The X-Files: X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

With Bryan Singer moving on to rebooting Superman for Superman Returns, the X-Men series changed hands for its third instalment to Brett Ratner: the man behind the Rush Hour films and Red Dragon. Singer left behind only a basic idea revolving around the much-beloved Dark Phoenix storyline, aspects of which were foreshadowed during X-Men United, and with Ratner having little knowledge on the characters (despite being a frontrunner for directing the first instalment) it was all down to the screenwriters – unfortunately the same ones behind the likes of Elektra and Fantastic Four. So it's perhaps with little surprise that the film has since been crowned as the worst of the trilogy and its director so often-ridiculed...but does it deserve such a low status?

Ten years ago, the head of Worthington Labs discovers that his son has sprouted wings like an angel, and vows to find a cure. By the time the events of The Last Stand begin, he has finally found his answer in the form of a mutant with the capacity to affect the mutant gene. Such a move to present the mutant race with "the cure" brings about much controversy however, with Magneto (Ian McKellen) forming a Brotherhood against the humans. But upon losing the faithful Mystique (Rebecca Romijn), he goes head to head with mortal frenamy Xavier (Patrick Stewart), who together with Storm and Wolverine (Halle Berry and Hugh Jackman respectively) have discovered that Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) is actually alive, except now possessed with the stronger entity within her nicknamed "Phoenix". With the mutants split into good and evil, and one of their own taken over by a dark and powerful force, can the alumni of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters stop a battle between the prejudiced and the powerful? 

With a good balance between the number of storylines in the previous two films and a fine enough premise on hand, you'd think that the film would work at a basic level. However, the execution of numerous elements which make up the larger picture are severely lacking by comparison of its predecessors. From pushing aside such characters as Cyclops (James Marsden) and Mystique with little motivation to the nature of its minimal romantic subplots involving Logan/Jean and the new Rogue/Bobby/Kitty plotline, it may have good intention given to it but it's riddled with poor judgement. Even minimal choices such as the usage of Juggernaut (Vinnie Jones) leads to disappointment, and the crown on the top is the attempt at the Phoenix saga story. A fan favourite from the comics, it's here pushed to being mediocre in execution, not to mention the iffy pacing to the whole ordeal. 

It’s obvious by the overall visual feel that this isn't a Singer feature because of how dull the whole film looks. Yes, it has basic lighting and camera angles, but mixed with the supposedly 'improved' special effects (it's budget has grown an extra $100m from the last film) which look even blander than before, and design work which seem more like leftovers cut from over superhero movies, and altogether it creates a film that just looks...meh. That's not to say it doesn't have its moments, but overall it's just intriguing why the studio opted for this particular director for this particular brand of movies. 

As expected by now, Hugh Jackman is great as Wolverine. He doesn't exactly have much to do following the focus given to him before, but he does what he can in a limited leading role. Halle Berry in a larger role seems to have lost her accent but benefits from the extra screentime; McKellen is as great as always; Famke Janssen has a performance that consists mostly of staring so doesn't exactly live up to the potential of the 'Dark Phoenix Saga'; Anna Paquin is barely noteworthy as Rogue with an even smaller role than X2 despite the Cure aspect; Kelsey Grammar as Beast isn't too bad but is again there mostly for fan service; Marsden and Romijn are nothing more than a cameo; Shawn Ashmore and Aaron Stanford finally have their dual to little fanfare; Jones is deplorable as Juggernaut; Stewart is sadly given little more than a "I told you so" arc that only lasts about 30 minutes; and Ellen Page is perhaps one of the only noteworthy new additions (thanks to many of the Brotherhood members and Angel being so inconsequential or noteworthy outside of a few small aspects). 

It's little wonder why X-Men: Apocalypse intends on redoing the characters of Jean and Cyclops, as this film does them both a large disservice. While there are elements such as certain actor performances or story ideas which can be recognised and perhaps some entertainment can be had by some of the more laughable moments, the film does sadly fail to recapture the magic of Bryan Singer's entries. Not as bad as one would assume from all the bad mouth the film gains, but still one that wouldn't earn a place on a Best Superhero Movie list...or even a Best X-Men movie list. 4/10.