X-Men The last stand
Year of release : 2006
Run time : 1h44m
Genre : Sci Fi / Action
Cast : Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Anna Paquin, Kelsey Grammer, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, Ellen Page aka Elliot Page, Vinnie Jones
X-Men 3 is the last installment of the first X-Men trilogy, and it’s based on the “Gifted” and “The Dark Phoenix saga” comic books written by Stan Lee (who makes a cameo appearance in the movie) and artist Jack Kirby.
The year is 1986, and professor X with Magneto meets with Jean’s parents, trying to convince them to let Jean study at Xavier’s School For Gifted Youngsters. They meet with Jean, who shows them what she can do, her power being beyond all of theirs, being a class 5 mutant.
In 1996, Angel is trying to cut his wings. Ever since, his father has been trying to find a cure for the mutant gene, to make him normal.
In the present, the youngsters studying at Xavier’s school are training in the holographic Danger Room with Storm and Wolverine. Storm is not impressed by Wolverine’s ways of solving the problem, as she wants them to work as a team, and he tells her he’s just the substitute, if she doesn’t like his way of handling things, she should work with Cyclops again.
Speaking of which, Cyclops is devastated after Jean’s death, and thinks he can hear her calling him, so he goes back to Alkali Lake where she died.
Unluckily for him, he finds her, with long hair (she had short hair when she died), and when she kisses him, she k1lls him.
The Department of Mutant Affairs is trying to find Magneto, but they caught Mystique. Mystique stole a file from the FDA about a mutant who can take the other mutants’ powers, and Angels’ father (an industrialist who works with scientists) made a vaccine out of it, so the mutants who don’t want to have powers, can take so they can be normal.
Rogue, who can’t touch her boyfriend without k1lling him (with her power of sucking the life out of someone, she could never be with someone, she could never have a relationship), is thinking about taking it.
Professor X teaches kids about the importance of knowing what to do with the gifts they are given, and not use them for evil.
Magneto with Pyro goes to a mutant meeting, and manages to convince a few of them to follow him. One of them can tell how strong a mutant is, what their power is, and can locate them.That’s how Magneto finds Mystique, and a few more dangerous mutants.
Unluckily for Mystique, when he helps her escape, one of the guards sho0ts a gun with the “cure” at Magneto, and Mystique jumps in front of him, taking the shot for him, and becomes a normal woman. Magneto leaves her as if they were never friends or colleagues, as if she was nothing!
Professor X feels the surge happening when Jean k1lled Cyclops, and sends Wolverine and Storm after Cyclops. They find Jean.
Professor X tells Wolverine Jean is the only Class 5 mutant he’s ever encountered, and he had to build a wall inside her mind to keep her power contained, as she didn’t know what to do with the power as a kid, hurting others. Due to him making her forget her powers, she developed a split personality, who calls itself the Phoenix. He tells him he doesn’t know if this is Jean or The Phoenix.
When she wakes up, she hits on Wolverine, knowing he loves her, and escapes the facility as The Phoenix.
The industrialist wants to start the vaccine trials with his son, but he doesn’t want to lose his wings anymore. So he flies out the windows, seeking refuge at Xavier’s school.
Professor X with Wolverine and Storm got back to Jean’s parents place, and find her there. Magneto reaches her place at the same time, and while the professor is trying to convince her to let him help her and go back with them, she obliterates him, shocking even Magneto, who seems to be afraid of her too.
Jean leaves with Magneto, who wants to k1ll the kid who can take the mutants’ powers way, his ability being a “cure” to their powers. Magneto is never to be trusted, as he always has more things going on behind the scenes, and he probably wants to use Jean to k1ll whoever stands in their way. Just that, I don’t think Jean can be controlled, as she seems unstable, ready to “k1ll the world” like the kid in Brightburn.
I personally enjoyed the movie, but Magento, Pyro and their friends, plus Jean were annoying. Ironically, when I first watched the movie, Jean was my favorite. Jean as the Phoenix is full of rage and just k1lls everyone who comes in contact with her, without rhyme or reason, no matter if they love her or not, or just want what’s best for her. I personally stand with the professor, as we can see what she can do as a kid, and even back then she seemed angry, and with her powers she could have destroyed the world. She has moments when she wakes up from the Phoenix persona, when someone mentions Scott / Cyclops, and asks Wolverine to k1ll her. I think the movie would have been better if Scott was what kept Jean sane, like her safe harbour, instead of her k1lling him, but apparently James Marsden who plays him, wanted to play in some other movie, and didn’t have more time to film.
Wolverine has the toughest mission, as he has to decide if he can k1ll the woman he loves in order to save the world.
I understood Rogue, who could never get close to someone, and have a normal relationship.
SPOILERS Almost everybody dies in this movie, if not, they lose their powers, and Jean is reduced to one of Magneto’s puppets. END OF SPOILERS
The acting was good.
The soundtrack was good.
The visual effects were amazing. I also liked the make-up and prosthetics used for characters like Mystique and Beast. Speaking of visuals, I didn’t understand why Magneto had to destroy a bridge to fly to the island, he could have just done that with a truck or ship,there were many cars on that bridge, I’m sure he could have found one big enough for all of them.
X-Men 3 grossed 460 million dollars at the box office, being the 7th highest grossing movie of the year 2006, against a budget of 210 million dollars, being the most expensive movie ever made at the time of its release.In 2018 the movie was the 4th highest grossing movie of the X-Men franchise.
Cinema Score audiences graded the movie an A-. IMBD graded it a 6.6 out of 10.
You can find the full movie for free on the Ok.Ru platform, dubbed in Spanish or Russian.
Rating : Worth a watch !