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X-Men 3: The Last Stand
01/11/2006 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
DVD Region 2. pub: 20th Century Fox FC-SGC 2998601001. 99 minute film with extras spread over 2 DVDs. Price: £22.99 (UK) although its relatively easy to get it very cheaply if you know where to look for as little as £13.00 (UK). Buy X-Men 3: The Last Stand in the USA - or Buy X-Men 3: The Last Stand in the UK  stars: Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Anna Paquin, Kelsey Grammer, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Stanford, Vinnie Jones and Patrick Stewart
check out website: www.fox.co.uk
Despite the change of director mid-stream, the film 'X-Men 3: The Last Stand' is regarded as the last part of a trilogy. Whether any more films will be made with the whole cast or a divergence solely into Wolverine and Magneto films we'll have to wait and see. Pretty much anyone was considered expendable with deaths almost on par with a traditional war film. The subtle hint at the end that things aren't laid in concrete at the end - don't miss out after the credits - or even the Cure is a finality needs a hefty dose of salt. Whether the message in that there is nothing in a free lunch remains to be seen.
This film touches base with a lot of things from the original comicbook from a Danger Room sequence with its touch to 'Days Of Future Past' (Uncanny X-Men # 141-142) and a near appearance of a Sentinel being decapitated by Wolverine. Its rather interesting looking at the extras as to what was going to be done for this sequence to realise that budget mostly cut it back. To service all the characters is an enormous task so hardly surprising that the death rate was used to clear space for the rest. In that respect, too much acknowledgement is not always a good thing.
The plot revolves around a Worthington Industries discovering a mutant, Leech, who can neutralise the mutant abilities and his DNA can be synthesised as the Cure. You'd think they might have come up with a better name, especially as when it was used, I thought they were referring to a 90s pop band. I can appreciate the effect this might have on mutants whose powers are essentially energy manipulation, I'm not entirely convinced that it would change physically different mutants simply because structurally they are so different to the norm. Leech in the comicbooks just neutralised the powers and not their appearance really anyway.
Both Xavier and his mutant school pondering on the implications and repercussions. Magneto and his mutants saw it this as an infringement and attack on who they. Some saw the Cure as a means to have a normal life. From all such things there are all the elements on confrontation. Added to this is Jean Grey's resurrection as Dark Phoenix and switches sides for one almighty finale with more special effects to the minute that you're really there to see what happens than think about.
Like the first film, dialogue seems to be minimalised although it's mostly in places where you'd expect some characters to talk. The audio commentary of director Brett Ratner and scriptwriters Zak Penn and Simon Kinberg indicates that they were re-polishing the dialogue every step of the way which might explain that perhaps they worked a little too hard at appearing smart than story dialogue. I would have expected Dark Phoenix to at least say something than just smoulder all the time for instance.
Seeing all the mutants use their abilities and seen by the producers as the quickest way to identify various characters is far more likely to appeal to the comicbook fans than the casual watcher. Saying that, if they've made it to the third film either at the cinema or on DVD then they must have been caught up with what's going on by now. It will at least be a defining moment in super-hero group dynamics for all films that follow in its path.
Where the ending is concerned, I did ponder on any other solutions available and surprised no one had thought of letting Leech near Dark Phoenix to neutralise her with Wolverine finishing the task before she regained her strength. The potential for killing Leech would have removed the Cure from happening again.
I spent a delightful week going through all the extras even if it made me realise I'm going to have to watch the film for a fourth time if I want to go after every last detail. Not that I missed much but some things were only there for a second or two. A couple details were slightly wrong. The obsession with dating when comics came out put the first appearance of Wolverine as Incredible Hulk # 181 (although he appeared on the last page of # 180) in 1963 instead of 1974 and Cyclops' eyes being red when they were originally brown but you need to know your stuff to get that right. No doubt the current fans are already figuring that out.
It might not be quite the comicbook version of the X-Men but its certainly an interesting film to watch and shows how far things have developed from the first film with director whatshisname.
GF Willmetts
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