X-Men: The Last Stand

[Brad_Bane]

Bart asked me to start this thread, so here goes. As you will tell, I didn't like X-Men: The Last Stand, but many of you did, so please feel free to comment and give your own opinions on the movie.

X-Men: The Last Stand limped in, weakened and ailing, as the conclusion to Bryan Singer's filmic saga featuring Marvel Comics' venerable X-Men. I will not go into the specifics of how The Last Stand betrayed its characters' comic book origins, or will I speak of Fox Studios' flawed, fast-tracked, rushed, and sloppy attempt to spite Bryan Singer for leaving (temporarily) to direct this summer's Superman Returns. No, that will not affect the normal movie-going public's opinion of this film. Instead I will just say that this really is a film to avoid, and was a disrespectful follow-up to what Bryan Singer and Co. tried to build in the first two films of this series.

The Last Stand suffered from pacing problems and odd, frenetic editing. Much of the film is dialogue, and not particularly well-written dialogue. What action we do get is sporadic and anti-climatic. Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, an awe-inspiring character of the last two films, is reduced to a whimpering simp in The Last Stand, who stands around whining, complaining, and avoiding doing anything until at the end of the movie when he realizes that he will not get his way. Halle Berry, who complained about Storm's lack of anything to do in the first films, once again has little to do in this one but talk and complain. Professor X, our stalwart leader, is made a villain, and Sir Ian McKellan's Magneto is turned into a total psychopath. All in all, most of our returning characters have been transformed into pale imitations of themselves, self-parodying their once fine performances into a bad episode of Seinfeld. I almost expected Wolverine, Storm, Professor X, and Magneto to all be sitting around at Mon's Coffee Shop bitching about their miserable lives.

The film is not without its good points, though. Kelsey Grammar's Dr. Henry "Hank" McCoy, the anthropoid Beast, is terrific, and his action sequences, albeit brief, are exciting and filled with more ape-fighting action that all of King Kong. Yet, he has little screen time, and ultimately, little to do. Ben Foster's Warren Worthington III/Angel is nothing more than scenery. He has two scenes, which will good, give little else to the film.

As for the plot: it's ham-fisted, trite, and downright boring. There is a cure for mutantcy, and Magneto wants to rally mutants against it. How does he go about it? By fighting other mutants. Really smart plan for Mr. Lensherr, isn't' it? And as for the "Phoenix" saga played out with Famke Janssen's Jean Grey? They didn't even attempt to follow the original comic book story, or build something the least bit original or entertaining. Basically, in the film's big climax, Jean just stands there for twenty minutes doing nothing until Wolverine comes forward, kills a "Class 5" mutant with his claws, and then cries over her body.

The Last Stand ends with major, beloved characters dead, one cured (hint: it's Rogue), and not much else. Oh, and if you stay past the credits, you'll discover a nice scene that really does little to save this horrible excuse for a movie. The only thing I could think as I walked out into the Texas summer sunlight was "God, I hope Superman Returns is good." It's something I will continue to pray until the thirtieth of June.

[ZapRowsdower]

I give this a 7/10, but after having it put in perspective for me, I'm seriously considering reducing my rating to a 6 or even a 5.

My beefs with this movie:

SPOILERS BELOW -- READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

1. Where was Nightcrawler?

2. Professor X - Dead. Cyclops - Dead. Jean Grey - Dead. Rogue - Cured. Mystique - Cured. Magneto - Cured. Sure, they left it open for an X-Men 4, but how fucking exciting is THAT gonna be? Furthermore, one of my favorite aspects of the first two was the rivalry between Logan and Scott. For instance, "How do I know it's really you?" "You're a dick." "Ok." That was missing from this movie. Mainly because Scott dies right at the beginning. They sort of shot themselves in the foot here. First of all, you cannot end the X-Men movie series without introducing Gambit. So that (as well as the little clues at the end) suggests we WILL be getting an X-Men 4 (even though this was supposed to be The Last Stand). But since three pivotal characters are dead, how are they gonna do it? I can see the posters now. X-Men IV: The Quest for Peace. *Shudders*

3. The movie seemed more concerned with introducing as many mutants as they can (disappointingly, Gambit was not one of them and Nightcrawler was nowhere to be found) than they were about the "political controversy" storyline they tried to give it. Oh, there's the Juggernaut. Oh, there's Beast. Oh, there's Archangel. Who's that guy? Wait, is there a story here, or is this just some kind of demo?

