X-Men III: The Last Stand is good.
There, I’ve said it. Strike me down now, if you wish. Looking round t’internet I can’t believe the unwarranted levels of vitriol levelled against this movie. I deliberately avoided any reviews or trailers beforehand in order to go into the movie with an open mind, and last Friday was thoroughly entertained for just under two hours by a very worthy sequel. Whilst not reaching the heights of X2, it was certainly better than the first movie, which ended just as it was finally getting going.
From looking at comments I think the criticisms are based on what wasn’t there in the movie rather than what was actually up on the screen. Okay, the short running time and the many subplots meant that some things were rushed or forgotten about, such as Wolverine’s quest to find his origins from the previous film, Rogue & Iceman’s relationship, and Cyclops’ death was a bit subdued (but he was an arse-pain anyway); also it would seem major sequences glimpsed in the trailers had been cut from the finished film, but did these factors affect the end result? No. The plot made perfect sense, and you didn’t need to have seen the previous two to enjoy it.
The performances of Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart & (Sir) Ian McKellen were as good as ever. Kelsey "Frasier" Grammer was excellent as the Beast, as was the underrated & frankly gorgeous Famke Janssen in the pivotal role of Jean Grey/Dark Phoenix. Even Halle Berry got something else to do this time, other than look moody in the background. The effects were excellent, especially the battle sequence with Magneto, the Prof & Jean in the house.
Whilst director Brett “Rush Hour” Ratner could never be put up in the A-list, here he does as good a job as anybody could, keeping the film tight & punchy and handling the set pieces like the Golden Gate bridge sequence excellently, whilst at the same time throwing a few fan faves into the mix (Juggernaut, the Danger Room). I could criticise the scriptwriters for the odd finale - why didn't Wolverine use the vaccine on Jean to save her, rather than killing her,and Vinny Jones playing Vinny Jones in a body suit is an unwelcome remnant of original director Matthew Vaughan's casting, but that’s just me being picky. Nice twist at the end also. Pity we left before the credits ended, as there was another twist involving Professor Xavier, which you can find out about on the net if you look hard enough.
There, I’ve said it. Strike me down now, if you wish. Looking round t’internet I can’t believe the unwarranted levels of vitriol levelled against this movie. I deliberately avoided any reviews or trailers beforehand in order to go into the movie with an open mind, and last Friday was thoroughly entertained for just under two hours by a very worthy sequel. Whilst not reaching the heights of X2, it was certainly better than the first movie, which ended just as it was finally getting going.
From looking at comments I think the criticisms are based on what wasn’t there in the movie rather than what was actually up on the screen. Okay, the short running time and the many subplots meant that some things were rushed or forgotten about, such as Wolverine’s quest to find his origins from the previous film, Rogue & Iceman’s relationship, and Cyclops’ death was a bit subdued (but he was an arse-pain anyway); also it would seem major sequences glimpsed in the trailers had been cut from the finished film, but did these factors affect the end result? No. The plot made perfect sense, and you didn’t need to have seen the previous two to enjoy it.
The performances of Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart & (Sir) Ian McKellen were as good as ever. Kelsey "Frasier" Grammer was excellent as the Beast, as was the underrated & frankly gorgeous Famke Janssen in the pivotal role of Jean Grey/Dark Phoenix. Even Halle Berry got something else to do this time, other than look moody in the background. The effects were excellent, especially the battle sequence with Magneto, the Prof & Jean in the house.
Whilst director Brett “Rush Hour” Ratner could never be put up in the A-list, here he does as good a job as anybody could, keeping the film tight & punchy and handling the set pieces like the Golden Gate bridge sequence excellently, whilst at the same time throwing a few fan faves into the mix (Juggernaut, the Danger Room). I could criticise the scriptwriters for the odd finale - why didn't Wolverine use the vaccine on Jean to save her, rather than killing her,and Vinny Jones playing Vinny Jones in a body suit is an unwelcome remnant of original director Matthew Vaughan's casting, but that’s just me being picky. Nice twist at the end also. Pity we left before the credits ended, as there was another twist involving Professor Xavier, which you can find out about on the net if you look hard enough.
Fans will never totally accept any movie interpretation of their beloved comics, as there’s an inbuilt refusal to accept that compromise has to be made between making a film for a general audience and a film for them. I have a rudimentary knowledge of X-Men, but it all looks okay to me, that’s probably why I’m more accepting of the films.
8/10 from me. The Last Stand? Don’t you believe it.
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