Characters overruled by action sequences

Rating: 7/10 (25 May 2006)

After director Bryan Singer decided to leave the X-Men series in order to direct the new Superman film, many feared that the third instalment would not be as great as the first two. Unfortunately, replacement director Brett Ratner has only confirmed those fears, as while the film features all the action that would expect from a comic book movie; the characterisation that put Singer's film above a lot of comic book fare has been lost, as new blood such as Ben Foster's Angel and Vinnie Jones' Juggernaut aren't given much to do, and established characters such as Mystique and Cyclops get left by the wayside. The plotting doesn't work as well as in previous films either, as Simon Kinberg & Zak Penn's script tries to do too much, and the result is a film the leaves several threads hanging far too long before returning to them; and the result ultimately is a film that doesn't explore every possible angle. The plot this time largely focuses on the idea of a cure for mutancy, which divides the population between those that want to be cured, and those that don't. One again, the major story point features the battle between Professor Xavier and evil genius, Magneto.
To be honest, I've never read the X-Men comics; and so can't comment on the faithfulness to the source material. I don't imagine writing a script for this film would be easy, as there's so many different characters and keeping the focus away from special effects is a near impossibility. The special effects are impressive, but not as much as they could have been simply due to the fact that astounding effects have become part and parcel of the modern day blockbuster. The film does feature several action scenes, which are sure to delight the target audience, however, and although certain scenes; including one that involves the golden bridge, are somewhat over the top - that's hardly a weighty criticism for a comic book film. The dynamics of the story have changed, as Halle Berry's storm takes a more frontal role this time around, which is a shame as it means other, more interesting characters such as Anna Paquin's Rogue barely get any screen time at all (the white hair looks great on Berry, though). Ian McKellen stands out as the leader of the wayward mutants, and is gifted with the best character in the film. Hugh Jackman fits his role as Wolverine like a glove; while Famke Janssen and Kelsey Grammar do nothing but fill out the plot with their roles. The amazing Rebecca Romijn-Stamos is given nothing to do, which is a major flaw as far as I'm concerned while younger stars such as Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Stanford and Ellen Page do well in the action sequences but don't shine otherwise. Ex-football star Vinnie Jones is great only when his mouth is closed.
I'm sure that this film will appeal to fans of the comic book, as despite several painful one-liners and a lack of characterisation, the film is very entertaining and the action sequences are largely well done. In comparison to the first two movies, The Last Stand doesn't stand out and it's a shame that a series with so much promise had to end on what can only be described as a low.