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Comic book fans- more specifically, super hero buffs- owe a lot to the X-Men Franchise. The first X-Men movie was THE film that put super heroes on Hollywood’s radar and jumpstarted the current comic-book-to-film trend. And "X2: X-Men United" kept the momentum going with a sequel that actually surpassed the original- A trick that very few sequels have accomplished (“Hello 'Empire Strikes Back' and 'Spiderman 2'!”). That being said, "X-Men: The Last Stand" had a lot to live up to… Fortunately, even with an ensemble cast of characters that has grown too large to properly manage within two-hours, Director Brett Ratner (replacing Bryan Singer, who left the franchise to direct "Superman Returns") delivers an excellent action movie that doesn’t skimp on story. The action is non-stop and every character has an opportunity to show-off their awesome powers. And the good mutants vs. evil mutants “last stand” on Alcatraz Island is extremely satisfying! My only issue with the movie- considering this is supposed to be the last installment of the series- is that the Jean Grey (Phoenix)/Scott Summers (Cyclops) reunion isn’t properly resolved. DVD is truly the best format for this film. It actually gets better with repeat viewings. It’s fun to go back and catch all the special effects that sped past the screen during previous viewings. And without giving away a significant spoiler, upon second viewing, the relevance of a seemingly throw-away line by Prof. Xavier to his class became glaringly clear in the final scene following the credits (For further clarification, check out my blog, "Comic Book Ramblings" by copying the following address into your address bar: http://blogs.ebay.com/bmbcomics/entry/X-Men-The-Last-Stand-DVD-Ah-ha-Now-it-makes-se/_W0QQidZ26007018). With the X-Family grown out-of-control, it’s no wonder the film’s producers have decided to shelve the X-Men story while focusing on Wolverine and Magneto solo spin-off films. Still, "X-Men: The Last Stand" was fun enough that I hope the producers haven’t truly taken the film’s title literally. For a package consisting of a single disc, there are plenty of DVD extras. Don’t be fooled by the “Join The Brotherhood” or “Take A Stand” choices when the menu first loads. Each choice (with different background graphics) takes you through the same menu options. The extended, deleted and alternate scenes are interesting, but it’s the commentaries that are always the selling point for me when buying a DVD. Along with two commentaries for the feature, there is also a commentary track to go along with the scenes not used in the theatrical release. *The only Easter Egg I found can be accessed in the “Deleted Scenes” section. To access: 1. From the Main Menu, click on “Features” 2. From the Features Menu, click on “Deleted Scenes” 3. From the “Deleted Scenes" Menu, click on “More” three times 4. Click the up arrow of your DVD player until either the Brotherhood or X symbol is highlighted in the upper left corner. 5. Click on the symbol, then click on “Play” to view a neat visual effects clip of the X-Plane.Read full review
After having seen the midnight showing in my town, and having mulled over in my mind what I thought about the film, I have this to say one simple statement. I liked it. Yes, many purist fans will shirk at the lack of depth in some of the new characters introduced; however, all in all the film did what so many films fail to do these days, entertain throughout. Just to give a little initial background plot, as you probably know by now a lot of the focus is on Jean and the Phoenix. Well, actually a ton of the movie focuses on this, and not giving anything away, but basically all the climactic events deal with Jean/The Phoenix. Intriguingly enough though, she's given a very small role at least as far as speaking goes. Instead, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and Storm (Halle Berry) take the lead roles, as they advance their characters slightly in depth, but heavily in status. Don't worry though if if you want and expected fresh faces, because the filmmakers also leave plenty of time for looking at, but not learning about, the newcomers. Also to mention, the youngest X-Men Rogue, Bobby (Iceman), and Kitty have somewhat of a sub-plot love triangle. Back to the plot though, because all those characters center on the story that a supposed-cure has been released for mutant hood. This is obviously a very divisive issue, as it widens Magneto and Xavier separation even more, while threatening the already fragile make-up of the X-men themselves. As I mentioned, the movie did have some flaws, as it seemed to want to provide too much in too short a time, while having to glaze over any kind of legitimate character development, (except for some for the Phoenix). Still, if you were a fan of the old ones, or just like good, entertaining superhero-type films, then you're sure to like X3.Read full review
