X-Men: The Last Stand
BY Ryan LaMarca / 2010-01-14
As the mist rises and the sky clears, six lone X-Men descend onto Alcatraz Island for the epic conclusion to "X-Men: The Last Stand." Against them lie hundreds of evil mutants from Magneto's Brotherhood and behind them remain still more humans protecting the source of the conflict: the mutant cure. It is the grandiose scale and scope of the plot, as well as small touches here and there toward the characters and comics that inspired it that help "X-Men: The Last Stand" overcome its shortcomings and truly succeed as an epic franchise picture.
After two successful outings, Marvel Comics' band of merry mutants, the X-Men, prepared to make their last stand, this time with a new director. With original director Bryan Singer gone to work for the competition with "Superman Returns," the reigns to the X-Men franchise were handed over to newcomer Brett Ratner. "X-Men: The Last Stand," although not as seasoned as its predecessors, is still a dynamic film that incorporates a handful of memorable new characters and features a pertinent plot that fits quite well into the X-Men universe, providing the necessary catalyst for all-out war.
In a stroke of brilliant casting enters Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Hank McCoy, the Beast, the erudite and sagacious Secretary of Mutant Affairs for the United States government. Beast, who bears resemblance to an erect ferocious and hairy blue animal, is perhaps the most intelligent of the X-Men, on the same level as Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), their leader. As Beast, Mr. Grammer inherently embodies the character, and it is his performance, along with the likes of Mr. Stewart and Sir Ian McKellan, that proves to be one of the film's most reliable bastions.
The beautiful opening scene for the film further explores what life was like before Professor Xavier and Magneto (Mr. McKellan) became mortal enemies. As explained in previous films, the two were friends, and their mutual respect for one another still persists well into the present despite their discord over methodology. As they go to meet a young Jean Grey twenty years prior to the film's main storyline, they realize the awesome potential the young girl holds. Ultimately, Xavier would be the one to train and guide the girl, helping her use her powers to further his cause, benefiting humans and mutants alike.
In spite of that, the biggest mistake the film makes, in the humble opinion of one "X-Men" fan, is the needless addition of the Dark Phoenix storyline with such a succinct runtime in mind. Hailed as one of the greatest "X-Men" stories ever told, the original "Dark Phoenix Saga" was anything but Jean Grey's subconscious run amok. Inspection of even the four-part animated adaptation will tell you how expansive the story is, in addition to the preceding five-part mini-series devoted to the original "Phoenix Saga." To casually write it off as a plot device for Jean Grey to go bad misses an auspicious opportunity for what could have been the plot for two potential sequel films. But more than that, the absence of Cyclops (James Marsden), Jean's lover, for the bulk of the movie further diminishes the impact of the storyline, something that is inherently evident of "X-Men: The Last Stand" in general.
The main story of "X-Men: The Last Stand," however, involves the controversy surrounding the mutant cure. The cure serves as the ideal catalyst to bring the two opposing sides to the brink of war after two skirmishes in the previous films. The principle characters remain true to form, as well, despite minimal extra development. Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), especially, retains his ferocity and belligerence, despite Dark Phoenix's taunts that Xavier has "tamed" him. Storm (Halle Berry) assumes her place as second in command to Xavier after Cyclops' drastic change in attitude. And while the screenplay focuses chiefly on the two X-Men with the most star power, it still finds time to focus briefly on characters like Rogue (Anna Paquin), a young girl unable to touch other human beings because of her mutant condition, and her desire to be "cured." More emphasis on the ramifications of the cure and its individual psychological effects on the heroes and villains would have also drastically elevated the script of the movie.
On a similar note, "X-Men: The Last Stand" begins the unnerving tradition of introducing one-note characters simply to showcase their powers. This procedure was exaggerated tenfold in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," but it is evident the technique began here especially with Magneto's hordes of villains. While characters like the Multiple Man and Callisto work in a lackey capacity with zero character development, I can't help but speculate what could have been had the Juggernaut (Vinnie Jones) been properly established and revealed as Xavier's half-brother.
More often than not and certainly more so than the previous two movies, the film diverges into its well-crafted and titanic action set pieces, culminating with the siege of Alcatraz. And while the first films had their fair share of action, "X-Men: The Last Stand" is consumed by it, exhilarating as it is, laden with the multitudinous array of special effects and mutant powers at work. Even the more mundane aspects of the powers, which seem routine by now, such as Storm's manifestation of the elements, Iceman's cold freeze, and even the retractability of Wolverine's claws still look astonishing.
Although billed as "The Last Stand," no one honestly believed that this would be the final film appearance of one of Marvel Comics' hottest commodities. Returning in 2009 for a prequel film exploring the origins of Wolverine, the series reached new lows in terms of storytelling ability and character development. However, with that in mind, when the franchise eventually returns to form and trenches on with a sequel to "The Last Stand," may I suggest leaving Magneto and the Brotherhood on the sidelines and finding a new enemy for the X-Men to contend against? I, for one, am ready to see Apocalypse and Mr. Sinister grace the silver screen with their menacing presences.
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