X-Men Last Stand...

Pamster · Oct 4, 2007

Who else did not like the way they handled the Phoenix saga as well as so much more about this film? The potential was awesome and they squandered it...Just plain old ignored it all. There was much more about it beyond the misuse of the Phoenix character I hated, but I want to know what did you think? I liked Kelsey Grammer as Beast and all but there was so much more that could have been done...So what are your thoughts about this film?

Ziljon · Oct 4, 2007

it sucked.

Pamster · Oct 4, 2007

OMG I just saw the ending with Patrick Stewart on a hospital bed with one of the other characters, not a main one from the movie, her name was Moira (Moy-ra) and she's scottish, WOW I completely missed that before! Even so it doesn't undo the damage this horrible film did to the new X-Men mythos they were creating. Man that stinks...I wish I had seen that small scene before, it wouldn't have changed my POV on the film but I would have definitely known an X4 is in the making...

totidem_verbis · Oct 4, 2007

They're making an X4? I know they're making a movie about Wolverine. It's coming out in 2009

Pamster · Oct 4, 2007

Yes I heard about that, but I am pretty sure there will be an X4 too, nothing confirmed I could find yet, but the ending I mean the very end of the film AFTER credits rolled show the professor in bed like I said above and he asks, "How long?" And I couldn't really make out what Moira said to him, "Too close" or something.

I think the Wolverine Movie will be great if they do it as a prequel to the existing films as the actor said in a recent interview.

nevada · Oct 4, 2007

Okay, movie wasnt great, but the bit where wolverine tries to get to phoenix and she says, you do this for them? and he says, no, for you. Made my stomach go all aflutter. Okay, hugh jackman makes my stomach go all aflutter no matter what, but that moment was poignant and sad and it was good.

totidem_verbis · Oct 4, 2007

Pamster said:
I think the Wolverine Movie will be great if they do it as a prequel to the existing films as the actor said in a recent interview.

Definitely. It would be cool to see how they outfitted Wolverine with adamantium. (Every time I hear that term I think of Adam Ant.

)

Celia Cyanide · Oct 4, 2007

I think the Wolverine movie would be cool if it was like his solo series from the late 80's. He did not wear his costume, and he used his real name, and he hung out with the former Spiderwoman who also did not wear her costume and used her real name. And he traveled all over the world. It was so cool.

nevada · Oct 4, 2007

The Wolverine movie is a prequel to the Xmen. it delves into him becoming Wolverine and his "relationship" with Sabre toot. I'm seeing tortured hero in every shot.

ChaosTitan · Oct 4, 2007

As a film, I liked it. It had drama, Eric Dane, cool effects, Eric Dane, a fun premise, and hot guys in black leather (Eric Dane). It delivered some surprises (like the double-whammy deaths of Scott and Xavier). I loved having the five original X-Men in the same movie.

As a comic movie, I share the same gripes as most of you. I know they handled the Phoenix story the way they did, because having her go off into space, introducing the alien species, and letting her destroy planets was....well, it looks good in comics, but is very difficult to accomplish in a movie.

My biggest peeve, though, was reducing Wolverine to a "romance hero" role. Pining after Jean, not giving up on Jean even after she's killed people, and then the whole "Not for them, for you" thing at the end... *cringe* Maybe I just like my unresolved sexual tension, but I much prefer the flirty nature of the Jean/Logan we met in the first two movies.

maestrowork · Oct 4, 2007

SPOILERS of course...

Pamster said:
Yes I heard about that, but I am pretty sure there will be an X4 too, nothing confirmed I could find yet, but the ending I mean the very end of the film AFTER credits rolled show the professor in bed like I said above and he asks, "How long?" And I couldn't really make out what Moira said to him, "Too close" or something. I think the Wolverine Movie will be great if they do it as a prequel to the existing films as the actor said in a recent interview.

Wow, I totally missed it at the theater -- I guess I shoulda stayed till the end of the credits. So what was that about? I thought Xavier exploded... how could anyone survive that? (and they already gave him a tombstone)... was it one of these "deus ex machina" crap?

ChaosTitan · Oct 4, 2007

maestrowork said:
SPOILERS of course...

Wow, I totally missed it at the theater -- I guess I shoulda stayed till the end of the credits. So what was that about? I thought Xavier exploded... how could anyone survive that? (and they already gave me a tombstone)... was it one of these "deus ex machina" crap?

It goes back to the scene in Xavier's office, the first time we see Moira on a recording. They are talking about ethics. Transplating the good mind of a dying body into a good body without a viable mind. Sort of a throwaway scene, until you see that tidbit at the end of the credits. In it, Moira is walking over to the man in a bed (who, if you look hard, probably is Patrick Stewart, but we don't see his face in closeup). Then we hear Xavier's voice saying her name, supposedly via telepathy.

I remember reading a blurb in a magazie when the film first came out, warning fans to wait until the end of the credits.

Bmwhtly · Oct 5, 2007

The film was quite good. But not nearly as good as the others.

I think it was mostly due to the change in Wolverine's character.
They actually mentioned that change in the film (Psycho-jean... I mean Phoenix mentions Wolverine being 'tamed') but it still takes something like the heart of the films away.

As to the ending, with Xavier surviving in another body and Magneto keeping his powers (a little), I'd ordinarily say it was a set up for a sequel.
But I heard John Carpenter's commentary on Big Trouble in Little China the other day, and he mentions this kind of 'sequel' ending.
So I rather think they left the ending open to imply that the fight continues.