X-Men: The Last Stand’ may have been regarded as the final offering in the Marvel Comics based mutant saga, but past successes (ca-ching!) have given cause for a change of heart. Why kill a good franchise when it’s as lucrative as this one? Previous efforts netted mega millions in box office receipts with a combined cost of around $200-million. So, no trilogy. The final moments literally shout out ‘there’s more, there’s more!’ and a four second tease at the end of the credit role is proof positive. Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen) are the hero/ giants of this sci-fi world, the yin and yang, dark vs. light, good vs. evil. Their wonderfully ripe performances, which overcome the absolute inanity of the whole thing, are admirable. They fire every frame with their presence or the sense memory of it, transforming a garden variety, CGI genre piece into the engaging and amusingly faux-intellectual series it is. What pretenders could ever come close to their standard? The lads from London own the franchise. Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and Storm (Halle Berry) are muscle and window dressing, in fact, each super powered mutant offers something distinctly physical, maybe kinetic, but decidedly not genius or arcane, like the lads. The story begins twenty years ago, innocuously enough, in a suburban US tract home, wherein their latest recruit resides. Her parents believe she has a disease, but Magneto and Prof. Xavier, who’ve come to fetch her, know the truth, Kitty Pryde or Shadowcat is a mutant, like them, with formidable powers. This is back when Magneto and Xavier were allies and friends united in their ambitions, before they fell out and became mortal enemies... but that’s another story. Then ten years ago, we meet a young mutant angel boy, who is mortified by his wings and tries to chop them off. His father, a powerful medical researcher, in trying to help him, develops a ‘cure’ for mutants, which releases them from their genetic ‘defect’. In other words, take the super out of superhuman and make us all the same, an abhorrent notion these days. Like Nazism, American imperialism – the power plays to erase individuality excused by the erroneous idea of ‘the greater good’. This discovery divides the mutants into two factions, under peace loving Xavier or warlike Magneto. Mutants protest other mutants voluntarily seeking a cure for their condition; humans want them all to be cured. It’s a war that could lead to the destruction of the civilized world. Alcatraz is transformed into a kind of prison centre for mutants undergoing treatment. Captured and under armed guard inside is a young boy named Jimmy (Cameron Bright), who is the source of the cure. In the mutant civil war, Jimmy is the ultimate prize. Removing him removes the human’s ability to neuter mutants. In the battle to save the mutants to find an acceptable peace, members of Professor Xavier’s team are killed and eventually, the good professor himself. Eye popping visual effects like the levitation of the Golden Gate Bridge and what happens afterwards are exhilarating and Dr. Jean Grey / Phoenix (Famke Janssen) who is back from the dead literally sucks the world into her vortex. Now that’s an eyeful! The battle scenes are unusually long and impossible to see properly. It takes a lot of patience and care to lay out a battle scene that answers all our questions. Too often, directors focus onRead full review
This sequel was MUCH better than the last. The addition of other main characters (i.e. Beast, etc) was a nice tie into the comic book. The original gang (actors) seemed to settle into their roles and didn't tend to OVERACT like in the other two films. The costumes and hairstyles also seemed more "realistic" than in the previous films. In addition, this movie had a great storyline. This film really brought things together - good vs. bad, idealism vs. realism. This is by far the best script of the series. This movie plays a lot on the audiences emotions. There were a few unexpected events and twists that separates this movie from other "comics to big screen" movies. This movie is definitely worth the time to watch.
I bought this as the conclusion to the first two movies, expecting a grand ending to a great series, and while it was a good movie, it wasn't as good as I thought it would be. The special and visual effects were amazing, as always, but like most action movies nowadays, the sound seems to be backward. You can barely hear spoken parts unless they're shouted, but explosions seem to blast your eardrums. Maybe it makes the movie more "impacting" but to me, it just seems foolish to have to adjust your volume three times per scene. Technically, this movie was just as I expected; even the acting was on-par with the first two movies, and therefore in my opinion very good. It was the story that left me sitting and blinking at the screen at the end. The sheer number of characters they tried working into this movie was astonishing, and detracted from character development. They just didn't have the time for it. The storyline seemed more like two or three movies slapped into one; there were so many plots, and several tried to be the main plot at the same time. Don't get me wrong, it turned out very climactic and Earth-shattering, but what got me there left me wanting. The one truly, grin-inducing part came after the credits. The "surprise" ending was definitely that. But unless they plan an X-Men 4, it was, unfortunately, wasted. Overall, I give X-Men 4 out of 5 stars.Read full review
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