X-Men series evolves into interesting finale

Before I start my mini-review of X-Men: The Last Stand, I’d just like to point out that the Willow Knolls is probably the most annoying movie theater in Peoria. Once again, they had technical difficulties (a burned out lamp) that kept me from seeing some of the previews. Let’s take a vote: From now on, all cool genre movies MUST show at the Rave.

Now the review, with spoilers:

I was a big fan of the first movie, not so much the second, which I though suffered too many new characters being introduced to appease fans. There’s some of that in this movie, but the writers bravely killed off two major characters fairly early in the movie, leaving screen time for more visually interesting and, frankly, less dull people on the screen. One of the more interesting new characters is Dr. Henry McCoy — the mutant X-Man — who served as the U.S. Secretary of Mutant Affairs. He’s played by Kelsey Grammer, who is absolutely perfect for the part. My only complaint is that the character is never utilized fully for both tragedy and comedy, but is sort of there to explain things.

The plot to the third in this series is essentially this: A pharmaceutical company has developed a “cure” for mutation. The “mutant community” is torn over this a development, much in the same way that some in the “deaf community” would consider a cure for deafness as some sort of violation of their civil rights. Whatever. If I had a mutation that caused bones to stick out of every port of my body or causes acid to drip from my pores, I certainly would accept a cure. If I had a mutation that gave me the power of flight or super strength, I would stomp you into a bloody mess if you came near me with a needle.

Of course, the evil and/or misguided Magneto decides the cure must be destroyed, even if it means that the child mutant whose genes are the source of the cure must be killed.

Meanwhile, Jean Grey — an X-Man who dies bravely in the last movie — pops up alive. Why? Because she did the same thing in the comics. Only she’s more powerful than before. It turns out she always was, but Professor X tinkered with her brain to make her less dangerous, but a heretofore repressed second personality was created. This second personality is the one with the vastly greater telekinetic powers. Guess which personality is in charge?

Before long, two X-Men are dead, Magneto has recruited “Phoenix” to his cause and there’s a huge battle at Alcatraz Prison, which for some reason has been turned into a research lab where the cure was being produced.

The movie has many strong points. What was lost in the first two movies is the motivation behind Magneto’s crusade, and the fact that he and Charles Xavier should be friends and they once were. Magneto is essentially a man with a major character flaw — his inability to see humanity’s fear of mutants as anything other than another Holocaust waiting to happen — that keeps him from being a true hero or leader. There’s a bare hint at the end of this movie that he might get it, which might be an interesting situation if they actually film a fourth movie. And if they do, I suggest giving The Beast more screen time.

I have the feeling that this movie might be missing some 15 minutes of scenes involving some of the other minor characters. Perhaps they will scrape up a few scenes from the cutting room floor and add ‘em to the inevitable director’s cut DVD.