06/04/06
"Versus" is a variation on the theme of the review columns written by myself and the other contributors to Pulp Fiction Online. While comic books are still at the heart of these reviews, this column will also be about the movie equivalent of a given comic. The mission of this column is to evaluate how good (or bad) a job the Hollywood brain trust does in translating a comic book property into a film. Think of it as a report card from an oft-uncompromising comic book geek to the moviemakers in Hollywood, some of whom distill out what makes a comic interesting in an effort to draw in a bigger crowd.
Versus -
X-Men: Movie versus comics
In the black corner, wearing black leather jumpsuits and tipping the scales at a whopping 185 lbs. (you can't be heavy if you want to fit into those leather outfits) is X-Men: The Last Stand, the third and, rumor has it, final installment of the X-Men movie franchise. And in the yellow corner, wearing yellow and blue tights and weighing in at 175 lbs. (as unforgiving as the leather jumpsuits are, superhero tights are even moreso) is Astonishing X-Men: Gifted, the first story arc of the newest X-Men series written by fan-favorite writer Joss Whedon, and the overall inspiration for the storyline of X-Men: The Last Stand.
The Last Stand has the distinction of being the only one of the X-Men movies not directed by Bryan Singer, who jumped ship to the Distinguished Competition to direct the upcoming Superman Returns. Taking his place at the helm is Brett Ratner (Rush Hour, Red Dragon), who was actually a candidate to direct Superman Returns at one point, ironically enough. There was initially some doubt as to how well Ratner's work would hold up to the high standard that Singer set with the first two X-Men films. So how does it measure up? Since I don't want to get sued by Michael Buffer I'll instead quote Mills Lane: "Let's get it on!!!"
What the movie got right
One mark in Ratner's favor is that he knew not to mess with the already-successful cast chemistry. Just about all of the actors involved in the first two films return for The Last Stand. Marquee players Hugh Jackman (Wolverine), Patrick Stewart (Professor X), Ian McKellen (Magneto) and Halle Berry (Storm) all reprise their roles. Also, actors that were in smaller roles in the first two films return with expanded roles, such as Shawn Ashmore (Iceman), Aaron Stanford (Pyro) and Daniel Cudmore (Colossus). This makes for very interesting situations, such as the verbal and physical sparring between Pyro & Iceman throughout the movie. The history between these two characters from X2: X-Men United and the antagonistic chemistry between Ashmore and Stanford make the inevitable conflict between the two a lot more powerful than it would have been without any build-up.
And just so there are some fresh faces to look at, the script throws in more than a handful of new characters, most notably Beast (played by "Frasier" himself, Kelsey Grammer), Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page of Hard Candy) and Juggernaut (former soccer player Vinnie Jones).
The main storyline, the development of a "cure" for mutations, was handled very well. While the source of the cure in Whedon's "Gifted" storyline was ambiguous, owing its origins to testing on both live and dead mutant subjects, the genesis of the cure in Last Stand comes from a mutant child with the ability to cancel the powers of any other mutant standing near him. As a fanboy shout-out, the child's nickname is Leech, patterned after the Morlock character in the X-Men comics. The reactions of the characters to the cure are consistent to a tee with how they have been portrayed in the first two films and in the comics, from Magneto's righteous indignation, to Beast's indecision about whether to be relieved for himself or concerned for his fellow mutants. If anything, the film did a better job of showing what the full ramifications of a mutant cure would be than the comic book version did.
The script for this movie is a lot more action packed than the first two movies and the "Gifted" story from Astonishing X-Men. The final battle at Alcatraz Island was nothing short of awe-inspiring, from the build-up (Magneto manipulating the Golden Gate Bridge into a route to the prison) to the battle sequence (watching Beast bound from enemy to enemy and Kitty taunt the Juggernaut), the tension throughout is masterful. It lets the viewer know with no uncertainty that the stakes have never been higher, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
Where it went wrong
The script for this film was far too ambitious for its own good. In addition to the main storyline of the mutant cure, there are multiple subplots thrown into the mix. Some of them, such as the potential love-triangle between Iceman, Rogue and Kitty Pride, integrate pretty seamlessly. The one that stands out like a sore thumb is the return of Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) as Dark Phoenix. This is a storyline that could easily have been used as a basis for a fourth X-Men film, especially with the strength of the film's opening scene with Xavier's and Magneto's first encounter with a young Jean. But since they tried to squeeze it into this installment, there is the dual injustice of squandering a can't-miss movie plot, while making the pace of The Last Stand a lot more rushed than it should have been.
Between this and the obligatory action sequences, there wasn't a hell of a lot of room for character development, a major strength of the first two films. So many moments that should have been opportunities for the characters to show genuine emotion, like Cyclops' reunion with the newly-returned Jean, were glossed over. And even the plot points that they did give time to (the aforementioned Iceman/Rogue/Kitty triangle) didn't live up to their potential due to the limitations of the script. Whedon's "Gifted" arc may not have had the nonstop action of The Last Stand, but it had heart to spare. From the poignant moment of Colossus' return to Wolverine & Cyclops brawling over the recently deceased Jean Grey, there was characterization to spare. The best comic books are able to strike a balance between characterization and action, and The Last Stand is sadly imbalanced in that respect, focusing on moving the movie forward rather than savoring the moments.
Lastly, while I can respect that the screenplay writers had the courage to kill off both minor and major characters, it did seem rather forced at times. I don't wish to spoil any major plot points by revealing just who goes to that big Danger Room in the sky, but the moviemakers did go a little overboard. The only saving grace is that the two major characters that die (or are presumed dead) aren't gone to the point that they couldn't possibly be written back into any potential sequels.
After the dust has settled…
Despite its shortcomings, I still feel that X-Men: The Last Stand is definitely worth watching at the theater. Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men book is also worth checking out, whether you want to see the inspiration behind the main storyline of the movie or just read a darn good story. I made the unfortunate error of not sitting through the end credits so I didn't get to see the "P.S." scene at the end of the film. If you haven't seen the film, be sure to sit through the credits. If I can't find the scene online I just may have to go catch a matinee of the film to see it.
<TOP>