I have been a fan of the comics for about 20 years now and there's very little I don't know about the X-Universe, and while I realize that alot of what the movies have done is "wrong" according to comicdom, it has to be changed sometimes for things to work well onscreen. I think that covers the "Please don't flame me" and "I know the movies are "wrong" according to the universe established by the comics" angles. I'm probably missing something, but oh well.
Also, a *WARNING* This review is SPOILER filled! I assume that anyone looking at this has seen it at least once, and has stayed to the very end of the movie, after the credits. For those of you who don't know, there is a second ending at the end of the credit roll on all copies of X-Men 3. If you want to see it for yourself, then don't read this! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!
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I want to start this by pointing out that I was dreading this movie. I had very low expectations since Bryan Singer was no longer involved, and I didn't think Brett Ratner was suited to this type of film. Plus, Alan Cumming aka Nightcrawler was forced to walk because of a dispute with Fox or something like that. I actually praised Brett Ratner at this point (and started to change my mind about him and the film in general) because he was fighting to keep Alan and Nightcrawler in the film. He also pushed the studio into highering the same guy from X2 to play Colossus... he won that fight, but lost the Nightcrawler one I guess. Fox was going to recast Colossus. Horrible. Anyway, on we go.
What I didn't like:
1 - Storm: Okay, I like the character, but I don't like Halle Berry as Storm. She's the weakest out of the entire franchise and I've had a problem with her since the first X-Men. Plus, the fact that they wasted time and pointless dialog on her when they could've give more time and action to some of the cooler/newer characters, ie: Angel and Colossus.
2 - Some of the over-explanations: the scene where the army is re-equipping for the impending attack on Worthington Labs, when R. Lee Ermy is doing the voice-over telling the soldiers to get their new gear, it was a tad overdone. And the scene where Prof X explains what "must have happened" to Jean. It's just kinda funny, but it is very much like an explanation one might hear in the comics, so that one is more of a nit-pick I guess.
What I liked:
1 - The opening sequence with Prof X and Magneto. How cool was it to see them all young like that? Really cool scene.
2 - The way they handled Phoenix. Okay, now I'm gonna catch some flack for this, but I liked the way they did this. It was a huge undertaking and I thought it was pretty well done, all things considered. There was no way they could do the Shi'ar and the Corsairs and all that, no one would've bought it, so instead they had to bring it to a more personal level. Instead of destroying a world, she destroys her own personal world. She kills the man she loves, and then kills the man who raised her as a second father, and then turns her back on the only family she's ever known: the X-Men. And she sacrificed herself in the end, just like in the Phoenix Saga from the comics. Albeit without a Gamma lazer on the moon. All things considered, I think it was handled well.
3 - Iceman: Finally!! All iced up and ready to kick ass! Great scene with he and Pyro duking it out, and it's about time.
4 - Juggernaut: Okay, I know he's not nearly as big as he is in the comics, but come on. There is no way to do a character that big and make it believable. He was plenty big enough, and tough. The only thing I would've liked to have seen was Colossus slowing him down in that big battle scene at the end of the movie. When Jugs charges at the building to kill the kid mutant (source of the "cure") he barrels through all those soldiers, how cool would it have been to see Colossus jump in his way and slow down the "unstoppable" Juggernaut. Would've been great to show just how powerful Colossus really is and brought Jugs down a notch. Missed opportunity, but Juggernaut was great. Loved him.
5 - Kitty: Thought I would hate her, didn't at all. Very true to the character from the comics, at least early on in the comics. The young girl, out of her element, and unsure of her powers. Feeling useless and alone. And she saves the kid in the end, and stops the Juggernaut by tricking him into charging at her without his powers, sending him head first into a steel wall.. hehehe Go KITTY!!!
6 - Angel: Again, like Iceman, it was nice to finally see him. Only problem was that he wasn't in it nearly enough. Both he and Colossus were painfully underused in this movie. Some people have a problem with the casting on Angel. It doesn't bother me too much, but I have to agree that they should've cast someone a bit more... handsome. I mean, Warren Worthington III is supposed to be a very handsome billionaire playboy. Oh well, really doesn't bother me.
7 - Mystique: Finally played the way she is in the comics. Cold. Calculating. Manipulative. And not afraid to switch sides to meet her own needs. Nicely done. She didn't feel like such a lacky to me as she did in the first two. Maybe it's just me. Oh, and Rebecca Romijn naked on the floor ain't too shabby either. Snoogens!
