so-so popcorn flick

Rating: 8/10 (28 May 2006)

The Last Stand is not a bad movie but compared to Bryan Singer's exceptional work on the two previous installments Brett Ratner's movie leaves a lot to be desired... Even though some die-hard fans may have a different opinion on the number of mutants (new and old) in the movie - there can be definitely too many mutants. This is the case with Rattner's movie as there are too many newly introduced characters, who, as a consequence of the crammed and rushed script, are not given enough screen-time to really establish themselves, their motivations, goals etc... (Angel, anyone?)
Another, maybe minor thing, that really bugged me: the dark phoenix look. OK, we all liked the look of The Grudge and The Ring; mysterious young females, with their hair hanging in their faces while they sit staring into nothingness, on a much too small chair but come on...it was kind of uninspired to pull the exact same gag on Jean Grey...and her eyes turning all black as soon as Phoenix came through - puh-lease!
all in all, it's not a bad movie. it delivers what it promised, it's action-packed front to back and will certainly entertain you for its 104 minutes running time.