X-Men: The Last Stand

Not as emotional and almost perfect as the first installment, and not as comic book-like and cohesive as the second installment, yet despite the change of director, it is still adequately X-Men and unmistakable. Wolverine with Hugh's traditionally sharp face is a safe bet and it's no wonder he remained the main character. Others lag behind him surprisingly this time, which is especially disappointing with the highly favored Storm, from whom we don't get any new surprises. It is even more unfortunate that the very interesting background characters (Angel and especially Kitty) are not developed. Before Singer's departure, a grand finale of the entire mutant saga was promised, which surprisingly does not happen in the end. I didn't feel like I was watching the last installment, rather maybe one of the final ones. After the first few showings, due to my love for the school for gifted youth, I gave a rating somewhere around 90%, because after three years of eagerly waiting and subsequent fear of the outcome, I felt highly satisfied with the path Ratner took. However, with distance, it's not that glorious, mainly due to the unnecessarily clunky screenplay. For an installment where two major storylines of Phoenix's rampage and the mutation cure come together, it's a shame to waste such an ace up the sleeve as Juggernaut. One of the most iconic villains in comics could have been a draw for the next installment, but here he is just an ordinary unremarkable pawn. With distance and comparison to the remaining installments (including Logan's solos, First Class, and Days of Future Past), it must be admitted that this is indeed the weakest adventure of the Children of the Atom. Fortunately, it still means a clear victory. (04/06/2006)

The clock started turning back, and Brett Ratner went back to the 1980s. He brought along a bunch of hotshots using special effects and made an impactful action spectacle that could certainly be a full-fledged film in its own right if it didn't want to tie itself to the previous two installments in the franchise. The theme and the screenplay (except for the terrible dialogue!) are fine, but Ratner completely misunderstands the meaning of the plot and instead plays at being a narrator. The mutants are characters with no psychology, no history, and no distinctive dimension. The quantum of new arrivals, most of whom don't even have a name, is brought out around in a disorganized manner and any action they take is completely self-serving. Without these specifics, their emotions towards themselves sound either ridiculous or (more likely) completely incomprehensible. Only Mr. Singer's group of old warriors carry the film forward, but even they aren't enough to keep the mutants from (sadly) burying themselves. The first time it was a blast, the second time an absolute collapse. (10/09/2006)

Not as bad as it might seem at first glance. Ratner adores all the various mutant figures and is concerned first and foremost with getting them to show off as much as possible for the audience, and secondly with making sure that their antics and powers properly develop the story and maintain the fatality present in both of Singer's previous films. It's pretty nice to watch and there's always something going on, but the layering between so many characters is a bit shoddy at times and the pace is as frantic as in any guilty pleasure action flick. The final action set-piece is fine, I just don't like the scheme where someone we don't doubt isn't a bastard starts getting harassed in the head, and one invulnerable dude has to talk them through the pain and tell them that you just don't do that. (05/03/2017)

Well, I don't know. At least given the material, this installment could have been the best one, but the way Ratner narrated the story was just pathetic. There was a lot of action in The Last Stand, but it was so devoid of emotions or spirit, that I just couldn't care less about how it all went and especially how it would turn out in the end, which is a huge red flag for any movie. Plus, most of the new characters and even some regular ones did not appear at all, so after the second installment, the rating dropped back down to average. (30/07/2013)

Compared to the second one, this entry is much less demanding in terms of viewer's attention and knowledge of the mutant mythology. Also, there is a bit less action, though the ending more than makes up for it. It was nice the cast again, as well the metal claws of good-old Wolverine, but the Famke Janssen’s character seemed completely redundant to me. It disrupts the main storyline and doesn't fit well into the hyped finale. The visual effects, on the other hand, are absolutely breathtaking – I could only watch in disbelief during the scene with the bridge, just like with the one involving Xavier. Brett Ratner knows very well how to satisfy the desires of mainstream viewers without significantly degrading the story and characters and he did a very good job here, even though the whole thing feels quite inconsistent and unengaging overall. At least the more intimate passages and romance are pleasant to watch. (18/07/2006)