8 - Colossus: One of my all time favortie characters from the comics. If I could choose any power in the X-Men universe, I would have his. He wasn't in it nearly enough, but the time he had was great. First in the DangerRoom with Rogue, using his power and hers to protect them both. Perfect. Then with the fastball special! Straight from the comics, tossing Wolvie at the approaching Sentinel. So cool!! Then in the hallway when Bobby is looking for Rogue and he's carrying that huge tv by himself. hehehe Nice. And again in the end, jumping from the roof, landing on the ground, whacking mutants left and right, and one last fastball special for the road. Woohoo!! Just wish there was more with him. He and Kitty should've had a romance. They did/do in the comics. I would've liked to have seen that in this, more than the love triangle between Iceman/Shadowcat/Rogue. Could've had Pete in there too, and then confessing his feelings for her right before they go off to fight in the end. Would've been a nice touch, but there's always part 4. hehehe
9 - Cyclops: I like Cyclops. I know I'm in the minority here, but he's another of my all time favorites. Maybe it's because I'm alot like him in many respects, I don't know. He was used well in this for what he had to do. He, like Angel and Colossus, was totally underused, but I think he was underused in all 3 movies and it's ashame because he's a very dynamic character.
10 - Brett Ratner: He proved himself to me. He was handed a huge movie, both in scale and story, and did a great job with it. He came in on it late in the game, took what he had, studied the comics and first two movies, pushed for changes and actors, even spoke with Bryan Singer on a couple of occasions. He really cared about the movie and the audience and I have to give him props for that. Well done Mr. Ratner. I would not be opposed to hearing that you would take on another X film in the future.
What I loved:
1 - Beast: Perfect! Perfect! Perfect! Kelsey Grammer was brilliantly cast, and played Beast so well it was scarey. They just picked him up off the comic page and brought him to life. "Oh my stars and garters..." Great line and so Beast!! Loved him.
2 - Wolverine and Jean Grey: Handled very well. Both actors were so spot on this time around with both of their respective characters. Famke Janssen was so good at going from psychopath to "real" Jean in a flash; very scary. And Hugh Jackman has been perfect for Wolvie since day one. At the end when he said "I'm the only one that can stop her" I thought they were going for some lame ass "his love is the only thing that can save Jean and bring her back", but it was his healing factor! She couldn't blow him away like so much ash because he was healing too quickly. Then he knew he could get her to drop her guard, and SNIKT!! Ooooo.. made my blood chill. Felt so bad for both of them. But then, she looks at him, and smiles... She knew she was too powerful, and she knew she couldn't control it. In the end, Jean Grey turned her back on becoming a goddess, so she could die... a human. Excellent stuff, and so true to the comic.
3 - The Danger Room and Sentinels: Long over due for the Danger Room. It was supposed to be in the second movie but they ran short on time and money. Good to see it, in all it's glory, this time around. And I liked the Sentinel reference. Subtle, and nice to see them giving the fanboys like me a little fan service. We asked for it, they gave it to us. Maybe in the next one we'll get to see the X-Men take on a small group of "real" Sentinels, but this was plenty for me.
4 - Prof X. and Magneto: Handled flawlessly. The dynamics between the two characters and their relationshiop was perfect. Good friends at the beginning, bitter rivals in the end, but still friends. The part where Magneto chastices Pyro for saying what he did about Prof X was great, and the horror in his voice and facial expressions when he witnesses his old friend's death was so moving. Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan were born for these roles, and have never failed to deliver great performances.
5 - The "real" ending: Genius!! I found out that this ending was something that Brett Ratner thought up on the set during pick-up shots and told the studio he wanted to add it. Brett said that "you can't just kill Prof X because he is the X-Men." The studio, of course, jumped at the idea and they tacked it on at the last minute. So cool! And they never show the guy in the hospital bed with Moira, so he could look just like Patrick Stewart! Very nice. Oh, and on a side note, the other ending was great too. The one before the credits roll. Where Mags is playing chess in the park, and he tries to use his powers on the metal chess piece... and it moves!!! Just a bit, but it moves! The cure doesn't last! Love it love it love it!
As I said, it's a very good movie. Nowhere near perfect, but what movie is? It's tons of fun, and true to the characters they have established in the other two movies. Yes, it is different from the comics, but aren't all comic book movies? They kinda have to be for it to work on the big screen/real life. Now, I can't wait for X-Men 4: The New Mutants. I should copyright that title now because you watch, that will be the title for the fourth installment. Better than X-Men, not nearly as good as X-Men 2, but a fun film that is worth watching more than once. Please, this is just my opinion. Be kind.
I give X-Men 3: The (not so) Last Stand an 8.5 out of 10
I like Cyclops too, and Colossus and Beast, so you're not alone when it comes to liking Cyclops.