4. They tried to tackle two different storylines in the same movie. In effect, one of the greatest (and my personal favorite) X-Men storylines takes a back seat when it should have rode shotgun. I left X2 wanting to see X-Men 3. Why? Because I saw the Phoenix in the water. X-Men 3 was supposed to be about Phoenix. So, what, Phoenix kills off a couple of people (which I must admit, even though those scenes pissed me off, Janssen pulled them off great), and then for no reason at all starts hanging out with Magneto. Uh... why? They never explain this. The rest of the movie consists of her staring at stuff and looking like she should be doing something but isn't. It shouldn't have been about closing the book, it should have been about doing it right. I would have loved to see ten X-Men movies if they maintained the strength of the first two (which this one did not).

5. The scene after the credits... Isn't Professor X supposed to be an ethical character? Why is he doing something so unethical as transporting himself into someone else's body?

6. Hugh Jackman is a Tony Award winning actor, and this is the most insulting underuse of his talents since Van Helsing.

7. The coolest new mutants they introduced (Archangel, Juggernaut and Beast) were severely underused. And while I'm on him, Juggernaut is not a mutant. Worst episode ever. ;D

8. Iceman's little night out with Kitty. Can someone say "pedophile"?

9. This was obviously made to spite Singer for dropping out (although he did say he would come back after Superman). It shows.

10. I addressed this in my Superman review, but this movie was missing the heart that the first two movies had. The "it's a comic book" defense can only take this movie so far. Ok, X-Men: The Last Stand was a comic book. X-Men 1 & 2 were MOVIES. Not a very subtle difference. We're talking the difference between Fantastic Four and Batman Begins. It's not about throwing in new mutants in spandex, it's about the emotional struggle surrounding Jean Grey and Phoenix, as well as Jean's inner struggle. That's what I wanted to see. Sure, fight scenes are cool, but they don't make up for everything lost that Bryan Singer put into this picture.

Ok, I'm done for now. I might add on to it later, but that's all I can think about right now.

[Pulpmariachi]

I'm on the very negative end of the spectrum for this stupid thing. I didn't hate every minute of it, just most of the one-hour-forty-minute running time (which would be like having the seventh Harry Potter book only three hundred pages long as compared to the five-six- or seven-hundred volumes that proceeded it, you can't address all the loose ends in that time [God I hope book seven is long]).

You know what? I'm sick of complaining about this movie. I've stated my case against Brett Ratner numerous times ("Hey look! I directed Rush Hour!") and he's just an on-call director by the studios.

I agree with Smitty that this isn't really a movie but a comic book kind of. Sin City was a moving comic book but that was a great film.

What did I give this? Oh yeah, like a C- or something.

[Heineken Skywalker]

Where was Nightcrawler? How about Alan Cumming didn't want to return.
Iceman is a pedophile? Do you even know how old the actress is who played Kitty Pride? Look it up. She looks young for her age, but she's definitely not jailbait.

This place is becoming like the SUPERMAN RETURNS gang versus the X-MEN: LAST STAND gang. Now, there's a comic book movie for you.

Funny thing is, I did enjoy both movies, but neither was a homerun in my eyes. People seem to be elevating one to the status of the Second Coming of comic book movies, while accusing the other of being the Antichrist of comic book movies. Frankly, IMHO, neither was as good as SIN CITY or BATMAN BEGINS.

Pheonix, you wanna add anything? I'm tired.

[Phoenix]

Yea, I'm tired too Heinekin. LOL. Anyway, below I've cut/pasted my IMDB review of Xmen:The Last Stand. Welcome to the boards HulkSMashNow! I respect that people don't like the film and I think the people that did enjoy it are being kind of quiet about it because fanboys cries can be SOOO loud. Still, I just want to say that when I go into a movie I want to be entertained. Sometimes I want artsy stuff and sometimes I want action and fun. When I walked into X-Men I wanted action and fun. That's what I got.

MY REVIEW (no spoilers! I never put them in my review):

I've been anticipating the third film for the X-Men series for quite awhile now. So much so that I was a bit worried about the end result. I tend to get my hopes up way too high for a film. I can say though that I was quite relieved with this installment of the franchise. It delivered what I was looking for most in the film: escapism.

The cast is extensive and the mutants plentiful even considering there is a "cure" floating around. We see the old favorites like Professor X, Magneto, Mystique, Rogue, Ice Man, Pyro, Storm and, of course, Wolverine. It's a bit obvious the studio is gleaning Hugh Jackman for a flick of his own as the fan-favorite mutant. However, since he's fun to watch I enjoyed his scene- stealing scenes. There are a plethora of new mutants to enjoy and savor - like Kitty Pryde, Multiple Man and Colossus for instance. Dark Phoenix plays an interesting, although tough to swallow, part in the interweaving of the story. For me, Juggernaut steals the show though.

So, yes, the movie lacks a bit of character development. If you're looking for long, in-depth and heart-wrenching stories of each mutant than please go read one of the slow-moving Marvel comics out today. If you're looking for well directed action than I highly suggest you see the movie. Ratner shows his chops for directing straight action with some very memorable mutant-on-mutant fighting scenes. I thought they were awesome and so did my fellow movie-goers. I always like to comment on an audience reaction - and this one was very positive.