The only thing 3 has over 1 & 2 is that, since Scott dies pretty early on, he's not in the film for most of it.
He irritates me.

Pamster · Oct 5, 2007

He iritated me too...I didn't like the guy they cast as Scott and the anger he had towards Wolverine was just misplaced. I felt like he didn't trust Jean. Then the whole ending with that You would die for them? bit got to me the first time I saw it but then I thought it was kinda druel because she should have had more internal conflict and killed herself like in the comics...THAT was moving, Wolvie doing it for her was the easy man's way out IMO.

nevada · Oct 5, 2007

Okay, fine, I guess I'm the only unrelenting romantic in this bunch because that bit gets me every time. Then again, I've never read the comics so I don't have a history coming into this. I enjoyed the movie the first time around. And second and third time liked it just as much. Not as much as the first two, but enough to watch it several times.

ccarver30 · Oct 5, 2007

nevada said:
Okay, movie wasnt great, but the bit where wolverine tries to get to phoenix and she says, you do this for them? and he says, no, for you. Made my stomach go all aflutter. Okay, hugh jackman makes my stomach go all aflutter no matter what, but that moment was poignant and sad and it was good.

And reading this gave me chills. I LOVE that part. Hugh is sooooo hot. Love him as Wolverine!!

MDSchafer · Oct 5, 2007

I really think the film suffered from the departure of Bryan Singer, who was really using the movies as a forum for talking about being gay in America. After going through Matthew Vaughn, and finally Brett "I like blowing stuff up" Ratner, the film became a pretty standard, and forgettable, action flick.

As I understand it, Singer originally intended for the film to be the Phoenix Saga, with Sigourney Weaver as the White Queen. Once Singer left to do Superman, Sigourney left the project, and both of the replacement directors want to "Put their stamp," on the movie. Vaughn wanted to add the Beast and Juggernaut, so he did those character designs and hired those actors before leaving the film. Then he left and Ratner took over, added some more characters, and Joss Whedon's "The Cure" storyline.

As I understand it, the only two things that survived from Singer's script is the initial scene with Angel as a kid, and the idea of Wolverine killing Jean. The studio forced an early production date, one where James Marsden and Rebeca Romain both had conflicts, so that explains the early exits for those characters. Ratner added a lot of characters he is a fan of, and I think deserves the lion share for the why the movie was such an underwhelming effort.

DeleyanLee · Oct 5, 2007

I though, despite all the flaws, it was the logical end to the character story arc started in the first two movies.

Logan comes into the group in X1 as the untrusted outsider. His presence chafes the status quo, even though they can't deny his right to be part of the group. In X2, he returns--and he honestly didn't have to--still seeking entrance into the group. He's more accepted but still isn't playing by the rules of the group but displays his commitment. Then we get to X3 and he goes from outsider/newcomer at the beginning to the leader. I actually give them credit for killing Xavier and Cyclops because that was the unexpected way for Logan to rise to the top--and it actually was the correct way since Logan wouldn't've pushed for that position over men he respected. It forced his personality to take command when he preferred to be the loner.

For all its flaws (handling of the Phoenix story, the Cure plotline, etc), it completed the story arc well and I like it for that. That a new director came in and finished what Singer had set up instead of running off totally in his own direction is kudos in my book.

maestrowork · Oct 5, 2007

It's a shame that Singer didn't stay on to finish it. Superman Returns was meh... Singer could have done a spectacular job with X3.

DeleyanLee · Oct 5, 2007

maestrowork said:
It's a shame that Singer didn't stay on to finish it. Superman Returns was meh... Singer could have done a spectacular job with X3.

Totally agree there. I think Singer would've done a much better job of X3, over all.

Perks · Oct 5, 2007

I only like the first X-Men. It was pretty much all downhill after that.

sunna · Oct 5, 2007

maestrowork said:
It's a shame that Singer didn't stay on to finish it. Superman Returns was meh... Singer could have done a spectacular job with X3.

I totally agree. I thought that was the biggest thing missing from X3. Though I also was pissed at Wolverine becoming a romance hero (the "Nooooooo!" at the end made my teeth ache). He's much more fun as a badass. I'm definitely looking forward to the prequel.

Missed the scene at the end, too, dammit - I was probably stomping out of the theater at the time.

Tiger · Oct 5, 2007

Pretty big departure, having Wolverine kill Jean instead of Scott. I also didn't like the way some good characters were left out (eg. Nightcrawler) while lots of new ones got thrown in seemingly at random. The whole thing was kind of overengineered and, well, comic book-like, for my tastes.

Also, there were way too many mutants.

X-Men Last Stand...

Pamster

Counting Stars

Ziljon

Tortilla di Patate

Pamster

Counting Stars

totidem_verbis

Pamster

Counting Stars

nevada

totidem_verbis

Celia Cyanide

Joker Groupie

nevada

ChaosTitan

Around

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

ChaosTitan

Around

Bmwhtly

Yes, I'm back.

Pamster

Counting Stars

nevada

ccarver30

Nicole Castro

MDSchafer

DeleyanLee

Writing Anarchist

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

DeleyanLee

Writing Anarchist

Perks

delicate #!&@*#! flower

sunna

Tiger

AKA: "Gums of Steel"