other than Mrs. McCoy's bouncing blue-furred boy, the Beast. As a long-time X-Men fan, I instantly spotted the major discrepancies from the comic continuity. The deaths of two long-running, major characters at the hands (or mind) of another? My only guess as to the reason behind this was to free up some screen time and bankroll for a certain ebony actress whose history of comic-based movies has been less than laudable. The director (who departed the helm of Superman Returns, which Bryan Singer dumped this sequel in favor of, how poetic is that?) makes a commendable effort of smoothing over these potentially problematic events by diving headlong into the plot of the film, yet with an almost whiplash-inducing diversion. The result makes me highly curious as to how Singer's initial plans for the film. It's not so much Ratner's treatment of the patented history of over 40 years of X-comics per se (Juggernaut is NOT, and has NEVER been a mutant, neither has Callisto ever possessed superspeed) as it is the lack of elements that were nicely established in the first two movies. Why is there no inclusion, or mention of, Nightcrawler? He was the only fan-favorite to be treated with dignified consideration to join the X-Men in the first sequel, yet now he's inexplicably absent? And it goes without saying there won't be a return of Sabretooth until Wolverine's solo movie. Speaking of whom, Hugh Jackman's portrayal of the ol' canuckle-head was nothing but faithfully dead-on accurate in the first two films; a gruff, cantankerous loner whose past is lost in a haze, Wolverine never displayed any desire for leadership, yet that is exactly what he does in this latest installment with relatively little motivation. Had Jackman added a sense of reluctance to the essence of Logan, there would have been a better transition. His conversation early in the movie with Cyclops when he comments about just "passing through" makes this jarring divergence from character all the more evident. That being said, it is Halle Barry's depiction of Storm that emerges as the most fundamentally improved, and most needfully so! Through tragic events afflicting her clandestine family, Barry approaches this role at long last with passion and panache, augmented by CGI effects and stunt sequences that don't pull any punches, bringing her closer to the level of the "African goddess" she has played twice before. Ian McKellen as Magneto is as undeniably powerful and commanding as Ian McKellen as Gandalf, 'nuff said!! While his dominance of the plot wanes in comparison to X-Men and X2, this is a major harbinger of his fate: No more hints about this, let's just say that he, Mystique, and Rogue had best start seeking out reliable health plans! Before approaching the more fascinating aspects of the film, I must say that the handling of Jean Grey as Phoenix was both inspired and disappointing. It was inspired in the sense that the timeless tale of Jean Grey achieving near-omnipotence, then driven mad by it, could be effectively compacted into supporting scenes in a movie barely an hour and forty-five minutes long. However, it was disappointing that little to no foundation was given to it, save for the opening flashback featuring Xavier and Magneto when they were still colleagues. Some glimpses of this ultimate "evolution" would have been very welcome in the first two X-Men movies; while they might have been confusing in their individual context, the final outcome would have been much more convincing in X-Men 3 (again, the switch in directors probably decided this). My biggest letdown in Jean Grey as Phoenix: NO PHOENIX EFFECT!! Famke Janssen is a natural beauty, and I can only imagine watching her levitate against a fiery raptor construct would have enhanced this much more than the disturbing change of her eyes to solid black (very Hellraiserish) and her pronounced veins, which smacks more of Tom Welling with Kryptonite poisoning in "Smallville" than this mutant who walks in both worlds. But, at least, you can see all the original comic X-Men in one movie (albeit not together, sadly). The disparate desperation of the X-Men and the White House to diffuse the situation is very redolent of their ongoing, uneasy truce from the comic books: Ethnic and homosexual comparisons aside, the key focus of power (mutant or military) should be to preserve life, so more incidental debates may occur later. This is displayed brilliantly, if not obviously, in the climactic battle on Alcatraz, yet could have been more appreciably expressed by Grammar's Beast, as he is both an affiliate of the government and a former student of Professor X. To sum up, this was NOT the sequel that X2 was, which is NOT to say it's as mindlessly chaotic as Fantastic Four or as interminably melodramatic as The Incredible Hulk. It IS, however, probably the most exciting, action-packed superhero spectacle of this year, replete with unrequited love, social issues, and personal choices, all long marking the X-Men as a cornerstone book for Marvel. If you want to see Bryan Singer's interpretation of these world-famous, outlaw mutant heroes, don't see this film. But if you want to see Phoenix at unimaginably destructive, inhuman depths, as well as a movingly vulnerable and sympathetic Wolverine (even my brother, who hadn't seen the first two movies, commented on Magneto's inflicted frustrations in his last scene!) it's a necessity. Excelsior!!!