There were some very shocking twists so head out and see X3 soon because someone may ruin the film for you. I also want to add that staying past the credits is very, very, very key. If you didn't do it you missed probably one of the coolest after credits scenes I've ever seen. For my husband, it salvaged the entire film.

X-Men: The Last Stand is not going to please all the fanboys out there. Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons would probably give the film an "F." But for the general public, this is the start of the summer movie season and this is the movie to see.

[Bartwald]

phoenix said:

Yea, I'm tired too Heinekin. LOL...

Ha, ha! Let's see if this teaches Heineken to spell your name correctly... ;D

As for The Last Stand - I haven't seen it yet but as a person who is not a fan of the graphic novels AND didn't much like X-2 (sic!) AAAND rather likes what Brett Rattner does (ahh, the Rush Hour films...) I don't think I will be disappointed with this. Will tell you what I think. Soon.

[Phoenix]

SPOILER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVENT SEEN THE MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5. The scene after the credits... Isn't Professor X supposed to be an ethical character? Why is he doing something so unethical as transporting himself into someone else's body?

ANSWER: To stay alive? Don't you know man's desire to live no matter what the consequences? Prof X IS human after all. I thought this was a brilliant twist. LOVED it.

10. I addressed this in my Superman review, but this movie was missing the heart that the first two movies had.

I don't need no stinkin' "HEART" in my X-Men movies FYI. That's what makes movies DRAG on and slow (*cough* Superman *cough*). I recently re-watched the X-Men films in prep for this new one and they really didn't have that much heart. And there is just as much cheese in those films as in this one IMO.

[Heineken Skywalker]

phoenix said:

I don't need no stinkin' "HEART" in my X-Men movies FYI. That's what makes movies DRAG on and slow (*cough* Superman *cough*). I recently re-watched the X-Men films in prep for this new one and they really didn't have that much heart. And there is just as much cheese in those films as in this one IMO.

LOL! Couldn't agree more, Phoenix. (See Bart, I spelled her name correctly that time.)
People seem to want all of their comic book movies to be serious Greek tragedies, when at the end of the day, it all boils down to actors in cool outfits flying around on wires and kicking the crap out of each other. Personally, I could've used a little more of that in SUPERMAN RETURNS and a little less soul searching. I don't want a Superman filled with angst. That's what Batman's for!

In related X-Men news, I heard Hugh Jackman say in an interview that they're currently working on a script for his Wolverine spin-off movie and it looks it's going to be a prequel telling the origin of Logan/Wolverine.

[ZapRowsdower]

Again, that's why it's called an adaptation (a concept forgotten when video games are adapted to film). As a filmmaker, you want to appease a much wider audience than its source material. Sure, everyone loves a good action flick, but film geeks such as myself want some story to go with their action. That's where Superman Returns exceeds X-Men III. X-Men had some NICE fight scenes (although Iceman vs. Pyro was a disappointing Harry Potter-type fight scene), but no heart. As a film geek, I want my movies to have heart. I don't care if it's Forrest Gump or an adaptation Pacman. If it doesn't have heart, it's got very little else going for it.

But that's just my opinion. I'm a film geek before I am a comic book geek.

[Pulpmariachi]

iamthesmitty said:

X-Men had some NICE fight scenes (although Iceman vs. Pyro was a disappointing Harry Potter-type fight scene), but no heart. As a film geek, I want my movies to have heart. I don't care if it's Forrest Gump or an adaptation Pacman. If it doesn't have heart, it's got very little else going for it.

But that's just my opinion. I'm a film geek before I am a comic book geek.

I love the Harry Potter battle scenes (in the latter two films)!

I agree with the seperate medium thing.

Heart is...I don't know. Just because a movie has heart doesn't mean it has minutes of character development or whatever. Look at 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' for example. We're given just the basics to get to know Indy but you cannot deny the heart in that film and it's NEVER boring.

I guess heart is just compassion, love, and committment to everything about a picture. It's like it's your child or something. I guess.

[Heineken Skywalker]

iamthesmitty said:

But that's just my opinion. I'm a film geek before I am a comic book geek.

Less there be any doubt, me too. I guess I just look for different things in different types of movies. I don't really need or expect a movie based on a comic book to move me emotionally, like a serious drama for instance, in order for me to enjoy it. Not to say they can't, that's great when they do, (In the '78 version, Superman pulling a dead Lois Lane out of the car and letting out that anguished scream before he takes off into the camera, comes to mind.) but it's not the end all be all for me.
Sometimes a popcorn movie is just a popcorn movie. No deeper than that.

