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X Men: The Last Stand.

I decided to give this one another go last night, and after my experience watching it last summer at the theater...I was skeptical. But...I liked it the second time around.

First things first, there was a lot happening all at the same time, yet it didnt look overcrowded like Spider Man 3 did, with its considerably lesser cast.

***(Minor Spoiler Warning)***

Secondly, I have to give some credit to Famke Janssen, for pulling off The Phoenix and Jean Grey-multiple personality and confused-and-dazed character quite nicely. And, believe it or not...I was actually touched by the commemorative funeral scene of Xavier at the school.

Colossus as a character was grossly underplayed, and they made Scott Summers aka Cyclops look like a total wussy throughout the series, and wrote him off early in this one (which is one of my bigger complaints, apart from them not introducing Gambit).

I guess the twist in the ending after the credits roll was to keep the continuation going, but I dont see much future in the series unless they get someone as good as Singer back into this...or else this is headed the Batman-Burton franchise way. I have been keeping tabs regarding the 4th, and from all which I have been reading, it isnt happening anytime soon.

Lets hope Wolverine and Magneto do some justice to this franchise and bring it back on track. My preference - a David Goyer X-Men 4, with either Christian Bale or Colin Farrell as Gambit, and a script which includes the return of Jean Grey, Xavier and Cyclops...in some form or the other.



Rating - *** ½