X-men Iii: The Last Stand (beware: Spoilers)

[manwithnoname]

I'd like this thread to contain posts from those who've seen the movie. No speculations from those that have NOT seen the movie.

I saw the late showing to ensure the theatre wasn't crowded so I could have my choice of seating. I hate going to crowded showings.

My opinion: As good as X-Men I. X-Men II is the better of the trilogy. Great stuff. A lot of great stuff. Brett Ratner did a great job. I feel that if Bryan Singer (& the screenwriting team) was at the helm, X-Men III would have been as good as X-Men II or better.

IMO, X-Men III tried to fit too much within a restricted amount of time. There were some scenes I felt needed to be fleshed out more.

What did X-Men III do better than the previous two? Ororo/Storm was more in line with her comic book character. X-Men I & II did not portray Storm with any personality befitting a character that later becomes an X-Men leader. Think about: Wolverine is a bad mofo. In the comics, even Wolverine acknowledged she was better suited to lead the X-Men than himself. She lead the X-Men for years. Storm is a bad mofo.

[frulad]

While I have written a much longer review at my website, I'll recap briefly-

The main problem isn't so much Ratner's direction, but with a script that, unlike the first two films, values action sequences at the expense of character moments. Also, trying to shoe-horn in the Phoenix storyline into the film's already bulky narrative was a bad idea. The film was a rushed production (Fox wanted to beat Singer's Superman Returns into theaters) and it shows. It really could have benefitted from more time having been spent on the script.

[phazedout]

I did a spoiler-free review for another board I post to, and also for my Open University board, I'll reproduce here:

I'm not long back from this moive. Taken as a single piece of cinema it's not bad, I'd rate at least as good as the previous two. Apparently Hale Berry refused to be in this one unless her role was beefed up, as a result it's really just about Storm and Logan, they get more lines each than Magneto and Xavier combned.
That said it did provide some shocks - I'll not give anything away.
At the end I turned my phone on and thought "wow! was that only 90 minutes?" Now I'm not saying that in a bad way - the movie felt long because it was absorbing, I felt no desire to look at a watch (not that I've worn one in ten years) but it does depart quite severely form canon - if you're familiar with the comics/ cartoon series then prepare to be annoyed.
Still, as a rolicking sci-fi adventure I'd recommend.
See it on a big screen, preferebly at the cinema unless you've got one the size of mine
I forget, did I post this elsewhere on thes eforums? perhaps under comics?
Phaze
on the "old age catching up" ID

[AaronB]

I saw it yesterday and I was quite annoyed by the lack of cannon. Did anyone see the scene after all the credits rolled?

[phazedout]

Yes, and (huge spoiler alert)
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I mean it
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really really big one
Professor X wakes up in the brain-dead but living guy's body
Phaze
on the "so big I'm having ye select it to read" ID

[manwithnoname]

...I was quite annoyed by the lack of cannon. Did anyone see the scene after all the credits rolled?

All of Marvel's movies lack canon. It looks cool in comics, but do we want to see Hugh Jackman wear the yellow (or brown) spandex, leaving nothing to the imagination. I like their movie uniforms; it has a practical side to it.

I loved Spider-Man I & II. I really liked X-Men I. I LOVED X-Men II. X-Men III, I liked it.

Halle Berry had every right to petition for a stronger character. Although I liked X-Men I & II, Storm's character could have been played by a cardboard cut-out. She had barely any dialogue. And the dialogue about a frog being struck by lightning was embarrassing; I was embarrassed for her.

I think it was in Uncanny X-men #201 (1st appearance of Scott & Madelyne's baby, Cable): Scott & Storm, without powers, duel in hand-to-hand combat. Storm whoops Scott's butt. The winner leads the X-Men. Scott decides to leave and think about life and whatnot.

Some of my most fond memories of reading the X-Men comics showcased Storm as team leader. Storm's mohawk, leather vest and pants phase rocked me visually, especially when Barry Windsor-Smith was illustrating the book.

Some good points. Some bad points. Overall, it was a good movie, just not great.

The Dark Phoenix/Jean Grey story was more of a backdrop. I felt that took away from the drama of her death/re-birth/transformation.

[Dr Maturin]

Like I have always said...comics canon is a joke. The movies make a neat little package that anyone can watch without being confused.

[Stunning_in_Purple]

I would like to take Halle Berry, put her in a long glass tube, and shoot her into the sun. I don't like her as Storm. I've never liked her as Storm, but my absolute hatred of Halle Berry aside, I liked the movie.

A lot of critics complained that the 3rd movie lacked the driving message and the soul of the other two and focused too much on action. As a fan of X-men, I didn't have a problem with this as most of the comics spend about 2-5 pages on conflict and the rest of the book solving said conflict...painfully.

X-men fans want to see Colossus rip some guy's head off, they want to see Iceman covered in ice and kicking ass, and they definitely want to see Logan ripping someone a new one, several new one's in fact. This is just my opinion. I'm sure other people have different views.

I'm glad they made the cure temporary, I would have been pissed as hell if they hadn't because it was such a cheap cop out.

Even if they don't make another one in the near future, all we have to do is wait about 5-10 years for some comic book geek of a director to decide to start over a la Batman and Spiderman.

[manwithnoname]

Like I have always said...comics canon is a joke. The movies make a neat little package that anyone can watch without being confused.

And Star Wars...

However I agree about the comic canon thing. But I still love comics better than movies. My issue with X-Men III isn't about it contradicting X-Men canon, it's about character development VS. action VS. trying-to-do-too-much.

Yes, the X-Men movies don't require any viewers to know what's been done in the comics. I think that's why the X-Men movies have appealed to so many people, which is great. Brett Ratner did a good job. I just feel if Bryan Singer (with his screenwiters) was at the helm the movie would've been more cohesive and focused, not scattershot (by this I mean too much going on).

Too much action, not enough character development. It boils down to just my opinion. I realize a lot of people prefer action, not a bad thing at all, just preference. I like action movies. I felt X-Men II did a great job in balancing
action and character development.

[manwithnoname]

I would like to take Halle Berry, put her in a long glass tube, and shoot her into the sun. I don't like her as Storm. I've never liked her as Storm, but my absolute hatred of Halle Berry aside, I liked the movie.

LOL. If you shoot anybody into the sun, does it really matter if it's a glass tube? Old scrap wood would be cheaper, right?

I personally think she's crazy as a loon. Remember the hit-and-run accident? I saw the interview with Barbara Walters. Halle is definitely some kind of crazy.

Swordfish was good, she just happened to be in the movie. Anybody could have played her part in that movie.

I don't think she's a great actress, but Gothika surprised me, it was GOOD. Anybody seen that movie? She plays a character that's kinda crazy. She did a good job in the movie. She didn't really have to dig deep to play the character, she played Halle Berry.

[Stunning_in_Purple]

With a glass tube, I can see her screams of fear and agony as she realizes she's not coming out and she's being shot into space. Weeeeeee! She's definitely nuts. I personally believe a squirrel could play all her roles.