New Fantastic Foursome& Then some--X-men

Rating: 10/10 (27 May 2006)

I beg to differ that "X-men: The Last Stand" is "The worst of the X-men movies." This film picked up, similar to the Back to the Future, Underworld, and the Star Wars series films, right where the last one left off.
Jean Grey is dead(?), Magneto pushing for the supremacy of mutants over all "normals," or Homo sapiens sapiens. Scott Summers is lost without his fiancée', and Wolverine isn't much better off. Professor X is still teaching though grieving over Jean, and student Rogue is jealous of Iceman/Bobby Drake's new-found friend, Kat/Kitty. And a possible "cure" for mutancy could prove more deadly in its application, than its cause.
The details and spoilers are too much to list--you need to see the first two films to get in the point of view of this film. But once you have the background, sky is the limit in the telling, fast pacing and sheer fun of the story.
Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart and Famke Janssen all stand out (though Phoenix's appearance and stay are all too brief). This is an ensemble cast film and all get their little moment. The best performance next to Storm (read more below) was Ian McKellan's Magneto. He simply is of award-winning caliber in this role, though like Gandalf, he will likely be awarded only fan immortality, in appreciation for his superior performance here. Sad to say that Mystique, Juggernaut, Pyro, even Spike and the absent Nightcrawler were either under-used or gone. My one beef with the story is that the President of the US didn't have domestic terrorism contingencies in place, including calling in other groups or superheroes in the Marvel universe (i.e., the Army's Damage Control Corps, Canada'a mutant group Alpha Flight, the Avengers; or by themselves, Iron Man, Thor, etc.).
I am pleased though that the plot included a very big role for Halle Berry's character, Storm. This is crucial in the back story of the X-men, as Storm did indeed become the head mistress of the Xavier School, and leader of the X-men in the late 1980s, in the comics. Berry gave a balanced, even understated performance, leaving any doubts from "Catwoman" and other genre films aside. Her dignity and anchoring for Wolverine/Logan and Xavier's students was shown with respect, and didn't dumb things down for the action's sake. Halle Berry WAS Storm. Period.
I look forward to the prospective prequel film "Wolverine," and the rumored continuation of this fine series, which tops even Spider-Man for the best of the Marvel Films to date.
Thanks for your attention and hope to hear from you on this fine film. Till later--stellar_sojourn.