Directed by: Brett Ratner
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Sir Ian McKellan, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, Anna Paquin, James Marsden
Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of action violence, some sexual content and language.
Parental Notes: This film is in the same vein as the other two; there's a lot of thrilling comic-book violence, minor sexual content and language, and a good bit of melodrama. There's very little gore or graphic content.
“X-Men: The Last Stand” is ostensibly the last film in the X-Men film saga, and director Brett Ratner (“Red Dragon”, “Rush Hour” 1 and 2) does a good job filling Brian Singer's shoes at the helm. There's plenty here to impress, from CGI effects to the central and secondary story lines This isn't a terribly complicated film, but it's definitely an entertaining one.
In case you've been hiding under a rock and somehow missed all information about the earlier X-Men films, they are set in the near future when mutations have become common among humankind. These mutations grant unusual powers, from telepathy to the ability to control the weather. The mutants are largely divided into two camps: the X-Men, led by Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and based at Xavier's school for young mutants, and the Brotherhood of Mutants, led by Magneto (Sir Ian McKellan).
When a pharmaceutical company creates a permanent “cure” for mutation, Magneto is convinced that it's only a matter of time before the “cure” is administered by force to all mutants, effectively wiping them out. He leads the Brotherhood in an all-out assault on the company that developed it. Xavier and his team are also concerned about what will happen but are determined not to let Magneto and his allies act so drastically. The result is an all-out war between mutants with humans caught in the middle. The battle sequences are breathtaking, above and beyond what we saw in the previous films. There's some very clever choreography with the mutants using their powers to compliment each other, and the special effects are jaw-droppingly impressive.
Meanwhile Xavier's team are also dealing with the discovery that Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) survived the massive destruction at the end of the previous film. Her survival instincts appear to have breached the blocks Xavier put in place in her mind to help her control her phenomenal powers, and she now poses a huge threat to the entire planet. Jean is the most powerful mutant ever born, but her powers have a personality of their own, and it's not a very nice one. The struggle to help her control herself and keep her out of Magneto's clutches (he sees her as an immensely useful tool) pushes the X-Men to their limits.
This storyline contains most of the film's overly melodramatic scenes and shows the difficulty presented by having a character who is essentially all-powerful. It requires the audience to suspend their disbelief to the point of lunacy and unless they're willing to do that, it becomes utterly silly. Ratner tries to walk the line and make it a believable and interesting story, but whether he succeeds will be a matter of personal preference.
There's a rather touching subplot revolving around the character Rogue (Anna Paquin), a young mutant whose power is to drain the life force (and powers) of anyone she has skin-to-skin contact with – including her boyfriend Bobby (Shawn Ashmore, “X2: X-Men United”). When news of the “cure” reaches her, she sees it as an opportunity to be normal. This gives us a look at the possible positives of suppressing the mutant gene, and keeps the story from being too one-sided. Paquin delivers a strong performance as one of the few truly conflicted characters in the film. The philosophical ramifications of her decision are fascinating, but are left to the fans to hammer out.
“X-Men: The Last Stand” is a solid summer action flick, and those who are fans of the first two films will not be disappointed in this one. Although the title of the movie suggests that it's the last we'll be seeing of the X-Men on the big screen, that's by no means a sure thing. Ratner and his team savvily leave their options open by adding a scene after the end credits which hints that all is not what it seems. Presumably if “X-Men: The Last Stand” draws a large enough audience to the box office, we'll be seeing a fourth film in the franchise. They'll have their work cut out for them topping this one, mind you, but it's far from impossible.
Aaah, summer. The time of big action movies and brainless comedy. As usual, summer is starting early at the multiplexes this year; it's only may and we've already had “Mission: Impossible III” and “Poseidon.”. Here's a look at the movies your humble reviewer is particularly interested in amid the many being released.
“The Da Vinci Code” is based on the bestselling novel of the same name, and stars Tom Hanks and Audrey Tatou. Although I have an irrational dislike of Tom Hanks, this may be worth a look, if only to see what all the fuss is about. Page-turner pulp thrillers often make decent films and with Ron Howard at the helm this has potential. Opens May 19.
“X-Men: The Last Stand” is the third film in the franchise, and it looks like everyone is back. There are also a bunch of new characters – Kelsey Grammer as Beast and Vinnie Jones as Juggernaut, to name two. A “cure” for mutation is found, offering mutants the opportunity to get rid of their mutations. Magneto (Sir Ian McKellan) and Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and their respective followers have widely differing opinions about what this means for the future, and pretty soon we've got more mutant-on-mutant battling. This looks like it's going to be a great time, assuming that director Brett Ratner (“Rush Hour,” “Rush Hour 2,” and “After the Sunset”) can fill Bryan Singer's shoes. Opens May 26.
Jack Black has starred in great movies (“School of Rock”) and ones I wasn't brave enough to see because they looked awful (“Shallow Hal”). Now he's come out with one that could go either way: “Nacho Libre,” the tale of a Mexican priest (Black) who moonlights as a lucha libre wrestler to make money for an orphanage. The clips in the trailers alternate between groan-inducing and pretty snappy, so this one might be worth a shot. It opens June 16.
“The Devil Wears Prada” is an utterly hilarious book. The story of a young woman attempting to survive a year working for a horrific high-powered fashion magazine editor, it had me in stitches. Now they're making it into a movie, with Meryl Streep as the editor and Anne Hathaway as the young woman. Director David Frankel has directed episodes of “Sex and the City” and “Entourage,” which should provide a decent preparation for the biting comedy of the book, and Streep is perfect for the part. Opens June 30.
Then there's “Superman Returns,” which brings the hero back to Earth after a long, mysterious absence. He has to contend with having apparently lost the affections of Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) and with the continued villainy of Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey). Casting virtual unknown Brandon Routh as the Man of Steel was a good move that bodes well; this isn't likely to be a star vehicle, so with some luck the script will be solid. Bryan Singer of “X-Men” and “X-Men 2” was a wise choice; he did a great job with those films and hopefully has done a great job here as well. Opens June 30 as well.
Anybody who enjoyed “Pirates of the Caribbean” can probably tell you that the first of two sequels, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest” is coming. The same team is back aboard, from director Gore Verbinsky to the main cast. This time Captain Jack (Johnny Depp) must find a way to keep the monstrous Davy Jones from claiming his soul; his friends Will (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) wind up along for the ride. The previews are short on plot but what they do show looks like a lot of fun. Opens July 7.
No summer preview would be complete without mentioning the film “Snakes on a Plane.” It's already become an internet fan phenomenon, largely due to the unashamed cheesiness of the title and story. Samuel L. Jackson, who stars in it, has insisted that the production company keep the title (they were going to change it to “Pacific Air Flight 121” or something equally tepid) because it was a big part of why he signed on. Apparently Jackson was a fan of big, mindless action/thrillers like this when he was a kid. The story revolves around (surprise!) a bunch of venomous snakes being turned loose on a plane. The excuse for this is that an assassin couldn't think of a better way to kill a witness in protective custody. This promises to be good, cheesy fun in the vein of “Con Air” and “National Treasure.” Opens August 18.
This should be a fun summer. See you at the movies!