X-Men: The Last Stand

Rating: 5/10 (27 November 2006)

Taking over from Bryan Singer is Rush Hour director Brett Ratner, who does an okay job, but it lacks the same spark as the first two. Basically the government have created a cure for the mutant community, and this triggers a war between the good and bad mutant sides. Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) believes that mutants should have a choice of the cure, and Eric Lensherr/Magneto (Sir Ian McKellen) believes in survival of the fittest. It is just the typical battle with popular characters: Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Ororo Munroe/Storm (Halle Berry), Marie/Rogue (The Piano's Anna Paquin), Scott Summers/Cyclops (James Marsden), the gorgeous Raven Darkholme/Mystique (Rebecca Romijn) and Bobby Drake/Iceman (Shawn Ashmore), also Jean Grey (GoldenEye's Famke Janssen) returns, but turns into evil and unthinking Phoenix. New characters include Dr. Hank McCoy/Beast (Frasier's Kelsey Grammar, Cain Marko/Juggernaut (Vinnie Jones), Warren Worthington III/Angel (Ben Foster), Warren Worthington II (Michael Murphy), Josef Sommer as the President, Peter Rasputin/Colossus (Daniel Cudmore), Jamie Madrox/Multiple Man (Eric Dane) and Quill (Saw's Ken Leung), with a cameo by Stan Lee. The ending is particularly a letdown with Xavier (and Cyclops, though I'm not fond of him) dying, and Mystique turning human, although she is great naked, but it is still okay, and I'm glad Rogue got the cure. Worth watching!