X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

Director: Brett Ratner
Starring Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart.

The X-Men trilogy broke new ground for superhero films - while Wesley Snipes' Blade arguably began the reinvention of comic book movies in Hollywood, X-Men was the first, well, promising film. The massive potential hinted at in the first was expanded on in the second, with inspiring action sequences and an intelligent storyline - at least for a blockbuster. The third should have been the film to round off the trilogy in spectacular style . . . and ultimately fails completely.

The first two films, despite dealing with massive expectation of legions of loyal comic-book fans, held up with the strength of its ensemble cast. Each actor performed to their best and were balanced evenly. Unfortunately, the ensemble cast is the crucial weakness of The Last Stand. For a film clocking in at just over an hour and a half, most characters are used so sparingly they have little more than cameos. Fan favourites such as Iceman, Cyclops, Angel, Colossus, Rogue (who had a principal storyline in the first two films) and Shadowcat barely get a look in, while Vinnie Jones is cringingly awful as the 'cock-er-ney' Juggernaut.

The film is packed with references to characters that don't deserve to be there or are too good for such a random cameo. You may spot a character who can sprout quills out of his skin like a porcupine. In a film where some are indestructible, some can throw fire from their hands, one can mangle bridges with his mind and others can control people through telepathy, is there really room for a character who can kill only by hugging someone and sprouting those bloody quills? Some characters are just too useless to bother even referring to, but Ratner ignores the potential of some and maximises the pointlessness of others.

In some parts, it seems that the script was written by several people. Understandable, given that the film had three different directors at various points of production (Bryan Singer, Matthew Vaughan and Ratner). Still, is it necessary to include such remarkable, momentous wit as "Who's hiding, dickhead?" The performances themselves are a mixed bag to say the very least. James Marsden, playing Cyclops, looked finally set to have a lead role after the death of his wife, Jean, in the second film. He has ultimately two minutes of screentime - we see his angst by the fact that he hasn't shaved for several days - before he is killed off. Hugh Jackman has the Wolverine routine nailed down after two films, and at least is solid. Halle Berry, due to outrageous demands of increased screentime and more pay, is about as charismatic as cardboard.

There are good points, believe it or not. Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart have a remarkable ability to make reading a telephone directory sound Shakespearean, and they are as good as ever. Stewart, in particular, has one of the best moments in the film with his death scene, and it is a lesser film without his gravitas and presence. Kelsey Grammer is a simply inspired casting choice for Beast. The special effects are all solid, particularly towards the end, though the final battle is disappointingly short and not as powerful as it could have been. Ultimately, this film suffers from a case of 'too many cooks'. What it could have done with a better script, no Halle Berry and an extra half hour.

Rating: 4/10.