Review from Phoenix Will Rise from TNI.com

(guys, it is 2am, and I have been up since 6am.. so sorry if this seems a bit rambily.. but I tried to keep it spoiler free and I wanted to do it while the movie was fresh in my memory!)

X Men: The Last Stand

Let’s start by saying that the movie is 95 minutes, which sadly does take away from the movie.. Some characters are really under used, and while they may shine in their few scenes, I feel that they could have done a lot more with them (especially Angel & Rogue)

Overall, this movie ROCKED! While it was not better than X2, it was a fitting third chapter in this saga (hopefully not the last!).

Things that worked:
Storm.. like it or not, she is pretty much the lead, I am sure that if you time all the screentime, she will have the most. BUT THIS IS A GOOD THING! Storm really shines in this movie! She is stronger, opinionated and a genuine leader to the X Men. Also, her fight sequences (two with Callisto) were really cool, the cyclone shown in the trailer was simply stunning!!

Magneto – again Sir Ian really shines as the villain! He really is Magneto, and it was great to have the X Men –V- The Brotherhood battles. I wont spoil he fate in the movie, but lets just say that the ending is just perfect for this character!

Now, I don’t want to put the movie down too much, be cause I really found it terrific, but here’s the low points… other than the short running time!

The opening of the movie, sadly, did not live up to that of X3.. in the pre credits scene were get two flashbacks, one of Jean and one of Angel.. Jean’s scene started good, but still felt like it could have had more punch.. and Angels.. some will like the idea of him trying to cut off his wings so his dad will not know he is a mutant, but for me, this scene felt a little force. After the credits were get about 15/20 minutes of scenes that seem to be a bit randomly thrown together.. They quickly reintroduce us to the X Men via a Danger Room fight.. But for me the main problem with this opening was that most of the scenes only seemed to last about 60 seconds each, then it was onto the next scene.. This for me, felt like it was a quick rush through the back story of the cure and what the brotherhood have been up to just so as they could get to the real meat of the action…

And this is when the movie changes! For the BEST!
Hardly a spoiler.. but we all know that a certain red head rises at the lake.. while the effects are cool (water pulled down like a whirlpool).. her actual arrival seemed lacklustre.. (Cyclops is knocked over by a massive wave and when he looks up, Jean is standing on front of him).. However, from this point on.. the movie tone changed! The underdeveloped scenes from the opening of the movie have now become an epic like story..

One particular sequence which takes place at a meeting at Jean Grey’s house will literally BLOW YOU AWAY! There is a 3 was battle going on, inside and outside.. and everything really stuns here.. I had shivers up my spine for what felt like 5 minutes! While Jean does not talk much in this movie, her eyes speak for her, and Famke pulled this off just excellently!

The action from this point is fast and furious, with some really fantastic fights (Wolverine –v- Spike was brilliant!), and the “will they/wont they take the cure” really does make you feel for some of the characters.. however I wont spoil it and tell you – all the spoilers can be found in the spoilers thread!

Dark Phoenix – as I mentioned before, this character is actually quite mute! But powerful as hell.. the aforementioned scene at Jean’s house, and final battle really do leave you feeling “WOW”

Sorry to be a bit vague, but as this is a spoiler free review, I don’t want to say too much about who is in the fight and who is not!

Wolverine – from my point of view, he actually took a back seat to Storm in this one! But it worked really well, yes he has his feral rage scenes, and Hugh really is Wolvie, and it was nice to have him moved on from Weapon X and getting on with life. His scenes with Jean are really great, Famke and Hugh worked brilliantly together! The sexual tension is red hot, and you really feel that these characters care for each other! And the ending is truly beautiful for these two – but that’s all I will say about that!!

Rogue & Angel – Sadly, I feel that the short run time really meant that these two were seriously under developed, which was a pity… If you have watched the trailers, you have pretty much seen all that Angel does, apart from the flash back and one extra scene at the end… Rogue however, should have been more central! She is the one X Man that seriously considers the Cure.. But due to lack of screen time, you almost forget that she has the problems that she does..

Kitty Pride – loved it loved it loved it!! While her role was short enough (think that of Deathstrike in X2) she really did shine in her scenes! One battle has her pitched against the unstoppable juggernaut.. and this is not PG stuff… she really comes across as a feisty one (and two of three curses used in the movie are used during this battle!). The love hinted triangle with Rogue & Bobby could have worked better too, had there been more screen time.. This storyline is left open should they ever make an X4!!

Brotherhood –
Callisto – really rocked, she has some vicious fights with Storm, and came across as a grade A bi*ch!
Pyro – great character development from X1 and X2.. and of course we get the spectacular Fire –V- Ice fight during the final battle!
Mystique – sadly, she is not used as much as she was in X1 or X2.. but her scenes are, as always, show stealers.. and I am happy that her character had a very fitting ending.. I wont say what happens, but Mystique fans wont be too disappointed!!

Beast – Kelsey is a great actor, and Beast feels like one of the most used characters in the movie (along with Storm, Wolverine and Magneto) and it’s great to see him get suited up in his X gear (“This used to fit me”) and while he is such a gentle soul, in battle his is acrobatic and superb…. Dealing the final blow to one of the major villains!

Recap:
Well, the movie started off with a few tuning problems… but after the Phoenix rises, it really takes off and matches other comic book movies out there – Batman, Spiderman..

From the audience I saw this with, there were cheers and claps at the end of the movie.. but there were also the “That was crap” comments from quite a few people…
I can imagine this movie, rated by an average non X Men fan, getting an average review.. I would imagine it will be mostly *** three stars.. But for fans, this does deliver! Sure, there are a few things you probably wont agree with if you heard them, but they do work on screen.. no matter how bad you may think they are!

I think that overall the movie will be seen as a success for Brett Ratner.. But one does have to wonder if Bryan Singer could have done a better job, especially with the underused characters. As far as action goes, other than the Danger Room sequence which feels too short, the movie was explosive! Filled with excellent fights, stunts and FX’s!

My rating… 8.5/10 ****

Area’s for improvement: The opening half hour should be fleshed out, the running time could easily have been 2 hours and people would have been just as interested.

And then the one little spoiler that I will put in, because I am sad that it did not make the movie… The Phoenix Flame! In X2, Singer set this up perfectly… Jean had the fire in her eyes, and when she died she was surrounded by fire… and even at the very end the Phoenix glimmered on the lake… Ratner has completely left this out! There is no fire in her eyes or no Phoenix flame.. What we do get though is a black Phoenix, that is effectively scary, but not really staying true to the comics, like I would have preferred!

And remember to stick around after the credits for one final scene






Above is the pix of my advance screening ticket and the promo booklet they gave everyone that attended!!