X-Men: The Last Stand

Starring: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn, Anna Paquin, Kelsey Grammer, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Standford, Vinnie Jones, Ellen Page, Ben Foster
Directed by: Brett Ratner
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure
2006

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: When humans develop a "cure" for mutants, this act causes Magneto (Ian McKellen) to form The Brotherhood, a gang of mutants bent on destroying humanity. The only ones that stand in their way are the X-Men, including Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Storm (Halle Berry), and Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart).

Review:
Tim: The third installment in the X-Men franchise seemed destined to be the least effective. Director Bryan Singer was out, and Brett "Rush Hour" Ratner was in. Suffice to say, this film is indeed the worst of the triology, but is at least fairly enjoyable.

All the X-Men are back, and it's great seeing our heroes on the big screen again. Jackman is once again terrific as Wolverine. Halle Berry is decent as Storm, but has never been extremely effective. I was very upset that James Marsden didn't have more to do as Cyclops. He was always my favorite of the X-Men, and I wish he had more screen time. The new mutants were good to see. Kelsey Grammer is perfect as Beast. Vinnie Jones actually made a terrible Juggernaut. Famke Janssen is back as Jean Grey, and wonderfully, as Phoenix.

This time around, the plot just doesn't work nearly as effectively. We don't get the same opportunity to see our favorite characters in situations which let them shine onscreen. Ratner added some new mutants, which weren't effective at all.

The story also seemed to point to the fact that this would be the last X-Men movie (although don't ever underestimate the power of the dollar in Hollywood). I was very fair on this movie because I absolutely love Marvel, and I want to see twenty X-Men movies. Sadly, this film is a few notches below the first two, and there is no getting around that.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Superman, Swordfish, Star Trek: Generations, X2: X-Men United, X-Men, The Hulk, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Fantastic Four, Ghost Rider