PG-13, 1 hr. 44 min. Directed by:
Brett Ratner. Release Date: May 26, 2006. DVD Release Date: Oct 03, 2006.
****REPOSTED FROM THE LATE LATE SHOW
WITH NEW COMMENTS AND EDITS***
An action-packed success for a
significantly altered X-Men Dark Phoenix story line.
Marvel's successful adaptation of
their powerhouse comic completes it first trilogy (although the hints are ALL
there that we'll see more of the X-Men at work) in a wild display of new powers
and a smattering of deaths. The youngsters we've watched come of age in the
first two movies make an outstanding contribution to the team and we are
introduced to everyone's favorite pile of bouncing blue shag carpet.
Like the entire X-Men
franchise, this is ALL about the special effects, which it delivers. Storm
shows off her long hidden ability to fly, Iceman brings his full array of
powers to the table, and Magneto? Well, Magneto's piece de resistance is so
great they actually have a segment on the DVD explaining the science of what
they did. Bloody brilliant. For those who poo-pooed the idea back when, it should be noted something very similar destroyed a bridge in Minneapolis one year later... or maybe it was two.
Like all action flicks, it has its
ups and downs. The combat scene on Alcatraz was remarkably sweet, although I
had some fears that with THAT many mutant abilities it might get overly campy.
The cast sticks to their guns here and really finishes off the series well.
[Editor's Note: Casting should not be a problem with two Oscar Winners in the
form of Halle Berry (Storm) and Anna Paquin (Rogue), an Oscar Nominee in Ellen
Page (Kitty Pryde), Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen, but you know, even
Frank Langella sucked in the He-Man movie.]
[Nerd Rage Rant (includes spoilers):
Okay, most of the gripes about this movie involve the complete and utter
bastardization of the Dark Phoenix story line. There is no mention of the
Hellfire Club, no mention of how she really converts over to the Dark Phoenix,
no mention of the Shi'ar involvement in all this crap, and no mention of how
Wolverine freaking chokes and can't off her ass when he has to. Jean Grey has
never been discussed as a probable suspect for the "world's most power
mutant," although Storm and Magneto have both been given a nod in that
direction by fans, and Charles Xavier has always been touted "world's most
powerful telepath" by Marvel. With the exception of the Dark Phoenix story
line and a few other single events, Jean is mostly seen as the team's 90 pound
weakling, but she does serve as the X-Men's heart and soul. No mutant, save
possibly Sabertooth, has EVER had real reason to fear her. Unfortunately, Jean
Grey has a tendency in the comics to resurrect from her own ashes... I think
she's died like four times now in forty years? The problem here is that this
movie, like so many other nerd movies, wasn't made for the fans. It was made to
make money. Stories have been adapted to protect the innocent from extreme
boredom. Whining about the fact that Iceman was an original member of the team
(as was Beast) and would pre-date Storm and Wolverine doesn't solve anything
and really doesn't detract from the fun this movie is.]
