X-Men 3: Angels, and beasts, and juggernauts oh my!

by: Average Joe 2 years, 4 months, 1 week, 3 days, 15 hours, 21 minutes ago

Release Date:

5/26/06

Company:

FOX/Marvel

 

Let me first start off by saying that after raking in $104m in 3 days, it’s safe to say that "X-Men 3: The Last Stand" is a bonafide hit at the box office, but does that necessarily mean it’s the best one yet, or even a good movie at all? well that’s a point that could be argued either way.

40 years before Marvel and FOX teamed up to bring everyone’s favorite mutants to the big screen, the X-Men were entertaining fans thru their insanely popular comic book series and it’s 900 (almost an accurate number) various incarnations. Growing up as a fan of the X-Men, I can safely say that I know A LOT about their history, characters, and various story arcs than have riveted me since I was a child.

After seeing "X-Men 3" twice now, I felt it my duty as not only a geek, but a long-time “X-fan” (kind of like Fannilows, but only way cooler) to throw in my 2 cents and comment on the mutants latest (and possibly final) big screen adaption.

For the most part “X3” was an enjoyable way to spend an hour and 45min--which by the way, is WAY too short for the ending of ANY trilogy in my opinion. As a fan of action movies, I really did like this film, however the geek inside me can’t help but comment on the film’s OBVIOUS flaws. Instead of trying to explain myself in countless paragraphs that you’d have to read thru in order to find the point, I’ll spare you the boredom and break it down real basic to ensure everyone gets what I’m saying.

Let’s start off with the GOOD:

Sir Ian McKellen as Magneto - Sir Ian McKellan has more than proven himself as a worthy choice to play the master of magnetism in the previous “X-Men” films, and does so once again in “X3.” His portrayal as Magneto is both commanding, and compassionate as demonstrated in certain scenes of “X3.” In the third installment Magneto declares an all out war against humans, and McKellan really sells the realism of Magneto’s hatred for homosapiens. His defining moment in the film for me was when he put Pyro in his place after he made a comment about killing Professor X, it showed that at least someone was paying attention to the relationship Magneto and Prof. X have.

Kelsey Grammer as The Beast - Despite not really being in the film all that much, Grammer does a terrific job bringing everyone’s blue furred mutant to life. Originally when he was cast fans began to question whether or not he could pull of the physical aspect of play Beast, since it was obvious he could deliver Hank McCoy’s trademark intellectual banter—well I am hear to tell you first hand that Grammer not only delivers in the acting department, but in the ass kicking department as well. The few scenes in which Beast really gets to demonstrate his powers are great, and definitely leave you wanting more. I have to hand it to Grammer, he really, really did a good job, and totally brought the character of Beast to life for me.

Hugh Jackman as Wolverine - What can I say about Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine that hasn’t already been said? Back in 2000 when he was originally cast for the part of Wolverine, I, like many people thought “are you kidding me, this guy is going to play Wolverine??” now 6 years, and 3 films later I can’t imagine anyone else portraying the man known as Wolverine. What I liked most about the character in this film was that he was able to cut loose and do what he does best—kick major loads of enemy ass. The part with him sneaking into the Brotherhood’s camp and taking out several mutants was great because it brought back memories of Wolverine going nuts on the soldiers that invaded the mansion in “X2”, which was easily one of the best parts of the movie. Seeing Wolverine take more of a leadership role was also interesting because since the character is such a loner, he was forced to act a bit differently now that he was calling the shots alongside Storm. I would definitely say that my favorite Wolverine scene is when he returns to the mansion from the forest and he tells Storm “I need help”. The speech he delivers to the newer X-Men was terrific because it was short, and to the point but definitely sold the sense of urgency and danger from their upcoming battle. Wolverine has always been my favorite X-Man and I felt once again, Jackman did the character justice, and his final scene with Jean Grey was fantastic.

Shawn Ashmore as Iceman - Without a doubt one of the coolest (no pun intended) parts of “X3” was when fans FINALLY got a glimpse of Iceman totally “iced up.” Honestly, that few seconds was worth the price of admission alone, and when he did it I totally geeked out, looked over at my friend (who had a huge grin on his face) and said "he did it!". I was sort of bummed out that we didn’t get to see the ice slide, but the end fight with Pyro totally made me forget about everything else. Shawn Ashmore does a good job as Bobby Drake a.k.a Iceman, and although he doesn’t get a ton of screen time, the time he does have is used well.

Ellen Page as Shadowcat - Much like Iceman, Shadowcat doesn’t have a ton of screen time but in the few scenes she does have, she really is great. The scenes with her and Juggernaut were pretty entertaining, and watching her use her “phasing” abilities to save Bobby from the missile in the beginning was great. Out of the 3 different actresses to play her, Ellen Page definitely convinced me the most (even though the other 2 were BARELY on screen at all).

