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X-Men: The Last Stand
Hopefully, X-Men: The Last Stand is the final movie in the trilogy and not the third movie of four or more. Having said that, it’s not all bad, it does have a few redeeming features.
With a new director in the form of Brett Ratner having to take over when Brian Singer decided to leave and make the piece of shit film that was Superman Returns, X-Men: The Last Stand was bound to feel a little different. Add to that the fact that the script required the death of three of the X-men, Professor Xavier, Cyclops and Jean Grey, as well as the apparent final defeat of Magneto, thus removing one of the best comic book villains from the running, and Ratner didn’t really have a huge chance to leave a lasting impression on fans.
Fortunately, he still found a way to leave a good impression. By starting with the X-Men battling a Sentinel, which, as it turned out, was just a simulation in the Danger Room, was a nice nod to the parts that had been missing from the first two movies. Despite that, it’s probably a good thing that there has been no talk of a fourth film, and we can only hope it stays that way.
Dodginess
Where X2: X-Men United was of similar levels of dodiness to X-Men, X-Men: The Last Stand, raised those levels to new heights. This movie was by far the dodgiest of the three. It was so much dodgier than the rest that it managed to score a 5 on the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man Scale. With Magneto raising an army of mutants and assaulting Alcatraz, it sets the stage for the dodgiest moment in this movie, which also happens to be the dodgiest moment in the trilogy. Magneto in a show of supreme strength raises an entire section of the Golden Gate Bridge and uses it to make his own bridge from San Francisco to Alcatraz Island. Ah, the be able to generate a magnetic field that can influence concrete.
Rewatchability Rating
Like the second X-Men film, X-Men: The Last Stand is not going to entice you into watching it by itself. It is a suitable end to the trilogy, and should only be watched as such. This limitation earns it a 3 on the rewatchability index.
Most Memorable Quote
This time, the most memorable quote goes to Magneto with “In chess, the pawns go first.” It’s nice to have an intelligent villain who understands why you have minions.
Final Thoughts
While X-Men: The Last Stand is not worth watching as a stand alone film, it does end the trilogy nicely, while still leaving some openings for a few spinoffs. The only decision that really needs to be made about watching this one is will I watch all three X-Men movies in a row, or will I spread them out.