X-Men: The Last Stand
By Cory Peynado, Blockbuster.co.uk
“They wish to cure us, but I say we are the cure” – Magneto
There were only two events marked out in everybody’s calendar this year… our own agonising birthdays and the dazzling release of X-Men: The last stand. Exhausted from the emptiness and the tears of watching Jean Grey (our baby) basically drown at the end of the previous film, the answers are well over due. A war has been brewing, and the filmmakers have been holding it all back… until now.
I sit down to watch this film with bubbling excitement filling up the well chiselled stomach even before the opening sequence begins. The aspect of blending motion picture with comic-book style adventure has been winning us over since the dark “I’m Batman” days. And with the ever growing capacities in movie technology our hero’s and bad guys are looking more dangerous and more realistic than ever before.
The story follows on from where we left off in the last film where Xavier and his students are trying to move on from the loss of Jean. Also scientists have now discovered a way to suppress the mutant gene, and they want to administer it to mutants as some form of cure. The decision on how to respond to this human threat divides the mutant community into two groups. Those who will fight to destroy the source of the cure (a young boy, known in the comic books as Leech) and crush anyone who stands in their way, and those who still believe in the idea of peace between humans and mutants.
“Who will you stand with?” –
Magneto
Brett Ratner is at the helm this time bringing his visual style and child-like excitement to the directing field. His determination to show us nearly every comic-book character ever created (just check out the end credits) is apparent and undoubtedly welcome. We now get into the heads of classic characters like Angel (
Ben Foster) and Beast (
Kelsey Grammer) who play such important roles in the X-Men universe.
You will recognise the difference in cinematic direction almost straight away. The previous films flowed at a much slower pace and were far more interested in the psychology of the growing characters. While instead, this film chooses to release all this tension and give the fans what they have craved to see in that all too familiar childlike way… almost as though the school teacher has stepped out of the room for a second and Brett decided to draw on the board himself. (Thank goodness)
“I hear your quite an animal” –
Beast
“Look who’s talking” -
Wolverine
Wolverine (
Hugh Jackman) keeps the movie flowing of course with his gruff nature and uncompromising aggression. Being the most popular character in the X-Men universe we would be lost if he wasn’t there to head up the fight for good. Magneto (
Ian McKellen) does a fantastic job of heading up the other much darker side of the mutants, but it’s Jean Grey (
Famke Janssen) who really tries to steal the show here, raising up and revealing her much more destructive and powerful nature to the unsuspecting world.
All of these elements fuse together towards the end of the film and result in a huge jaw-dropping climatic battle and this is the battle we have been waiting to see for three whole X-men movies. What a pleasure it is to see our favourite characters squaring off and using their dazzling powers against each other. Fans of the X-Men world will recognise who they are looking at before they even hear the names. Fighting sequences have been choreographed and filmed as though they were taken straight from a comic book, what more could any movie fan need. And if your really lucky you might even get your first look inside the danger room… Add to your list now!