X-Men 3: The Last Stand

So another summer comes and with it another slew of comic-book adventures. This, the third and supposedly final, chapter in the X-Men series come in almost direct competition with the original two film’s director Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns, and much has been made of his absence from this production and the hiring of Brett Ratner. After seeing the film though I have to say that, mainly, it turned out pretty well and those that feared the quality would drop with this entry should feel relieved. Whilst it’s not as good as maybe it could have been with a bit more time, this is still a worthy entry into the series and continues the story, so well set up in the first two films, successfully. The plot this time revolves around a ‘mutant cure’ that has been developed in the world. Naturally this provokes some angry responses from Magneto and his band of followers who fear that the drug will be forced against them. Meanwhile Jean Grey returns to the X-Men after her exploits at the end of the second film, different and dangerous. Now one of the main things sequels should do is up the ante from previous films, and it’s here that X-Men 3 works best. The stakes are considerably higher this time round and the seriousness and impart of the conflict takes its toll on the X-Men. The film is quite uncompromising and many will be shocked to see how some established characters are treated. Whilst this adds tension and darkness to the tone of the film it also feels, at times, like a bit of a waste. Originally I’m sure there was a much longer plan for this franchise with so many mutants to deal with and so many possible storylines to plunder. However it seems with this film that the makers have decided to finish the series is style and while it is exciting and spectacular to watch it also suffers from feeling like too much is lost. By the end of the film about 7 or 8 main characters from the first two films are changed and/or gone leaving the series in tatters if it was ever to continue. It’s probably worth mentioning that the film deviates heavily from the original comic books as well, something that has upset many fans who had seen many potential stories gradually set up in the first two films only to be bulldozed over with the third. Whilst the plot is intriguing, many of the new characters that are introduced are not given enough time to be fully realised. Kelsey Grammer does well as Beast but we see precious little of him in action. Speaking of action though, this is where the film excels. There are a few great action scenes, especially towards the end that really draw you in with some wonderful special effects. More than the other films there is a sense of an epic battle going on and it helps the film stand apart from its predecessors. In other areas however Bryan Singers touch is sorely missed. Brett Ratner is a fine director and the film looks good visually, but some of the heart and emotion of the story has been lost in the telling and many of the aforementioned losses are not as expertly handled and therefore affecting as they could have been. Equally the film, if anything, is a touch short. The film is just over 1 hour 40 and another 15 minutes could easily have been added to flesh out some more of the new characters and add some more character development to the established folks. Storm takes a more central role this time often leaving Hugh Jackman’s excellent Wolverine in the shadows, he is more sedate in this film ‘tamed’ even and it’s a shame there’s not more of his dark side. But taken as a whole the film is a success, the stakes are raised, the look and feel of the other films is retained and the story moves along well and leads to a satisfying climax. Considering what some fans had been anticipating this could have been a disaster, luckily what ended up on the screen was far from it. An exciting and worthy installment to the X-men series that suffers slightly from the change in director and rapid overkill of plotlines but emerges as entertaining and enjoyable as a summer blockbuster should be.