Daniel Cudmore as Colossus - Physically this guy IS Colossus. He’s 6’7” and built like a tank...what else could we ask for? well, how about a Russian accent for one. When he didn’t speak Colossus was great. The scene in which he shared his powers with Rogue was terrific, and showed that Colossus is more than just the muscle of the group...he can think under fire. Again, Colossus didn’t receive a lot of screen time which disappoints me because he has always been my second fav X-Men. I think I can speak for every geek when I say that seeing Colossus and Wolverine deliver the “fastball special” not once, but twice made me smile from ear to ear.

Halle Berry as Storm - For once during the 3-movie-run of the “X-Men” franchise I can honestly say that Halle Berry did a good job as Storm. Now in more of a leadership role, Storm really got to spread her wings as a character and show that she can do more than just make the sky cloudy, and shoot electricity (although she did do both of those in the film). I really liked Storm taking a stand against the idea of humans issuing a “cure” for mutantism, and I also liked seeing Storm’s “sensitive side” during the film. I’ve got to hand it to Halle, she stood her ground and told the producers that she would not return to play Storm unless they expanded her role—they did, and she capitalized on it in a great way.

The emotional aspect of the film - As I mentioned before, when Wolverine delivered his speech saying "We stand together....as X-Men" I got chills because he was like an old army general preparing his troops for the battle ahead—stressing the fact that some of them might not come home. I liked the look on the younger X-Men’s faces because they genuinely looked both prepared and frightened at the same time...it was nicely done. Another scene in particular that I thought was great, and should’ve been a bit more in depth was when Wolverine and Storm discover what’s happened to the Professor (no I won’t give it away). Jackman and Berry delivered a nice emotional moment that really did the job of selling what had just happened.

The “Last Stand" - Despite my general dislike for a lot of the characters in this movie, seeing Magneto and his Brotherhood march across the Golden Gate bridge was awesome. You definitely got the feeling that they meant business, and to be honest with you, watching Magneto move the bridge was one of the most amazing things I’ve seen on film...I was literally sitting there with my mouth open the whole time. Aside from Iceman “icing up” I would definitely say that the best part of the movie came when the X-Men finally arrived on Alcatraz and confronted the Brotherhood. When the 6 X-Men lined up to stand in the way of the 100+ Brotherhood members I couldn’t help but have another geek moment. When the camera panned down the line, going from the towering Colossus to the petite Shadowcat I thought "oh man, it’s on now..." I don’t know why, but I’m a sucker for underdog moments in movies, and the X-Men truly were the underdogs (even though we all know what’s going to happen)...it just made the team a lot more serious to me, and showed that they were there to ensure that the Professor’s dream was carried out.

The Special FX - One thing I will give this movie credit for is the special FX. Every single shot that required any kind of SFX was done beautifully. My favorite was definitely the one with Wolverine confronting The Dark Phoenix at the end. After she had literally just vaporized an entire army, Wolverine tells Storm "I’m the only one that can stop her" to which I thought "what the hell is he talking about??" He then marches towards her all the while he is literally being vaporized piece by piece as his healing powers work rapidly to heal him...ok so NOW I get it. Seeing Wolverine’s adamantium skeleton was a nice touch, and gave me and my fellow geeks yet another thing to get excited over (it doesn’t take much).

Now that I’ve said all of those “nice” things about the movie, it’s time to get to what I’ve really been wanting to cover....the BAD:

Vinnie Jones as The Juggernaut - Oh come on, like any of you are surprised that I was going to start off with him. Ever since seeing his look for the film I’ve made it pretty clear that the Juggernaut that was going to appear in “X3” would be nothing more than a watered down, wise cracking shell of his true comic counterpart....guess what, I was right! I don’t even know where to begin with this one, it seems like the only thing they got right was his name because the rest of it sure wasn’t Juggernaut...they couldn’t even get the helmet right! It’s not so much Jones’ fault because he just delivered the lines that were written for him, and put on the costume that was designed by those “experts” (tell me you can pick up on that sarcasm). What I’m wondering is if anyone bothered to even read about Juggernaut’s back story—you know, half brother of Charles Xavier (not in the film), finds the mystical gem of cytorak which gives him his powers (means he’s NOT A MUTANT!) wears a helmet that he SELDOM removes because it exposes his own physical weakness....his mind (I think he took off his helmet 5x during the movie). I seriously can’t believe someone didn’t step in and prevent them from including this bastard version of the character in the movie, it pains me to think that they were so desperate for big name characters that they were willing to compromise accuracy and characterization. Juggernaut was completely worthless in the movie, and when he spouted out his "Don’t you know who I am?? I’m the Juggernaut b**ch!" I almost felt like firing off with my own four lettered word directed at him. Aside from my dislike of the film’s version of the character, I could’ve almost let it slide had they included the one obvious battle fans have been clamoring for since the “X-films” began....Colossus VS Juggernaut. Both characters were in the film, both are powerhouses, and if done correctly it could’ve been one of the greatest battles seen in any comic-book-related movie to date....so what gives? Oh and the fact that he was KO’d by running into a wall!? are you kidding me!?!? again, please pay attention...HE’S NOT A MUTANT! Juggernaut should’ve plowed thru that wall and taken that whole damn building down with him. Honestly I just feel like they completely wasted what could have been one of the coolest X-Men characters on film, and one of my personal favorite comic cook baddies.

