A very packed Last Stand

Rating: 8/10 (21 November 2015)

I went into X-Men: The Last Stand without knowing anything much about the characters, the original comic books or the previous movies which I hadn't seen. As the X-Men movies have had remarkable success and set their mark on culture however, I knew about a guy with "lasereyes", I knew that Hugh Jackman was Wolverine and I knew that I'd get Patrick Stewart in a wheelchair
Perhaps it seems ironic to blind-start (well, almost) into a franchise with a movie called "The Last Stand" and I didn't decide for myself that this would be the best place to start as the TV stations decided to air The Last Stand one day before the first two X-Men movies. However maybe the TV stations had a point well, they probably hadn't but maybe there's a point to starting with the Last Stand:
So what is the point?
The Last Stand is incredibly packed and I mean incredibly packed. It races through themes of cultural, social and philosophical relevance like a short-distance runner. It builds up metaphors, links concepts to individual characters (and their powers) and draws from a seemingly endless stack of themes. It lives in a limbo of themes that define political debates today. In only 104 minutes it makes us think about social conformity, the gay debate, genetic engineering, distribution of power, terrorism etc. The actions the characters do and the concepts explored are truly worth thinking about. In presenting them The Last Stand might be rushed and it barely reaches a conclusion (well, should it?) but it's undeniably very interesting.
The movie enters where the 2nd part left. It introduces us to new mutants (notably a guy with angel wings which he's ashamed off – a metaphor for homosexuals and coming out) but also returns to the ones established in the previous films. After the events in X2, the team seems to be building up (as suggested in a training sequence at the start of the film) but the past is not yet over Scott in particular mourns the loss of Jean, distancing himself from the others in the process.
Afterwards two main plot lines emerge: The government produces a cure for mutants, which rids them of their powers and Jean reemerges but this time as a being called Phoenix that acts only on it's instincts. Over the course of the movie we learn that Jean is in fact the most powerful of all mutants, that her powers are matched by no one. She's an allegory on absolute power.
The problem this movie faces isn't that it lacks content. It outdoes any other superhero film in terms of content. But when compared to it's predecessors it actually lacks something: A competent dramatic structure. While in terms of content the stakes are very high, in terms of characters they are very low. Scott, a main character from the previous 2 films, vanishes without the others caring much and any other character development that happens feels either rushed or barely happens at all. If you've watched the first 2 movies before watching The Last Stand you'll probably be disappointed by the way this movie handles it's characters. That's why watching The Last Stand first might actually be a good idea.
The movie has been rightfully criticized for all of this. 104 minutes just aren't enough for the story it attempts to tell. But while it's important that we use our heart, we also shouldn't forget to use our brain. It takes an incredibly amount of thematic weight to the final battle which the title suggests will happen. Close to the end we are confronted with a sequence of lyrical beauty: While Jean destroys everything around her, Wolverine, being in love with her still, approaches her. He moves further and further despite his skin being ripped off in the process. When through all that destruction, he finally reaches in to her you'd think he just wants to hug her It's a very tangible moment that makes you feel the characters and makes you relate to the pain and trouble you might have sometimes had when trying to reach through to people you love.
In the end The Last Stand isn't a perfect movie, not even remotely. But it's an interesting and unique movie that in a genre often packed with fast paced action, manages to bring a lot of thought, even if it might not be fully coherent.