X-Men: The Last Stand
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If you were a mutant, and you had super-human abilities or powers, but the persecution and discrimination against your kind is unbearable, and a cure for your mutation is made available, would you take it?
That is the underlying question the movie is built upon. The X-Men movie trilogy is successful in building up that premise of mutant persecution and fear. The first film depicted the “gifted” caught between political and social acceptance. The second film showed more tangibly how influential humans will use their affiliations (military and politically) to try and obliterate the growing mutant race. This last installment to the saga not only shows oppressed mutants forming their own militant army to take on the government but also captures what was known to comic fans as The Dark Phoenix Saga – where Jean Grey was transformed into the Dark Phoenix by her own subconscious powers.
Being a die-hard X-Men reader, discerning the movie from the comic version was difficult for me. It is advisable to not even start trying to reconcile the two. The animated series released in the 90’s was the most faithful adaptation. Even the current running animated series X-Men: Evolution relates differently from the comics.
On an objective point of view, this was a good movie but not a good adaptation. The 1-hour and 45-minute running time is evidence of a ‘rushed’ production. Causes of this might include Halle Berry’s talent fee which should have rocketed by now after her winning an Oscar. The producers did try to get full mileage on her role as Storm. It is likely that Ladies will like this movie because Hugh Jackman (Wolverine) is almost in every scene.
My all-time fave X-Men character has always been Shadowcat (Kitty Pride) and I appreciated that she got a major role. One of the very few X-Men series 1 card I keep is Shadowcat. Technically though, she’s English and went home and joined X-Calibur – the X-Men chapter in Europe.
Fans of the X-Men – movie or comic, might get a bit depressed approaching the finale. There were a couple of really unnecessary deaths which cemented the fact that no more sequels will follow. Cyclops or Scott Summers was expected by everyone to lead the good guys into battle. But no, he probably got obliterated into bits and pieces not even half-way into the movie but at least we’re saved from the gory detail. Charles Xavier DIDN’T need to die as unceremoniously as that. It merely looked like he was deleted by Norton Anti-virus. The better ending would have been Charles giving away Jean on her wedding ceremony with Scott – as it happened on the comics. What was so wrong with that that the producers or writers chucked the idea out? It’s not like the wedding scene required a high budget production!
The film was greatly directed but for me, the producers and the writers already had their story. They didn’t need to reinvent the wheel.
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If you were a mutant, and you had super-human abilities or powers, but the persecution and discrimination against your kind is unbearable, and a cure for your mutation is made available, would you take it?
That is the underlying question the movie is built upon. The X-Men movie trilogy is successful in building up that premise of mutant persecution and fear. The first film depicted the “gifted” caught between political and social acceptance. The second film showed more tangibly how influential humans will use their affiliations (military and politically) to try and obliterate the growing mutant race. This last installment to the saga not only shows oppressed mutants forming their own militant army to take on the government but also captures what was known to comic fans as The Dark Phoenix Saga – where Jean Grey was transformed into the Dark Phoenix by her own subconscious powers.
Being a die-hard X-Men reader, discerning the movie from the comic version was difficult for me. It is advisable to not even start trying to reconcile the two. The animated series released in the 90’s was the most faithful adaptation. Even the current running animated series X-Men: Evolution relates differently from the comics.
On an objective point of view, this was a good movie but not a good adaptation. The 1-hour and 45-minute running time is evidence of a ‘rushed’ production. Causes of this might include Halle Berry’s talent fee which should have rocketed by now after her winning an Oscar. The producers did try to get full mileage on her role as Storm. It is likely that Ladies will like this movie because Hugh Jackman (Wolverine) is almost in every scene.
My all-time fave X-Men character has always been Shadowcat (Kitty Pride) and I appreciated that she got a major role. One of the very few X-Men series 1 card I keep is Shadowcat. Technically though, she’s English and went home and joined X-Calibur – the X-Men chapter in Europe.
Fans of the X-Men – movie or comic, might get a bit depressed approaching the finale. There were a couple of really unnecessary deaths which cemented the fact that no more sequels will follow. Cyclops or Scott Summers was expected by everyone to lead the good guys into battle. But no, he probably got obliterated into bits and pieces not even half-way into the movie but at least we’re saved from the gory detail. Charles Xavier DIDN’T need to die as unceremoniously as that. It merely looked like he was deleted by Norton Anti-virus. The better ending would have been Charles giving away Jean on her wedding ceremony with Scott – as it happened on the comics. What was so wrong with that that the producers or writers chucked the idea out? It’s not like the wedding scene required a high budget production!
The film was greatly directed but for me, the producers and the writers already had their story. They didn’t need to reinvent the wheel.
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i am yet to catch the movie, kapapanood ko lang ng xmen2 kagabi eh. hehehe! =P
Posted by
beng |
5/30/2006 06:19:00 AM