Ben Foster as Angel - Let me first say that I think Ben Foster looked the part, and acted the part with the 3 lines he was given so don’t think I’m blaming him. What baffles me is that Angel was HEAVILY promoted as being one of the main attractions of “X3”, yet he only had about 3-4 scenes and never really did anything significant like we were lead to believe. The Angle could have been another great addition to the X-Men, yet he was nothing more than eye candy for the teenage girls in the audience. It’s a shame because I feel Foster could’ve done a great job too.

Patrick Stewart as Professor X - Once again, don’t mistake my dislike for the character for my dislike for Stewart or his acting abilities. If there was ever an actor who was born to play this role, it’s Patrick Stewart, and as far as I’m concerned he IS Professor X. Having said that, what really bothered me about the character is the fact that they gave him a rather large chip on his shoulder that doesn’t fit our beloved professor. Charles Xavier has always been the fatherly figure of the group. He’s the shoulder to cry on, the voice of reason, and most importantly he’s the heart and soul of the X-Men. In “X3” he seemed to have lost all of these key elements, and instead was rather hard—most notably towards Wolverine. I know that they are currently trying to give him an “edge” in the comics, and frankly I think that’s ridiculous too. Not every good, solid character needs to be “revamped” and given “more attitude.” This is Professor X we’re talking here, and it really disappointed me to see how the character was handled in the film...it’s almost like all he cared about was covering up his and Jean’s secret before too many people found out. Having said that, Stewart once again delivered a magnificent performance in the few scenes he was in—I just wish they would have given him something better to work with.

Anna Paquin as Rogue - Complete waste of her acting abilities, and was only put in the film to stress the fact that some mutants do welcome the “cure."

James Mardsen as Cyclops - Great actor, has done Cyclops justice in 2 films and was completely given the shaft simply because he chose to star in “Superman Returns.” Someone please tell FOX to get a clue, the guy’s an actor...he’s going to make OTHER FILMS!

Famke Janssen as Jean Grey/Phoenix - Again, she does an outstanding job with what she’s given to work with, but the writers should have known that fans would be up in arms over not actually seeing the Phoenix display her REAL powers (I’m talking flaming birds and all that jazz). When she used her powers it looked more like the same SFX when Rogue steals someone’s abilities....I kept waiting for Rogue to pop out from behind her and say “gotcha!” but alas, it didn’t happen and we were given some watered down version of the Phoenix Force. The costume design was terrible too. Instead of looking intimidating or even threatening in the least, she instead looked like she should’ve been working the streets of SF after she was done vaporizing people.

The running time - You’re telling me you’re going to conclude 6 years worth of films in 1hr 45min?? are you kidding me?? whoever thought this was a suitable running time for the conclusion to any trilogy should be fired immediately, and shouldn’t be allowed to even watch these movies from here on out. Perhaps if they would’ve given us a long film they would’ve had more time to give these characters a level of depth that most seemed to lack.

The Sentinel tease - Oh man that really piss me off. Here we are being told that we were going to see Sentinels (the large mutant-hunting robots incase you didn’t know) in the film, and all we saw was a friggin’ head! I don’t even want to elaborate on this because I’m just going to get all worked up, and after my rant about Juggernaut that’s probably not a good thing because we’ll both be here all day.

Honestly, the rest of the characters aren’t really worth going in depth over. Aaron Stanford did OK as Pyro, but the lack of Australian accent and any kind of cool, unique creations with his fire kind of turned me away. Rebecca Romijn is always great as Mystique, but like most of the cast she was barely in the film at all (though seeing her transform into a human was cool *wink wink*). Multiple Man was just another example of adding a big time character name to the film, and then doing nothing with him...seems to be a pattern huh?

Yes the good outweighs the bad in my opinion, but the bad aspects are just plain BAD. I don’t blame Brett Ratner because he was a last minute replacement for Matthew Vaughn. I feel that Ratner did a good job for coming in so late, and not having full control from the get go. It’s my opinion that Bryan Singer would’ve made a far better film because he truly understands these characters, and would’ve paid tribute to the comic books they originally came from.

"X-Men 3" is a pretty good movie, with a few major flaws. I don’t think it’s the best one, but I also don’t think it’s the worst either. I think the little kid in me just refuses to completely trash this movie because after all....it’s the X-Men and I am a fan.