X Not for Extraordinary

Rating: 6/10 (2 June 2006)

Often derided as a cheap shot at bandwagon tactics, the major studios' predilection towards churning out comic-inspired releases has at least given audiences the acceptable X Men series.
Unlike quickly-assembles disappointments in the vein of Catwoman, Daredevil and Spiderman 2, the three X's thus far have been successful in maintaining plausible levels of entertainment value for the movie-going masses while avoiding outright ridicule, as unfortunately has come to pass with some of the others mentioned above.
Although X2 and its sequel, the new Last Stand, have fallen short of their original compatriot, the first X Men title, they both largely live up to their promises, and in fact the latest installment surpasses its predecessor in production finesse and wealth of characters.
This attribute certainly serves as X3's primary advantage, in that the movie dishes out mutants like there's no tomorrow. Although subsequently they each suffer from lack of individual exposure and development, heroes and villains alike go about their souped-up antics with wild abandon befitting a carefree summer outing.
In addition, the humans are no longer mere puppets at the whim of superior beings, as even Magneto himself notes when saying: "finally, they've learned". Yes, unlike the two previous chapters, X3 boasts "normal" humans both capable in their handling of the mutant issue and generally free of nefariously devious ulterior motives. Thus, gone are the conspiratorial undertones found in the other X forays, paving the way for more head-on, straight-faced action than formerly the norm.
Sadly, though, much like X2, this one also lacks the first movie's superb setup of the X universe, as it does the witty one-liners, particularly from Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, who by now has become rather flaccid and quite a departure from his vicious self of six years ago.
No matter, for with excellent cameos from a whole slew of mutants to spruce things up the overall winding down effect noticeable in the franchise seems less formidable. Callisto (voluptuous Dania Ramirez who you may remember from Spike Lee joints 25th Hour and She Hate Me), Angel (Ben Foster, the villain in Hostage) and beautiful Kea Wong as brief but delectable Jubliee all contribute volumes to X3's content, making it more the comprehensive compendium of characters devotees no doubt have been eager to see for years now.
As a last stand for the series, we could have hoped for much more but also for much, much worse, as when it comes to mainstream action storytelling, mediocrity rears its ugly head with the variety of wild abandon you'd expect from marmots on speed. Therefore X3 amounting to little more than a showing in force of as many members of the X Men pantheon as possible is no bad thing.
At X3's core lies a parable close once more to the moralistic allegories we have previously found in the original X film: a cure has been found for the mutant "disease" by benevolent human scientists, yet the question remains as to who'd want to be cured and why in the first place.
Deeming this a threat, a resurgent Magneto (Ian McKellen) assembles around his attractive self an army of ticked-off mutants bent on pre-empting human advancements. These include several regulars, like Rebecca Romjin's Mystique, but also memorable newcomer Juggernaut (big screen pseudo-hooligan Vinnie Jones) and fire-tastic Pyro (Aaron Standford).
Standing up to this massing threat and for all things pro-choice, Prof. Xavier (Patrick Stewart) rallies his own forces back at Mutant Academy, this time to encompass a more eclectic roster, albeit one allowing each member the bare minimum of screen time. Even stalwarts Wolverine, Storm (Halle Barry), Cyclops (Scott Summers) and Rogue (Anna Paquin) either exit prematurely or are displaced immediately after putting in their two cents, and not all even get a shot at flexing their respective mutant muscles.
Only Famke Janssen's bifocal rendition of Dr. Jean Grey/Phoenix really receives significant stretches of limelight, but one must resent the writers' decision to make her nigh on invincible yet ultimately a none-event, a plot device of somewhat inexplicable futility.
Fortunately such false build-ups do not typify the movie as an entire product. It bypasses the flatlining so common in action serials which have outlived their usefulness, mostly thanks to competent action directing and effects that aren't always overwhelming, even when Jean Grey's comeback gets so powerful she's easily despised, much as was the case with Keanu Reeves' Neo by the final Matrix movie.
Another player in this tangled plot of genetic hyperbole who comes close to being a well-rounded persona is Kelsey Grammar's Beast, a.k.a. Dr. Hank McCoy. Not merely another academic in the X Men universe's endless array of college-educated mutants parading around the world with titles attached, Beast sheds more light on a real-life aspect of mutant existence, serving as a diplomat and the government's newly-appointed secretary of mutant affairs (a nod to Native-American social standing and political situation, presumably). When he finally parts with bureaucracy and dons the mantle of bestial mutation in the fight against Magneto's cadres, the result comes across as quite gratifying.
There's little doubt Last Stand won't be entered into historical records as the most cerebral actioner ever, yet its own X marks an improvement over the 2003 precursor and also a step-up for director Bret Ratner, who's done us a tad prouder with X3 and may at long last be rid of the buddy-cop comedy stigma haunting him since the Rush Hour days. In that, Last Stand buttresses projects like After the Sunset, which has already tagged Ratner as a more serious action director.
Definitely an improvement for series aficionados and general viewers over the sophomore release, X3 doesn't match high standards set by franchise progenitor X Men but nonetheless caters to those craving an action-dominated distraction with just the most modest splashes story and a hefty dose of entertaining characters.
Rating: * * *