X-Men III: The Last Stand
Director: Brett Ratner
Genre: Action/Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Starring: Hugh Jackman (Logan/Wolverine), Halle Berry (Ororo Munroe/Storm), Sir Ian McKellen (Eric Lensherr/Magneto), Famke Janssen (Dr.Jean Grey/Phoenix), Anna Paquin (Anna Marie/Rogue), Kelsey Grammer (Dr.Hank McCoy/Beast), Rebecca Romijn (Raven Darkholme/Mystique), James Marsden (Scott Summers/Cyclops), Shawn Ashmore (Bobby Drake/Iceman), Aaron Stanford (John Allerdyce/Pyro), Vinnie Jones (Cain Marko/Juggernaut), Patrick Stewart (Professor Charles Xavier/Prof-X), Ben Foster (Warren Worthington III/Angel), Dania Ramirez (Callisto), Ellen Page (Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat), & Daniel Cudmore ( Peter Rasputin/Colossus).
Plot: A cure was found to heal mutants but caused an outcry among mutants who are pro & against it. It eventually drawn a line between Xavier’s X-Men against Magneto’s mutant Brotherhood. With the resurrection of Jean Grey, the anomalies in her was subjugated by Magneto’s persuasion to manipulate her for his own cause against her former allies.
One last stand anyone?
My rating: 
(L-R) Angel, Beast, Callisto, Collosus, Dark Phoenix, Juggernaut, Magneto & Mystique
(L-R) Cyclops, Iceman, Storm, Wolverine, Prof-X, Pyro, Rogue & Shadowcat
My opinions is quite divided for this movie to be honest. I love it up to a 4.5 star rating as a big X-Men fan of more than 10 years but quite disappointed with it as a typical movie fan. The best part was the line-ups. As a fan I love having lotsa superheroes involved in a super-powered brawl where everyone demonstrates their super capabilities. I enjoy this kinda scenario as a cartoon lover & a comic reader.
There’s lotsa cool cameo appearances of additional few ‘unpopular’ characters such as Quill (villain: the chinese dude with porcupine spikes), Spike (villain: the dude who grew sharp projectiles from his bones), Arclight (villain: the dudette who disable the elite forces arms with her shockwaves), Multiple Man (villain: the dude who multiplies himself as a decoy during the ambush by the special forces) & few others.
If you fans keep your attention close, you might spot a rare appearance of supposedly Gambit, during the Brotherhood congregation in the woods. It was mentioned in IMDB that Omega Red, was also in the movie in his human form, but i am not sure in which scene he appeared! Other characters who appeared in the movie from comics & cartoon were Leech (Jimmy, the child prodigy in the facility), Artie (Morlocks, Leech’s friend), Flea, Siryn, Flea, Psylocke & Jubilee.
The disappointing part is the movie was directed in a rush as it tries to feature two plots; one which was the resurrection of Jean & the second is the Brotherhood struggle against the cure in a less than 2 hour movie without details. I was wondering how the hell Jean was resurrected again for no reason? The closest reasoning is the one mentioned by Prof-X to Wolverine in the ward – no further justification? I’m just so clueless. Cyclops, Angel & Rogue was ‘forgotten’.
It was such a waste that the team leader of the X-Men died in less than the first half of the movie. Angel was not given a role in the team at all as he is one of the core members in cartoon & comic. Rogue simply missed the battle when she left the school to queue up to get cured because she was jealous of Bobby’s (Iceman) proximity with Kitty (Shadowcat)! *faints*. The battle was ridiculous as the X-Men was made to stand against an army of super-mutants with only 6 of them ‘functional’ (as fit to fight).
What are the rest of the characters doing in the school when situations are that dire? Why aren’t they summoned? If novices such as Shadowcat & Colossus are fit to carry out missions alongside ‘seniors’ like Beast, Wolverine & Storm, why Angel, Jubilee & Psylocke are left out? Oh, one more thing, why Kitty Pryde is not codenamed as ‘Shadowcat’? Apologise if I misheard, but i don’t recall that she is being called as Shadowcat. Mystique, an important character short-lived as well, when she became human again trying to save her unthankful boss hence totally forgotten for the rest of the movie.
The flawed continuity between 2 plots escalates after Prof-X was killed, where Dark Phoenix could be easily subjugated by Magneto’s persuasion even though she was a class 5 mutant – more powerful than Magneto! She was made a fool in the movie to have killed her own mentor who have trained, loved & provide her a sanctity in the institution. Apart from that murderous act, she has no role whatsoever in the rest of the movie as she was made to stand amidst the rest of the Brotherhood, dysfunctional like a zombie waiting for orders.
Her only role was the final ending, after all the death & destruction took place in San Francisco (nice pun with the Jap tourists taking groupie pic), a brief duel ensued between her & Wolverine where eventually, the duel took its toll as she was stabbed by Wolverine in a ‘sacrificial act of love’ (toldja not to get involved in a love triangle!) & that’s it! End off! After all, the movie is centred about one (should be two if Cyclops is still alive) heartbreak & three funerals (Prof, Cyclops & Jean). (no weddings)
Anyway, I would just close an eye & enjoy the movie as an X fan, I know I am biased & vain. Judge for yourself.