The X Files

Before I get into my review of X-MEN:The Last Stand, permit me to take you down memory lane...

When the first X-Men film came out in 2000, I found myself not knowing much of the history of the super hero team, save for the fact that their leader was some bald guy in a wheelchair and their DNA was different than ours...Even as someone who has read a lot of comic book in my time, for reasons I'm still not sure of, the X-Men comics were never on my reading list. Given that though, I think I enjoyed the film more than I would have, had I been well versed in the back story. Indeed, my only real criticism of XI was that as an origin story, it had a lot of ground to cover and characters to service and at times felt over crowded... Since then, thanks to the internet, I 've become better acquainted with the mythology of the book

For 2003's X2: X-Men United, I thought Bryan Singer did a much better job on his second try, and crafted quite a sequel that not only made better use of the characters, but also allowed for the story to "breathe" a bit more. It felt epic and the story was much more fun and action packed.

For X-3, new director Brett Ratner had a lot to live up to...despite coming on board with very little prep time.

As the film opens--it is 20 years ago: Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Eric Lensherr (Ian McKellen) are paying a visit to the home of a young Jean Grey--working together they convince her that they can help her manage her "Class 5" mutant powers...Shift to--10 years ago and a young Warren Worthinton III would do anything to rid himself of the special abilities that he has...

In the not too distant future, Warren's Dad (Michael Murphy) develops a "cure" for mutancy that threatens to alter the course of history. For the first time, mutants have a choice: retain their uniqueness, even if it isolates and alienates them, or give up their powers and become human--to lead a "normal" life. Their are opposing sides within the mutant population. Xavier is on the side of tolerance, while his former ally--now known as Magneto, believes in the survival of the fittest. These forces are put to the ultimate test--triggering a massive and deadly conflict.

The film does what it needed to do--answer the questions left over at the end of the last film And as far as action goes--there's plenty... But I must say that, like the first film, this one had a lot to accomplish and characters to tend to, and it all felt rushed somehow. Without giving too much away...a few characters act as window dressing and nothing more--while a few others are disposable in the strictest sense of the word and not given any real arc at all. 2 examples of what I mean are Angel (Ben Foster) and Mystique (Rebecca Romijn) who are set up nicely and than poof-sidelined--I realize the whole movie can't be about them. But a longer film and a less crowed playing field would have helped.

I thought Ratner did a really good job here--considering his schedule. Other than the issues I already discussed, the film is not the "train wreck" some had envisioned prior to the release. I was really impressed with the way Kelsey Grammer (TV's Frasier) brought Beast to life. Of course, Stewart, McKellan, and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine all deliver the goods as they have in the previous films. By contrast, both Halle Berry as Storm and Anna Paquin's Rouge seemed very wooden, like they really didn't want to be there.

The screenplay by Zak Penn and Simon Kinberg has some signature moments from the books but it all goes by so fast that for even a casual fan like me, it was frustrating at times.

On a scale of 1-10, I would put X3 at 7.5-a fine summer film, but not as good as the second installment.

Make sure you stay through the closing credits for an added bonus