There is constant argument amongst fans as to what the best of the X-Men feature films is. The fight is usually between those who prefer the steely clarity of X2: X-Men United, and the slick and sexy period piece X-Men: First Class. To go on record, I am a fan of X2 more than I am a fan of First Class, and feel it is the superior film. Jus’ my taste. Although both are fine and entertaining movies.
One thing fans can agree wholeheartedly on, however, is the 2006 entry in the series, X-Men: The Last Stand, the third in this (as of this coming Friday) seven-film-long cycle. The Last Stand was abandoned by the series’s directorial originator Bryan Singer, and replaced by Brett Ratner, a director many feel to be a Hollywood hack-for-hire. X-Men: The Last Stand received a critically “meh” reaction, eventually leveling off on Rotten Tomatoes at 58% (only 61% and higher counts as “fresh” over there). And while Last Stand did make a lot of money (indeed, it’s the highest earner of any of the X-Men films), it also holds some sort of record for having one of the most dramatic drop-offs in profit from its first week to its second in blockbuster history. Word of mouth spread quickly on this one, and fans rejected it sourly and noisily.
Of course, it is the hated, the wounded, and the attacked that we bravely and proudly defend here at Trolling. It is time, dear readers, to pick up X-Men: The Last Stand, brush it off, and perhaps reveal to your hatred-blinded eyes that it is actually not an awful film. Indeed, it is time to make the following unqualified statement: X-Men: The Last Stand RULES! Let’s do the rundown as to why:
The story is busy, there are perhaps too many plotlines, and a lot of people objected to the big changes and deaths in the series. Overall the film feels a bit sloppy. But, when looked at from a certain angle, one can see that The Last Stand is the biggest, most ambitious, most character-driven film in the series. It tried new things, presented new ideas, and attempted to make something more than a predictable superhero blockbuster. You might find that it’s better than you remember.
Until next week, let the hate mail flow.
Witney Seibold is the head film critic for Nerdist, and a contributor on the CraveOnline Film Channel, and co-host of The B-Movies Podcast. You can read his weekly articles Trolling here on Crave, and follow him on “Twitter” at @WitneySeibold, where he is slowly losing his mind.
7 Reasons Why X-Men: The Last Stand RULES!
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Many Characters
The X-Men universe has always been known for its scattered and vast menagerie of characters. Mutants possess an almost random assortment of superpowers, all look different (some have conspicuous mutations, while others can keep their powers hidden), and come from all walks of life. They are the ultimate rainbow coalition. As such, the universe only gets stronger the more characters one has. And X-Men: The Last Stand has more characters than any other X-Men (or even superhero) film to date. The Juggernaut, Multiple Man, Leech, Psylocke, Angel, Shadowcat, Callisto and dozens of other semi-recognizable characters appear. The vastness of the cast improves a film like this.
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Strong Characters
The old cast (a great cast, by the way) still shines in their roles, and we know characters like Wolverine and Magneto pretty well by now. But even the new characters seem to emerge as complete beings in their short time on screen. Angel doesn't have many lines, but we know his entire story in two scenes. Shadowcat wasn't explored until this film, and we have a sweet romantic moment between her and Iceman, much to Rogue's chagrin. This is a film with dozens of characters, but many are unique, and typically stand out.
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It's Daring
SPOILERS FOR SEVERAL FILMS: Remember in the recent Captain America film, where it looked like Col. Fury died, but really didn't? Or in the recent Thor film where it looked like Loki died, but didn't? Why not kill the characters? Oh, I hear you cry, because we have to protect the franchise. Why not do something daring for once? Like actually – using your massive cojones – kill off several major franchise characters? Cyclops and Professor X actually die in this film, as does Jean Grey. Magneto is perhaps robbed of his superpowers. We're not just mucking about with piddling plot details like dismantling S.H.E.I.L.D. We're doing something that seemingly can't be undone. And that's a level of daring you have to admire.
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Politics
The X-Men have always held a more political bent than many of their superhero counterparts, because mutant hatred so clearly stands in for racism and homophobia (Singer's X-Men films are very clearly about homophobia). The Last Stand is about how mutants are a growing class of people, and how the public must finally come to accept them as equals. This was the film where we finally got to see what happens in a universe with thousands of superbeings, and how the world was not changed. This was so final a notion in the X-Men universe that parts 4, 5, and 7 have all been prequels. There's just nothing to do beyond the final thought on the matter presented in The Last Stand. It put a strong button on the mutant conversation.
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The Cure
What's more, there is a clever subplot in The Last Stand about how mutants – metaphorical comic book stand-ins for many minority groups – were presented with the notion of a “cure” for their mutations. This is a poignant conceit if one were transpose any minority for “mutant.” Would gay people want to take an elixir that made them straight? Would black people want to be white? It sounds fascistic and terrifying when you put it that way. But at the same time, we can also relate to the mutants who do want to take the elixir, because sometimes being a hated outsider can be tiresome and wearying, no matter how much your identity is tied to it. This is complex, sticky, moral stuff.
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Fire and Ice
There is a mutant nicknamed “Pyro,” who can control fire. There is another nicknamed “Iceman,” who can control ice. These characters were both introduced in the first X-Men film, and it seemed logical that they should eventually face off. The Pat Benatar song told us so. And after waiting for two films, and letting the tension grow, we finally get that wonderfully simple scene wherein the ice man and the fire man blast one another with their respective elements. It's a logical, poetic moment that we are finally granted in The Last Stand.
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Muscular
Bryan Singer's films, while typically better, are spindly. They are complex machines that fit together well, but the action is usually a bit robotic, meted out, calculated. Brett Ratner, by all measures a blunter director, does have a better handle on what makes a good action sequence. As such, a lot of the action scenes in The Last Stand feel more muscular, more powerful, more rousingly and roundly entertaining. X2 has an awesomely choreographed scene wherein a mutant fought several people while teleporting around the White House. Fun, yes. But it lacks the blunt, bold scope of a mutant flying AN ENTIRE BRIDGE into a battle zone.
