X-Men: The Last Stand

Comic book'“derived superhero movies are wildly inconsistent in quality, said Michael Wilmington in the Chicago Tribune. Even so, the X-Men series has had 'œwider swings than most.' The first of the trilogy about a group of mutants was terrific eye candy with a sometimes mind-numbing script. The second, X-Men: United, was 'œa majestic improvement.' Sadly, the third slips back to rate somewhere between the first two. You can blame the change in director for that, said John Devore in The New York Sun. Bryan Singer directed the first two with a perfect mix of 'œgravitas and fun.' But Brett Ratner is dishearteningly average. He imitates Singer's 'œlove of darkly painted action scenes,' but focuses on a barrage of special effects to the detriment of character development. He also manages to squander a genius premise, said Lisa Schwarzbaum in Entertainment Weekly. The U.S. government declares it has found a 'œcure' for mutancy, sparking a war between good and bad mutants. Many mutants don't feel their condition is something that needs to be cured. The subtext, naturally, is the politics of 'œcuring' homosexuality or skin color. It's intriguing material, yet the action whips by so quickly there's no time for reflection. Ratner has confused movies with franchise restaurants: More items on the menu 'œis not the same thing as originality of recipe.'

Rating: PG-13

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