X-Men: The Last Stand

Plot Summary

            X-Men: The Last Stand is the third (and final?) installment in the vastly popular X-Men series.  In this film, the world has come to incredible dispute over a "cure" for the mutant gene.  There are mutants who are eager to gain the cure for themselves, and there are also mutants who are aghast at the concept of "curing" them, because they don't think there is anything wrong with being a mutant.  The constant tension rises between the X-Men, who respect the rights of mutants to "cure" themselves, the Brotherhood, who are opposed to any "cure," and the humans who created the "cure" because they fear what they do not understand. 

Review

            At first when I was watching this film I couldn't imagine how it was going to be conclusive of the series.  It was called "The Last Stand" but during the film it just kept building and building.  The story grew bigger and bigger until the ultimate battle at the end, but even afterward there were many possibilities left open for an X-Men 4 to be made, and considering the incredible amount of money this film made in its opening weekend, I imagine there probably will be an X-Men 4.

            After the credits in this film there is a short extra scene that definitely leaves possibility for another sequel.  If you go and see the film, be sure to stay until the very end to see this extra scene.  Even the final scenes before the credits cause the audience to wonder (and argue over) what they saw.  The end of the film seemed to allow the audience to see what they wanted to see, and I heard many people discussing it as they left the theatre.

            Just like the two preceding films, The Last Stand had a whole slue of characters, none of whom the audience got to know very well.  Each character is defined by their mutation and not actually given a personality because of it.  This leaves the audience with vague concepts of "that metal guy" and "the girl who could run through walls" but no real attachment to Colossus (Daniel Cudmore) or Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page).

            I was really disappointed with the lack of anything done with Angel/Warren Worthington (Ben Foster).  His character was introduced very early on in the film, and then he showed up again later, but he didn't really do much of anything, and he only had something like four lines in the entire film.  It would have been interesting to see more of him, and to actually have given his character a purpose.  Perhaps if there is another movie made he will have a bigger role in that.

            Some of the logic in the film was also a bit messed up, but it would be impossible to go into the details of that without spoiling things for those of you who haven't seen it.  Things seemed to occur for no reason, and problems were solved with very complex solutions when there were very obvious simple ones.

            I was disappointed with the dialogue in the film as well.  There were numerous corny one-liners that were trite and uninteresting to hear.  With all the words in the English language and the countless possible combinations, it amazes me how frequently some phrases are used.

            Halle Berry's role vastly increased in this film.  She went from being a barely-there secondary character, to the leader of the X-Men.  Halle Berry is not a very good actress.  She has proved quite awful in everything I've seen her in (I don't think I can ever forgive her for Catwoman), and the expansion of her part in X-Men, as well as her ever-changing accent, was a mistake. 

Conclusion

            It seems a bit outrageous to call this film "the last stand" when there is clearly room for there to be another "stand."  This film was not conclusive of the X-Men series in any way, shape, or form.  There are characters and new concepts introduced, and the audience is left wondering, especially if they stay until after the credits.  I am almost certain that this will not be "the last stand" in the X-Men series.

            I enjoyed the first two X-Men movies immensely, but this third film failed to live up to the expectations I had of it.  I don't know exactly what it was that made this film turn out sub-par, but it pales in comparison to the other two.  The Last Stand was not a bad movie, and I would definitely watch it again, but I had expected more of it.

            In spite of all the complaining I did about this film, it was still entertaining and I enjoyed watching it.  Vague notions of watching all three in a row flitted through my head while I was in the theatre, and some day I probably will.