Nitpicking aside, the X-Men trilogy goes out with a bang.

Rating: 6/10 (4 June 2006)

The "X-Men" have never been in greater jeopardy. There are forces beyond their control pushing in new directions with no one having an idea of how it will end. A change in leadership has spun the team into perilous uncertainty. Will this beloved world fall into the control of the wrong hands? Now that's enough speculation about the film's production team, what about the movie? The characters caught in the crossfire of mutant and anti-mutant mayhem will have to wait a moment.
The real question about the third installment of the "X-Men" is how well does Brett Ratner helm one of the favorite superhero franchises in Hollywood. Happily, this is not a changing of the guard akin to Richard Lester getting the "Superman" reigns from Richard Donner nor is it like Tim Burton's exit from the "Batman" franchise that allowed some studio exec to give Joel Schumacher permission to turn the Dark Knight's escapades into some unholy Vegas lightshow. Although there are spots where the film clearly lacks Singer's touch, Ratner makes "X-Men: The Last Stand" into a wild and compelling summer sci-fi ride.
Some time has passed since the team of mutants lost Dr Jean Grey (Famke Jenssen) when she sacrificed herself to the crushing waters of a faulty dam in order to save her lover, Scott/Cyclops (James Marsden), and her teammates. Cyclops was crushed by her loss. Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart), Ororo/Storm (Hale Berry) and Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) are continuing to educate and work with young mutants when it is announced that the government, otherwise friendly towards mutants, is working with a major drug company to distribute a "cure" for the mutant gene. They get the news from an old friend and government official, mutant scientist Hank McCoy (Kelsey Grammar) who is also referred to as Beast because of his superhuman athletic gifts and undisguisable fury blue appearance. The manufacturer, Warren Worthington II (played by Michael Murphy), has a falling out with his mutant winged son, Warren III (Ben Foster), when he tries to administer the cure.
While debate sparks among the heroes and brings to bear the movie's central question, others do not take the news so lightly. Mutant terrorist, Magneto (Sir Ian McKellen, fresh from "The DaVinci Code") is freeing a myriad of loyalists and rallying mutant masses into an army for the Brotherhood of Mutants. This is coupled with the discovery that Jean Grey survived in a sort of telekinetic coma and a split personality has developed from the trauma. Her second personality, referred to as The Phoenix, is disillusioned and violently angry; lashing out at almost anyone. She joins Magneto's group, and the stage is set for the climactic raid on the drug company's militarized headquarters at the renovated Alcatraz Island.
Most of the main group are familiar with each other, and the additions play well into the mix. If the preceding paragraph contained too many names to follow, wait until you see the film. There are enough speaking parts to make Robert Altman's head spin. Even being familiar with the comic books, there are too many names and story threads for a single film. However, they all pique our interest, even if most aren't fully explored - ie: Angel & The Phoenix. (Although, I wonder what kind of hero movie Altman - or even original Singer replacement, Matthew Vaughn, - could have made with this milieu of characters and conflicts?) Certainly McKellen and Stewart continue to lend instant gravitas to a story that some would sideline to Saturday morning reruns. Kitty Pride (Ellen Page, the vengeful teen from "Hard Candy") is as much the hero as vulnerable kid, but you don't suspect it till the chips are down. The best addition to the cast is Kelsey Grammar's Beast. The prosthetics sell the hero, but with the voice of Frasier underneath them, there is a noble and distinguished quality that projects someone caught at the crux of civil duty, a communal obligation and a conflicting personal desire.
The heart of this movie is the cast and the script that never fails to challenge the issues it raises, albeit with super-powered throw-downs. What happens when part of who you are keeps you from mixing with the rest of society? What if someone could just offer you a pill or a shot to take that part of you away? What if the government or an organization began forcing you or people like you to take that treatment? What would your moral obligation be? How far would you be willing to go to fulfill it? While everyone is tossing these about, relationships are forming and breaking with tectonic shifts. Powers are not without their consequences. Major characters not only lose their abilities, but some also lose their lives. This is not a movie that is playing it safe to ensure the franchise. Although the last few minutes leave the sequel door open, everyone involved has come for the sake of the story.
Overall, "The Last Stand" is on a par with the original, but not the praised operatic second chapter. Ratner has more ability when it comes to letting things rip, than letting things simmer and grow to a boil. Quiet moments should take longer, and some moments come precariously close to camp. He simply doesn't have the same knack for capturing intimacy that Singer does. John Powell's score is appropriately understated and works carefully for every moment, more like Michael Kamen's. However, Ottman's themes really made you hang onto the edge of your seat during "X2". (These things are not mentioned to detract from either Ratner or Powell, but rather to praise those who came before and manage your expectations.) It's obvious that Ratner has a great appreciation for the vision of the first two installments, and he honors nearly everything that originally brought fans to the theaters. So, this is a rousing, if mottled, addition to the series.
7 out of 10