A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

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Title: X-Men (3): The Last Stand

Date Viewed: 5/28/06

Details:

Hugh Jackman (Logan/Wolverine)

Halle Berry (Ororo Munroe/Storm)

Famke Janssen (Dr. Jean Grey/Phoenix)

Ian McKellen (Eric Lensherr/Magneto)

Patrick Stewart (Professor Charles Xavier)

Anna Paquin (Marie/Rogue)

Kelsey Grammer

Rebecca Romijn

James Marsden

Shawn Ashmore

Aaron Stanford

Ben Foster

Michael Murphy

Josef Sommer

Director: Brett Ratner

Score: 1/2

The Review: "All changed, changed utterly: A terrible beauty is born."

Although Yeats was speaking metaphorically about Ireland ("Easter 1916"), he could just as well have been talking about Jean Grey in her transformation to Phoenix. The failed uprising adds a layer of convergence (brutally suppressed in one case, less so in the other), and the long, dark auburn hair doesn't disrupt the connection either. One could argue there are worse fates than death, and Jean would probably agree.

While X:II was "about" Logan (Wolverine), X:III is "about" Jean Grey (nee Phoenix). The movie starts off with a curious flashback, to 20 years b.p. (or at least the movie present), and we meet both Xavier and Lensherr (Magneto) jointly visiting the young Jean at her parent's home. The men are still colleagues, of a sort: quibbling, but seemingly respectful of each other as friends. They both recognize Grey's power and choose to approach it in different ways. Xavier's methods appear to have served, at least until Jean's untimely "death" in X:II. What happens next is not pretty -- well, actually, it is: she is quite attractive, but a tad scary.

The crux in this episode is the discovery, by a big nasty pharmaceutical company, of a "cure" for the mutant X-gene. This presents a series of ethical dilemmas for various factions and individuals, culminating in the final stand of the title. For me, it presents some curious problems in the stoichiometry (and kinetics) of phenotypic suppression, culminating in some very bizarre molecular biology. Go figure.

There are a few plot twists after the denouement: one just before the credits can be blamed on shoddy clinical testing (!), the other the end of a proposed ethical case study (and yet another reason for sticking around through all the end credits). Xavier and Jean deserve an ethical case study on their own, considering his approach and consequences.

Alas, the series is running (has run?) out of steam -- fewer interesting, new mutant phenotypes -- and when all else fails, start a battle. Admittedly a battle of mutants against mutants would be a sight to behold, but it still shows a lack of imagination (a failing similar to that of the Matrix sequels). Some occasional eye candy, but little of substance.

(29-May-06)

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