X-men are on the verge of extinction after a 'cure' is found for mutation. This breakthrough causes more complications and intensifies the battle between Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen).Billed as the climax in the original trilogy, the third and weakest entry into the X-Men franchise feels like the studio just wanted to continue the flow of money coming in after the success of X2 which took over $215 million and is in my view, the best in the series.
X2 was a master stroke by Original director Bryan Singer. Not only did he expand on the X-Men universe, he managed to take us deeper into the characters from the first film. Brett Ratner stepped in after Singers exit and also after First Class director Matthew Vaughn was told to leave the film by the studio. Alongside the 'cure' Brett also had to juggle the renewed rivalry of mutant V mutant as well as the return of Jean Grey. Ratner failed to juggle all of the balls thrown at him and perhaps understandably so.
Ratner pulls out all the stops for the climax with Magneto turning the golden gate bridge into his passage on to Alcatraz prison which is a highlight of the movie. Also the beginning of the film where the latest CGI made Prof X and Magneto look 10 years younger is really convincing and ties up the story of how Charles Xavier and Jean Grey first met. Also Since watching X-Men first class I've found an error in the time lines which I'll mention at the end. The problem with the film is it just doesn't get you as emotionally involved with the characters as X2. Singers absence is missed but not fatal but you can't help thinking this would of been a much better film had Bryan decided to stay with it instead of swanning off to make Superman Returns. New characters have been introduced into the franchise. These include The Beast (Kelsey Grammar) who is a good choice and plays the role well. Ben Foster as Angel who is largely forgettable and fails to use Foster's great acting talents. Finally there's Juggernaut who's played by Vinnie Jones. I have to agree with another review of this film and say it's up there as one of the worst acting choices every made! Why not just cast a big muscle bound wrestler instead of sticking a footballer in a body suit? Vinnie doesn't say more then 5 words in the film so could've easily been replaced by someone with a bodybuilder frame who can't neccesarily act but would certainly look the part.
X-Men: The Last Stand is by no means a terrible film but I expected much more after the critical success of the first two films.
Note (possible spoiler): After watching First Class and then re-watching Last Stand I noticed a error in the timelines. At the end of First Class Charles Xavier is bound to a wheelchair but still has a full head of hair (this is referenced by many in-house jokes during the film). But in the beginning of Last Stand you see Charles Xavier meeting a young Jean Grey with a bold head and walking perfectly!!
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