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03/06/06
X-Men: The Last Stand by Craig Oh… My… Word… Can I just say now, that there will be only one negative thing I have to say about this film and that is a personal opinion. See if you can spot it… We waited for so long and it’s finally here – the third and ‘final’ instalment of the X-Men saga. (See how I refrained from calling it a trilogy?) X1 was good; X2 was good, but not quite as good as the first, despite the cameo of Colossus and, for those observant geeks among us, Beast and Gambit. (Ha, got you scouring your DVD’s now haven’t I?!) And here we go – X3. It’s got all the X-Crew plus some new faces. It’s got Magneto. It’s got monkeys… Okay, so I fibbed on that last one. But it does have Vinnie Jones, so I wasn’t far off the mark… Although his acting ability, or lack thereof, surprisingly doesn’t hinder the film in the slightest. It is every comic geek’s dream, this film IS the X-Men – what they strive for, why they fight and just how human they can be… Plus it’s got three X-Men staples: Phoenix, the legendary Fastball special (all you X-Men fans know what I’m talking about), AND even a Sentinel to boot. I have to admit, I did walk into this film with reservations due to all Marvel comic movies so far seemingly made by people who, to be quite frank, have probably never read a comic in their lives. (I disagree with that, especially since Sam Raimi, the director of the Spider-Man films, always goes on about how he grew up reading Spider-Man comics – Neale) But, I was impressed… Very impressed. All the actors gave it their best, even those who were just there to hit things in the fight sequences. Even Vinnie Jones to a degree, with what few lines he had. I have two MV awards to give out in this one, one for character and one for actor. My MVC (Most Valuable Character) is torn between Iceman and Shadowcat. I love them both as characters and think that the dude playing Iceman (Shawn Ashmore – watch out for this guy in the future, I predict big things for him) did such an awesome representation of the character. He’s there, he’s definitely done his homework, the Iceman portrayed in the film is, in my humble opinion, the Iceman of Ultimate X-Men fame (that’s a comic series by the way). Shadowcat however was, I think, played down a little, a little too timid for my liking and just not the comic rendition, but still a very solid character. My MVA (Most Valuable Actor) Award has to go to, well… I would give it to Hugh Jackman, but we all know he’s awesome anyway, so I’m gonna give it to Kelsey Grammer for his superb portrayal of Beast. Even down to the awe inspiring rendition of Beast’s infamous catchphrase “Oh my stars and garters”. Least Used Character, or the “Could have done more” award, goes to Colossus and Madrox. These are two amazing characters in the comics and are exceedingly underused and underplayed in the film. I admit, they do have a storyline to stick to, and I am biased as these are my two favourite X-Men… But come on guys… Colossus only having one line?! (And they portray him as an American even though he’s supposed to be Russian, there it is, my one negative!!!) And Madrox having, I think it’s two lines? Three tops. Underused by far considering the magnitude of the characters. Awesome film, awesome ending… Not gonna say any more cause I don’t wanna leak spoilers… But all I am going to say is, A: It had myself, Neale and my mate Terry totally thrilled with the entire X-Perience (Cheesy, but it had to be done) and B: If you do go to see it in the cinema… STAY IN THE THEATRE UNTIL THE END OF THE CREDITS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot stress that enough!!! Craiggy rating: 10, 10, 10, 10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 10/10 Oh yeah, whole enchilada!!! |