X-Men : L'Affrontement final

I must be one of the few, it seems, who enjoyed X-Men: The Last Stand. I have been an X-fan for many years and my expectations were still met by this film. Do I think that it could have been a bit better? Certainly. The script seemed to pack too many elements into a short running time. With those issues solved I believe that it would have been fantastic. Still, I felt that X-3 was almost on the level with X-2's greatness. It has taken another viewing and some time to reach this point. At first, I felt betrayed at the many liberties taken with story elements. But after I left the theatre, I could not shake the feeling that I needed to view it again. After the second time, I came to grips with the film and now like it quite a bit.

Contrary to some critics' reviews, I do not believe that X-3 became overshadowed by action. There really is quite little of it until the finale, which feels quite epic. There are excellent character moments sprinkled throughout. The acting is generally superb across the board. More Ian McKellen is always nice, and Hugh Jackman impresses again with Wolverine. Kelsey Grammar actually does a respectable job with Beast. The other characters all do well with what they are given. There are a few poorly written one-liners that reminded me of the ones in X-Men 1, but the script is mostly intelligent with powerful themes such as the Cure. Another difficulty is that the film cannot pay the proper amount of attention to the many characters, including the new ones. But they still all seem to contribute something to the larger plot movement in the film. Ratner's only obvious difference from Singer is his frenetic pacing and energy. X-3 really moves quickly, and this does not have to be a negative. I also enjoyed the emotion that was hinted at in X-2, and came into full force during X-3. I do not think that it reached sentimentality or was melodramatic; it really felt powerful. The stakes really do seem to be high for the final chapter of this trilogy. The viewer finds this out quickly concerning Cyclops and Mystique, later with Jean and Xavier (in a particularly awe-inspiring scene), and during the finale in a nice moment with Jean and Wolverine. I think that many of the problems people are seeing in the film resulted from the pressure the entire production team was placed under in order to develop and finish the entire film in less than a year.

But all in all, I have really come to enjoy it as a satisfying film that met my high expectations. Look at it this way if you must. Try to see X-3 as not a stand-alone film but more as the third portion of one large story. The first X-Men had the difficult job of introducing a large ensemble cast of mutants and establishing a story and tone (other superhero films with one primary character have it much easier). X-2 had the most enviable position as most of the characters had already been partly developed and it did not have to conclude the entire story. It could work mostly on its own, just having to leave threads open for the next one. X-3 had the extremely difficult task of closing out the entire trilogy for good. I see it more as the third portion of one expansive tale, thus in the larger scheme it must move quickly toward a complete conclusion. In my opinion, the many actors under the abrupt switch in direction did an x-cellent job.

First off, X-Men: The Last Stand was by no means "drivel." In combination with the previous ventures, moviegoers and fans will receive a decent whole. The plot itself is not convoluted, but there are numerous mini-plots for just about every other character in the film. The huge number of plot lines Ratner chose to cast wound up limiting the film, removing key emotional elements. The film just was not long enough to adequately cover everyone's story. The music did not add anything to the movie either, it seemed tacky and amateur. Through length, plot numbers and music, X3 failed to properly and satisfyingly tie up the trilogy.

Problems aside, X-Men did succeed in creating a fabulous action-driven film. Ratner and Fox worked magic on the special effects side of things. I was particularly impressed with the opening scene, which found a 20 year younger Xavier and Eric (Stewart and McKellan) at the house of Jean Grey.

Despite being somewhat of a letdown, the film does bring in some interesting parallelism to the first two films. Speaking of the first films, I recommend viewing them right before or soon after seeing the third, as viewing them reminds you that you do care about the characters (being underdeveloped in X3). Most should find the third entry reasonably enjoyable and miles ahead of poorer entries into the superhero genre (Fantastic Four, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Ultraviolet, and the extraordinarily bad Batman Forever and Batman and Robin).

Who wouldn't want the ability to walk through walls or fly away into the sky? Who wouldn't want to be able to lift cars hundreds of feet into the air or turn a cloudy day into a gorgeous sunny afternoon? For some this is a dream come true. For others than can't function without destroying their natural way of life, it is a curse. The premise for the latest installment of the X-Men saga is just that.

X-Men: The Last Stand goes deeper into the mutant versus human controversy. All of the favorites are back with the addition of some needed support. The main focus of this film is the introduction of a vaccine that can rid a mutant of its powers. It is called, "The Cure". Magneto, played once again by Ian McKellan, gathers his Brotherhood for a war on the mankind once more. His eyes are fixed on the one person who holds the answer, a small, innocent child with a gift so powerful, Magneto will risk everything for it.

Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) upon hearing gathers his group of X-Men to stop the menacing Magneto. He is short a few of his troops from the last film. Cyclops is still lamenting over the loss of his dear Dr. Jean Grey. When he can't take it anymore, he drives out to where he last saw her. Her voice has driven him to the edge until she appears. Who he meets isn't Jean, but her true self; Phoenix. She is Jean's alter ego, the most powerful mutant Charles or Magneto ever encountered.

Director Brett Ratner of Rush Hour fame delivers an action packed, special effects driven adventure. His style is unlike that of the previous X-Men films. His version is more along the lines of a regular action flick. A lot of explosions, stunts galore, and a so-so script. What made the other films enjoyable was the emphasis on the characters. This film has almost too many to include. Although some weren't present and some don't make it, there are too many side stories going on than are needed.

The mutants are always a blast to watch. Hugh Jackman returns to his old guns, relying on witty remarks and vicious attacks on unsuspecting victims. Somehow it doesn't get old. Kelsey Grammar is introduced as Dr. Hank McCoy, better known as Beast, a blue skinned, blue haired genius who wants nothing more than this war to cease. Also introduced is Angel, who sadly doesn't play too much of a role. On the other side of the battle is Juggernaut (Vinnie Jones). A one man wrecking crew whose momentum is unstoppable to the strongest of obstructions. Beside him is Callisto, a speedy little devil whose impact is virtually just filler. There is more emphasis on characters like Kitty, the girl who can walk through walls, and Collossus, a metal strongman, and less emphasis on Rogue and Mystique.

Without these characters in play, the film is special effects driven. Impressive CGI graphics and and intelligent use of the mutants powers go a long way in the making of this film. Characters like Storm (Halle Berry) rely solely on the effects provided by Ratner and his team or visual effects artists.

As far as summer blockbusters go, this film isn't one to be trifled with. It presents a lot of aspects that a blockbuster should have: a lot of big name actors, reliable story lines, stunning effects, and most importantly, an appeal to a large audience. The movie might be a little bit mature for children, but comic book fans and fans of the films will thoroughly enjoy this. The only remaining question left is; will there be another?

It is safe to say that every X-Men fan, or any movie fan for that matter would have much rather seen Bryan Singer finnish out his first two X mens into a brilliant trilogy. I was very unsure that Brett Ratner, who has directed some pretty decent movies, not great, but not terrible could do a good job. Much to my chagrin Brett Ratner exceeded my expectations on how well he could direct the final chapter of this comic masterpiece.

Although I feel a comic book movie has yet to top Batman Begins, I feel that all superhero movies owe it to the X men for 'relaunching' this superhero craze that we have been blessed with, and for that we have to thank Singer.

For those who have seen the movie you can agree with me that Ratner did not give us the in depth character build up that Singer gave us. Instead, giving us a fun action packed movie, with a little character glimpse at Wolverine and a touching moment between Kitty and Bobby. However, that is not the director that Ratner is. Ratner is 'an action' director, one who focuses mainly on fight sequences and explosions mixed in with some mild humor, and that is what made this movie work.

Although Singer's genius was deeply missed in this third chapter, I do not feel we need to be ashamed at the third movie. I know we all feel that Singer could have given us a better close on his trilogy, Brett Ratner still needs to be applauded for giving us his different yet great take on the wonderful and never to be forgotten X-Men series.

I was able to catch a preview of this film on May 18. I am a huge X-Men fan and was reading earlier buzz about this film's shortcomings from other critics. I was very surprised at this film's quality. This film was very good especially for a third installment. I would venture to say this film was my favorite of the three, narrowly beating out X-Men United. I felt there would be a lot of confusion in tying in Magneto and Dark Phoenix but the story was very coherent. I also felt like Halle did a little better in this installment, considering better powers and better writing. The action scenes were great, especially in Jean's house. I was pleased to see them stay faithful to certain scenes in the Dark Phoenix Saga comic. The other "bit-part" mutants were not as annoying as I'd anticipated, as some of them actually were very impressive. I was very impressed with this film's "shockers" and unpredictability. Some things I definitely did not see coming. While not the perfect experience everyone hopes for, it was still well-made and should satisfy the X-Men fan base. Good story, great fights, great special effects, true to some of the comic stuff, great unpredictability, annoying Pyro. 'Nuff said.