By: Justin Pomerville
Well, it has come to this part. What is considered to be the worst film in the X-Men franchise. If you have not been keeping up with my other reviews, go check out Part 1 and Part 2. This one will probably focus more on the flaws than the actually story, as there really isn't much of a story. Most of this will be the differences between the comics and the films. And I know what you will say, "They can't recreate everything from the comics into the film" and I get it. But there are simple things that I feel can make or break films, especially when it comes to comic movies and building a world that a majority of us have already read. And if you change that, a lot of us will not like it. It might be me being nit picky, but it really does change the film.
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
Here is the whole plot, Jean Grey comes back from the dead as The Phoenix and is manipulated by Magneto to be used to destroy the human race. There is also a cure for the mutant gene that causes an outrage among the mutant community which breaks everyone down into two factions, Professor X's team or Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants. Get it, got it, good. Because that's all you get for story on this film, since it seemed they didn't care about plot either.
The first big flaw was the whole Phoenix origin. In the comics, The Phoenix Force is a manifestation of the prime universal force of life and passion. It's comes from space and links with those who are a worthy vessel. It has the power to destroy or rebuild any part of the universe. It comes to Earth because it felt the powerful psychic energy that Jean was giving off. But in this film, they decided to make it a part of her mutant make up where Professor X then tries to block out of her mind so she won't access that power.
This third film is when we see a lot of classic X-Men characters, including original X-Men, Beast (played by Kelsey Grammer). He was one of the main four, and yes, they do mention him and his lengthy association with Professor X. But he is never mentioned as a part of the team. Professor X mentions that he is always welcomed at the school. If anything, he needs to have been there in the first film. Same with Angel, another member of the original line up. But how is he treated in this film is just as a failed mutant who escaped from being transformed into a human, and that is it. That's all you get.
This whole movie just goes through so many X-Men characters as possible for the main purpose of just having them in a film. Let's go through the list in bullet points:
Kitty Pryde (aka Shadowcat)- Played by Ellen Page. She is one of the few students that is mentioned or sort of showcased in brief instances either by mention or shown in the past films.
Peter Rasputin (aka Colossus)- Played by Peter Cudmore. We've met him in "X-Men 2" but he didn't have a Russian accent at all in that film OR this film.
Multiple Man- Played by Eric Dane. He's just there.
Cain Marko (aka Juggernaut)- Played by Vinnie Jones. Probably one of the most wasted characters in this movie. Not only do they give him a terrible outfit, but he has a great backstory, which includes being Professor X's stepbrother. AND he's not even a mutant. But they let that one slide by the wayside. Don't believe me? Click here to read his wiki.
Seriously....No
The acting in general is just terrible. The only reason Halle Barry came back was because "Catwoman" did terribly in theaters and she was promised that her role in this film would be much bigger. Which it is, but that didn't stop her from acting very 2 dimensional. Much like everyone else in this film, including Hugh Jackman. There was no sense that anyone really wanted to be in this film. It just happened to end a trilogy in the most open-ended manner as possible.
The plot itself was very messy. Again, this was more of a vessel for showcasing Wolverine in as much as possible without calling it a Wolverine film. They have two main stories happening, but neither of them are well thought out. By the end, it all just falls apart. Mutants fighting mutants and then everyone falling to the mercy of The Phoenix. Then Wolverine kill Phoenix. The whole build up gets lost because there isn't enough build up for the Wolverine/Phoenix confrontation. It just happens. And everyone is OK afterwards. There were no aftermath. Wolverine seems fine after killing his one true love and everything is still a mess. This movie had no place to go and by the end, it just felt like a waste of time, energy, and I wanted my money back.
I know there are a few people out there that like this film. And even though this one was not directed by Bryan Singer, that was still no excuse for Fox to green light this film. It was basically the same thing you have seen in the last film, just with a slightly different ending. And this film specifically should have sealed the deal to not have them make any more. But that didn't stop them. I give this movie a 2 out of 10.