X-Men: The Last Stand

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. (03/05/2017)

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. (09/10/2006)

Ratner is not Singer, which wouldn't be such a big flaw if it weren't for the fact that Singer = X-men. The young director inserted so much of his own style into the X-men series that Ratner simply has no options. However, he is able to do the action sequences as effectively as his predecessor, he handles the dynamics and tension well (the film really flows fast), and he also retains a decent portion of chemistry between the main characters. But. He lacks a creative approach to the matter, the new characters are bloodless, superficial, and any deeper dialogues in Ratner's routine performance suddenly sound convulsive and untrustworthy. There’s an increase in clichés and superfluous pathos, which replaces honest work with the main idea, in which Singer was the master of masters. Although the X-Men were never great philosophers, one could not deny them depth and sophistication. The third film has the energy, good moments and the characteristics of the previous parts, but Ratner is unable to imitate Singer's bravura and diligence. Why couldn't Bryan wait one more film? X-Men: The Last Stand could have been the peak, whilst this is just a good comic book film. ***1/2 (05/29/2006)

As Hollywood eye-candy entertainment for a young audience, The Last Stand is flawless. As a sequel to Singer’s X-Men 2, however, it’s just sad. Brett Ratner is an enthusiastic filmmaker, an aficionado of nice images, effects and movie heroes, but he’s too superficial and childish for the meaningfulness of the material that Bryan Singer outlined before him. The character of Juggernaut (Vinnie Jones) and the occasional lapses in logic seem to have fallen out of a game adaptation by Paul W.S. Anderson and the film has more in common with Fantastic Four than with its predecessors. At the age of seventeen, when I loved Commando because there was “always something happening” in it, I would have liked The Last Stand best out of all of the X-Men movies. P.S. If Singer had added “his own thing” to the high-octane screenplay and shot it himself with a straighter face and a more modest 120-minute runtime, this really could have been the best instalment of the franchise. (05/23/2006)

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. (07/18/2006)