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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) in Movies

Jul 4, 2019 (Updated Jul 30, 2019)

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

2006 | Action, Sci-Fi

6.2

(37 Ratings)

Movie Rating

It's all just a bit...meh

The Last Stand is not completely awful, but there is an absolutely huge setback here - the writers tried to cram the epic Dark Phoenix saga into one film.
Couple this with an interrupted production and you have a messy result.

A fair amount of what is likable about the first two is still intact - the strongest asset here being the strong cast, doing their absolute best with a sub par script and story.
As for newcomers - Kelsey Grammer is a welcome addition as Beast, as is Ellen Page as Shadowcat - unfortunately Angel is pretty wasted here, as are characters like Psylocke, who is relegated to an extended cameo. Whoever decided to cast Vinnie Jones as Juggernaut deserves a good slapping.

The Dark Phoenix storyline in the comics is pretty epic, a lot of it takes place in space, and the tragedy of the X-Men fighting one of their own is fleshed out very well - something that the movie adaption practically ignores. After being hinted at the end of X2, Jean Grey is promptly bought back, and turns to the dark side very quickly, without any real build up.
Some character story arcs are concluded abruptly and in emotionless ways, as the film just sort of limps along to a pretty underwhelming conclusion.

Bryan Singer left production midway through to helm Superman Returns, and it shows.
The slickness and solid narrative of X2 is replaced by a choppy mess, full of quips that don't land ("I'm the Juggernaut bitch" anyone!?), and Brett Ratners involvement was just a misfire.

This particular comic arc deserves so much better (and judging by what I've heard about the 2019 effort, this is still the case!)