X-Men: The Last Stand: The Most Enduring of the Recent Comic Book Movies
X-Men III: The Last Stand is driven by the continuing struggle between Professor Xavier’s benevolent mutant group the X-Men and Magneto’s militant Brotherhood of Mutants. The source of antagonism in X-Men III is over the creation of a mutant anti-virus by scientists at Worthington Labs, meant to eliminate the aberrant genes that create mutant powers. Much like the allegory of civil rights portrayed in the four decades of X-Men comics, the characters in this movie enact a struggle over how to perceive their powers: as a blessing (Storm’s eloquent defense of humanity’s differences) or a curse (Warren Worthington’s well-intentioned attempt to cure his son turns into a military campaign against all mutants).
The ending, which is similar to the ending of the original Star Wars movies, signals the temporary success of the perceived good guys despite the loss of so many lives. However, X-Men III: The Last Stand is the product of Hollywood’s attempts to leave viewers in doubt of whether the series will continue with the ominous final scene of the powerless Magneto playing chess with a metal set and appearing to have regained some of his strength. Don’t be surprised in three or four years if a new X-Men rises from the ashes of X-Men III.
The uninitiated viewer may be disoriented by the volumes of new characters introduced or given more substantial roles in X-Men III, perhaps so much so that theaters should include flow charts with their popcorn. However, it gives the major characters like Wolverine, Storm, and Beast more latitude to develop their characters’ commitment to the mutant cause in X-Men III. This is particularly true for the excellent performance by Kelsey Grammar as Beast, the intellectual blue furry mutant who is a bridge between Xavier and the United States government.
Grammar is the perfect choice for Beast, as his distinctiveness voice and manner bring Beast to life. As well, some of the more minor characters, like Colossus and Kitty Pride, are given enough of a role in the movie to give them attributes like courage and bravery in their fight for unity between humans and mutants.
X-Men III: The Last Stand should be approached by viewers of the first two movies as a third section of one giant movie rather than a third individual installment in a series of movies. This gives the X-Men movie series a feel similar to comic books, where the underlying story continues while individual stories develop in different directions. It is not stronger nor weaker than the first two movies, which is fortunate for fans of these movies.
Grade: B+
