Film Review - X-Men: The Last Stand

Not the end for the 3rd of the X-Men trilogy
By: Rianne Hill Soriano

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen and many more
Directed by: Brett Ratner

Looks like ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’ isn’t the last after all. It is supposed to be the end of the trilogy but this third installment is too suggestive of something more. In fact, there’s no closure for the story. It’s just like an end of a major plot or an episode of an ‘X-Men’ series. It is an SFX-driven, angry and emotionally-charged comic book movie that attempts to delve deeper thematically and expand its franchise of characters and yet it loses its full potential from a great number of underdeveloped characters in exchange for flashy pyrotechnics and special effects. But there’s a uniquely good lesson to learn here: taking some time to pay a little more respect to films by watching the credits can mean a real completion in watching a film (Generally, the only ones who pay attention to film credits are those who are more likely involved or familiar with production work).

To the disciples of ‘X-Men,’ no doubt this new Marvel comic book adaptation is an eye-filling fantasy extravaganza that delivers spectacular action, effects and imagination about this pop mythology. However, considering its cinematic values, it is a mediocre film with so many opportunities lost. Its socio-political relevance is in the surface and yet it doesn’t strike the heart. Its weighty themes of alienation, discrimination, responsibility and love are not well-utilized. The tragedies leave the viewers feeling considerably cold about the events. In fact, other than the well-exposed angst and anger of the characters, the deaths of some major characters don’t even give enough emotional intensity. The viewers are not able to connect much with them. The story crams in a stunning number of mutant characters and it loses much significant emotional engagement for the audience. The poor character development puts less emotional weight and this contributes to the weakness of its production and thematic values.

Taking this third film from former ‘X-Men’ director Bryan Singer, new director Brett Ratner makes this new one a ‘mainstreamly-enjoyable mutant-palooza of superpowers.’ It doesn’t keep up a comic book look just like its predecessors but it puts up a real show meant for the ‘X-Men’ fanatics’ gratification. As a known music video director and uprising film director of fast-paced Hollywood movies, he handles the film with tight and strong-willed visuals and anger-pegged plot and treatment uniting its overall theme and concept. However, he fails to make the mutant characters to really evolve, film-wise.
idintegrating bodies detoning

The ‘X-Men’ team is back: the bit more groomed and tamed Wolverine/Logan (Hugh Jackman); the unloved and striving Storm/Ororo Munroe in a new hairdo (Halle Berry who allegedly seek more airtime and dimensions for her role, but unfortunately, her granted leadership skills for the ‘X-Men’ team doesn’t make the movie excellent still); the forever opposing mutant leaders Professor X/Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto/Eric Lensherr (Ian McKellen); the removing of his glasses and yet the shortest exposure time and the almost useless role for Cyclops/Scott Summers (James Marsden); the very minimal screen time and undeveloped human role of Rogue/Marie (Anna Paquin) who could have been removed in the film without affecting the story; the hairy and airtime-filled Secretary of Mutant affairs Dr. Henry McCoy/Beast (Kelsey Grammer) who has been too dependent on his blue tinge that his acting falls off the ceiling; the semi-developed character and suddenly sprouting out of nowhere role of Angel/Warren Worthington (Ben Foster); the short-lived but effective action role of Mystique/Raven Darkhome (Rebecca Romijn); the powerful but isolated mutant kid Jimmy (Cameron Bright) who gives some curious viewers the expectation of a possible duel with Phoenix; the too strained duo of rivals Iceman/Bobby Drake (Shawn Ashmore) and Pyro/John Allerdyce (Aaron Stanford); the superficial roles of Juggernaut/Cain Marko (Vinnie Jones), Callisto (Dania Ramirez), Kid Omega (Ken Leung) and Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page); and the resurrected, evolved, cosmic-powered and rare class 5 mutant Jean Grey/Phoenix (Famke Janssen). Facing the evolution of Jean Grey into the ghastly but ultimately powerful Dark Phoenix generates plenty of screen time but her character still lacks depth in treatment. The world-consuming power of the Phoenix is presented in appealingly red visuals but not as literally and figuratively fiery as in the comic book and TV series. There are hundreds of background mutants mostly without decent characterizations not that far from the major and supporting characters. Looks like the makers of this movie have become too overwhelmed with superpowers that they tend to put as much mutants as they can while all their characterizations suffer.

The audience demographics becomes larger with the aging of the patrons of the ‘X-Men’ comic book and TV series for all this decades and the new generation adding up to the fad. No weak details can ruin the satisfaction ‘X-Men’ fans get from watching the movie. Not even the pettiest inconsistencies that are not given much validation like Wolverine usually being addressed as Logan, Cyclops as Scott but Storm is Storm – whose mundane name is Ororo Munroe – can hurt their source of entertainment. Well, Storm is really less effort to say anyway. With how the film has become an ordinary fantasy-action movie, too bad, it could have been a deeply great film adaptation epic if given the chance.

The social issues and multi-faceted layers uplifting the ‘X-Men’ franchise could have created a major fantasy-action opus. The metaphors are very open to various plays. Like how its fellow superhero movie addresses it, “With power comes great responsibility,” ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’ relates the idea that mutants can retain their uniqueness as wonders to keep their lives up to higher levels of activities and challenges or give up their powers to become human and be accepted in the society they live in. There are choices. And from these choices come the complications and contentions for the story to evolve. These issues promote a rich path towards creating a masterpiece. However, the mainstream constraints from its makers hinder this route.

‘X-Men: The Last Stand’ is said to be the final chapter of the ‘X-Men’ motion picture trilogy. The three-picture contract is done; but I strongly doubt that nothing more is being brewed for new money-making endeavors for the franchise. It could be a Wolverine movie or a new trilogy next time. Budgets are bigger, technologies are better and prequels and sequels are the in-thing in Hollywood nowadays.

This film finale for a hugely ambitious trilogy could have scaled down to focus more on the interaction among the characters and not just plainly becoming a plot-driven film adaptation promoting the comic book movie genre. It is visually spectacular but alienating. It impresses you but fails to move you. It is convincingly ‘X-citing’ for the ‘X-Men’ fans and it is noticeably not yet the time to ‘X out’ the ‘X-Men’ franchise as how this sequel suggests.