SPOILERS!

And that's not to say that I feel that X3 didn't have it's emotional scenes. Three main characters died. One I expected (Phoenix), one I was pretty sure was going to happen because of things in the trailers (Cyclops), and one caught me completely off guard (Xavier).
And Logan killing Phoenix was a pretty powerful scene.

Am I completely happy with the way everything was handled in this movie? No.
I think Cyclops' death was kind of shabby, at the very least it should've happened on-screen. But honestly, once he was gone, I barely missed him. Know why? Because he was hardly in the second movie either. Go back and watch it again. After Magneto escapes from his plastic prison, Cyclops is MIA until almost the end of the movie.
Rogue also could've been handled a little better, but seriously, what else were they going to do with her? More scenes of her and Bobby bummed cause they can't do the horizontal bop without it killing him? Been there, done that.
A buddy of mine, who unlike me, has kept up with the comics, tells me that in the comics, the cure was only temporary, and judging by Magneto's solo game of chess at the end, it looks like that's where they're going in the film series, if they continue them, as well.
Also, that little scene at the very end of the credits, tells us there's still hope for Professor X as well.
But for every death or character who is "cured" there were new characters to enjoy. Seeing Colossus & Kitty Pride in expanded roles, plus first time appearances by Beast and Juggernaut was a welcome treat. These were all regulars in the comic series back when I was a loyal reader so it was nice to see them brought to life. Who, that is familiar with the comics, can help but smile when Logan and Colossus execute the "fastball special"?

END SPOILERS!

Anyway, this horse has been beaten beyond death. Some liked it, some didn't (No one's changing anyone else's opinions) and some are yet to see it and weigh in with their own comments/opinions. Looking forward to hearing some new points of view, good, bad or indifferent.

[Fenril]

It's been a while since I saw this movie, but from what I remember I mostly enjoyed it... no, it's not as EXCITING (and frankly, I think that's what you mean by "hearth"... action scenes are only really exciting when you actually care for the characters in them, IMHO) as the first two movies. And yes, the script obviously needed a few rewrites or should have been spliced into two separate movies.

Still, there was plenty of entertainment and some rather brainless but nice-to-see fx-driven scenes. Magneto lifting the Golden Gate is the best example of this, I think. It's completely stupid and he has no reason to do that (plus, it's interesting that this scene begins in full day and ends at night. Apparently it took him a whole day to pull that stunt off), but it's a nice cheesy scene to watch.

So with the rest of the movie. Of the new mutants around (Kitty Pride and Colossus don't count, since they were already in previous entries) I only liked Beast, and admitedly he was great; the rest had no depth or even backstory whatsoever, they were just... there.

All in all, it was an ok popcorn movie, not the best comic-book movie I've ever seen.

I haven't seen the Superman Returns movie because, frankly, I have never liked Superman, so I can't comment on that debate.

There, that's my two cents on this.

[Bartwald]

Finally saw this. And didn't think much of it. Sure, the deaths were a surprise, the Beast was fine and there was lots of action but... where's the STORY? I mean, anything that would remind a good, coherent script? The final showdown left me cold as all the characters seemed cardboard by this time.

And about the paedophile controversy - I think that the addition of Hard Candy's girl to the cast was one of the best innovations here.

[Gabriel]

I'll be honest, much like Superman Returns it was 'okay' and a good cinematic day out so to speak but anything after that? No.

My main gripe is the death of Cyclops. My personal fave and not only his death, but the complete abiguity of it. The fact that it wasn't overly apparant he was dead, I kept hoping for his reappearance to no avail. Even worse was I heard about the bonus scene and was almost sure it would be him returning but no... Its Prof X.. bollocks. If he had to die then there would have been a million better ways. I see it in much the same way I see the idea of teh studio trying to spite Singer, that they (as a collective) also done it with Marsden.

Oh and another thing... the whole Magneto cold shouldering Mystique left me a little....... pissed... cos it was so out of character and as someone said above, now we were to believe he was this complete nutbar. So to recap; Was good day out watching it... but in retrospect it was kack.

[knightofcydonia]

Agreed. They took characters that were so well established throughout the first two films and decided, fuck it...movie fans have short memories.

The whole appeal of Magneto was that he wasn't a necessarily a bad guy as such. He felt that Mutants wee, and he was right here, victimised and outcast. Unlike Prof X though he felt that action was the only way and that with his powers why should he be the one bowing before humans. Let’s be honest, who would? But what was also great about him was that you could sympathise with him because of his past, and that in Nazi Germany he had saw this kind of thing before. Then X:3 comes along, Magneto is a cold bastard with little ideals or morals to anything but himself.

That and the plot, very poor with an ending that left me groaning in it’s predictability. Let’s hope the Wolverine film is better.