Underdeveloped

Rating: 3/10 (2 June 2016)

After the success of the previous two X-Men films, Bryan Singer jumped ship in a failed attempt to reboot the Superman series with the torpid Superman Returns. This left the third X-Men film in an awkward position, where a multitude of directors where considered and a fixed deadline meant it would have to be rushed to completion. Brett Ratner was a very odd choice for director, given his pure entertainment films appear to be at odds with Singer's more layered work. When it's all said and done, the film clearly suffers because of indecision. It feels like there was very little time devoted to the majority of characters and that the story was nowhere near as detailed as it could have been. Instead of an appropriate climax, the original trilogy simply ends on a bland note.
Story: A cure which can turn mutants human has been discovered. With Charles Xavier's school weary of the cure, the government consider using it as a weapon and Magneto forms a brotherhood with the aim of destroying any notion of a cure. At the same time Jean Grey returns and her destructive second personality that Xavier had held back has been unleashed. The basic idea of this plot is a fantastic one, creating all kinds of conflict if the mutants could become 'normal'. The issue is that the film only touches upon the surface of that idea. Then we have the issues regarding Jean Grey. Though the film makes it clear that she has a second persona, we're given no information as to why she is wreaking havoc and her part in the story seems all too convenient.
Heroes: Hugh Jackman is still enjoyable as Wolverine, once again bringing roughness and intensity to the role. The character takes the centre stage throughout and proves to be an engaging lead. Halle Berry also gets more to do as Storm, but ends up as boring as ever. Berry is a weak actress and her dialogue carries none of the weight needed. Kelsey Grammar is very enjoyable as Beast, fitting the characters intellectual mind and looking effective under a lot of make-up. Patrick Stewart is still a commanding presence as Xavier and it's a shame his part is cut so short.
Villains: Magneto is once again the perfect conflicted villain. His actions are cruel and persistent, yet we understand why he is going to such lengths to protect his kind. Ian McKellen is excellent again and he really brings a calm control to the role. Famke Janssen is decent as a more sinister Jean, but struggles to deliver an effective performance because of the characters uncertain motivation.
Support: The likes of Shawn Ashmore and Ellen Page as Iceman and Kitty provide some solid support as their characters are fleshed out more. Sadly the vast majority of the team is wasted. Rogue only ever shows up to complain about something. The likes of Mystique, Pyro, Colossus and Angel are given next to nothing to do or say. Worst of all is that Cyclops is once again completely misused, appearing for all of five minutes before being killed off and barely getting mentioned again.
Action: The action sequences are relatively strong. We get plenty of scenes that display various mutants showcasing their powers and they are always fun to watch, with the effects looking impressive too. The final confrontation actually serves as a suitable climax and it's always enjoyable to see the X-Men fighting together, while it has the right amount of gravitas and heft to work as an end battle.
Music: John Powell's score is a typical superhero one, but it fits the film fine. It is hard to say that it provides memorable themes, but it knows when to be in the background for certain scenes and it does have lavish moments that push the action further.
Production: Visually the film is impressive. It has the same icy look carried over from the previous two films and despite Ratner's limited directing style he knows how to create some stimulating shots. The writing is where most of the issues lie. As stated, the smart ideas that are behind the plot of the film are never properly fleshed out and that is so disappointing because we could have easily had intelligence to go with the action. There's also a lot of clichéd moments spread throughout that feel forced and some of the dialogue can be particularly painful (some of the worst coming from Juggernaut). With such a vast array of characters it was always going to be had to flesh everyone out, but the failure to do anything of note with or give true motivations the likes of Storm and Jean Grey is unacceptable. The film would have benefited greatly from a longer running time in order to make some of the characters clearer.
Conclusion: While I don't think The Last Stand is the train wreck that many make it out to be, it is a rather bland and disappointing effort. Most of that comes because of how good the film could have been. The plot was a very interesting one and many of these characters are familiar faces who we care about. The problem is that the story was never looked into enough and there are simply far too many characters thrown into the mix. Ratner clearly doesn't have the subtlety and understanding of the series that Singer did. He makes the action look great, but he loses focus when it comes to the deeper subjects. It's always nice to see Jackman, McKellen, Stewart and co in these roles, but if nothing of note is going to be done with them then it becomes an underwhelming experience.