Review of X-Men III
This past Saturday I went to see the third X-Men movie, subtitled "The Last Stand," with some friends of mine. Overall, I enjoyed it, but it was the least faithful to the X-Men continuity of any of the movies.
In the world of X-Men, mutants are the ultimate minority group. Some of them are born with obvious deformities, others with superhuman powers, and others with both. Because people fear mutants, they are highly discriminated against. However, mutants have stronger means to fight back than most minority groups. Thus the mutants as a whole divide into two groups. Professor Xavier, a mutant with the power to read and control minds, runs a school to train mutants to use their powers responsibly. He and his X-Men want to peacefully coexist with the human race, procuring mutant rights through legal, political means. Magneto, a mutant and Holocaust survivor with the power to control metal, leads a band of rebels who believe they must subjugate or even exterminate the inferior humans in order to live in peace.
When the third movie starts, things seem to be going fairly well for human/mutant relations. The president is sympathetic, and has formed a cabinet-level Department of Mutant Affairs and appointed a mutant (nicknamed Beast) to run it. Of course, it wouldn't be much of a movie if things stayed that way. Conflict quickly comes about with the development of a cure for mutation by a pharmaceutical company. Some mutants are desparate for a cure, while others are offended by the very idea that their mutation is something to cure. Even the X-Men are divided. At first, the drug is introduced as a purely voluntary cure for any mutant who wants it, but when the government develops it into a weapon against the more violent mutants, then things go crazy. When Jean Gray, the psychic X-Man who apparently died at the end of the second movie, returns as the uberpowerful and insane Phoenix, things get even more interesting.
There are some spoilers in the rest, so click show to see more:
Still, while the movie isn't big on character development, it's fun, with lots of action and plenty of destruction. Not a bad way to spend a few bucks.
In the world of X-Men, mutants are the ultimate minority group. Some of them are born with obvious deformities, others with superhuman powers, and others with both. Because people fear mutants, they are highly discriminated against. However, mutants have stronger means to fight back than most minority groups. Thus the mutants as a whole divide into two groups. Professor Xavier, a mutant with the power to read and control minds, runs a school to train mutants to use their powers responsibly. He and his X-Men want to peacefully coexist with the human race, procuring mutant rights through legal, political means. Magneto, a mutant and Holocaust survivor with the power to control metal, leads a band of rebels who believe they must subjugate or even exterminate the inferior humans in order to live in peace.
When the third movie starts, things seem to be going fairly well for human/mutant relations. The president is sympathetic, and has formed a cabinet-level Department of Mutant Affairs and appointed a mutant (nicknamed Beast) to run it. Of course, it wouldn't be much of a movie if things stayed that way. Conflict quickly comes about with the development of a cure for mutation by a pharmaceutical company. Some mutants are desparate for a cure, while others are offended by the very idea that their mutation is something to cure. Even the X-Men are divided. At first, the drug is introduced as a purely voluntary cure for any mutant who wants it, but when the government develops it into a weapon against the more violent mutants, then things go crazy. When Jean Gray, the psychic X-Man who apparently died at the end of the second movie, returns as the uberpowerful and insane Phoenix, things get even more interesting.
There are some spoilers in the rest, so click show to see more:
Still, while the movie isn't big on character development, it's fun, with lots of action and plenty of destruction. Not a bad way to spend a few bucks.
