X-Men: Der letzte Widerstand

Als eine eye-candy Unterhaltung für ein junges Publikum ist der Film einwandfrei, als Fortsetzung von Singers X-Men 2 aber traurig. Brett Ratner ist ein begeisterter Filmemacher, ein Fan von schönen Bildern, Effekten und Filmhelden. Für die Sinnhaftigkeit des Stoffes, den vor ihm Bryan Singer skizziert hat, ist er aber zu oberflächlich und kindisch. Die Figur von Juggernaut (Vinnie Jones) und manche logische Fehltritte wirken so, als ob sie aus einer Spiel-Adaption von Paul W.S. Anderson stammen würden. Der Film sieht eher wie Fantastic Four aus, nicht wie seine Vorgänger. Im Alter von 17 Jahren, als ich Das Phantom Kommando vergöttert habe, weil in dem Film "ständig etwas passiert ist", wäre X-Men: Der letzte Widerstand mein Lieblingsfilm der Reihe gewesen. PS: Wenn Singer das reichhaltige Drehbuch durch "seine Sachen" ergänzt und diesen Film selbst mit einem ernsteren Gesicht und einer bescheidenen Laufzeit von 120 Minuten gedreht hätte, hätte es der beste Teil der Reihe sein können. (23.05.2006)

It's as if I've gone from a four-star restaurant called Singer's, serving chicken medallions in cheese batter, Sacher cake for dessert, and 2004 Chardonnay, to a perfectly functional fast-food chain called McRatner, with a triple burger and a Coke. You might eat at both places, but you'll have a different experience, not to mention the memories you'll take away. (14.09.2006)

The clock started turning back, and Brett Ratner went back to the 1980s. He brought along a bunch of hotshots using special effects and made an impactful action spectacle that could certainly be a full-fledged film in its own right if it didn't want to tie itself to the previous two installments in the franchise. The theme and the screenplay (except for the terrible dialogue!) are fine, but Ratner completely misunderstands the meaning of the plot and instead plays at being a narrator. The mutants are characters with no psychology, no history, and no distinctive dimension. The quantum of new arrivals, most of whom don't even have a name, is brought out around in a disorganized manner and any action they take is completely self-serving. Without these specifics, their emotions towards themselves sound either ridiculous or (more likely) completely incomprehensible. Only Mr. Singer's group of old warriors carry the film forward, but even they aren't enough to keep the mutants from (sadly) burying themselves. The first time it was a blast, the second time an absolute collapse. (10.09.2006)

Ratner ist nicht Singer, und das wäre kein so großer Makel, wenn es nicht so wäre, dass Singer = X-Men ist. Der junge Regisseur hat der X-Men Franchise so viel von seinem eigenen Stil eingeflößt, dass Ratner einfach keinen Platz mehr hat. Die Actionsequenzen sind genauso effektiv wie im Vorgänger, aber auch die Dynamik und die Spannung kommen nicht zu kurz (der Film fließt wirklich zügig), und die Chemie zwischen den Hauptfiguren stimmt. Aber. Seine kreative Herangehensweise an die Thematik ist unzureichend, die neuen Charaktere sind blutleer und oberflächlich, und jeder tiefer gehende Dialog klingt in Ratners routiniertem Vortrag plötzlich krampfhaft und unglaubwürdig. Auch wurden Klischees und unnötiges Pathos hinzugefügt, wodurch die ehrliche Arbeit durch eine unterstützende Idee ersetzt wurde, in der Singer ein Meister war. Die X-Men waren nie große Philosophen, aber ihre Tiefe und Raffinesse waren nicht zu leugnen. Episode drei hat Energie, gute Momente und charakteristische Merkmale der vorherigen Episoden, aber Ratner kann Singers Bravour und Akribie nicht imitieren. Warum konnte Bryan nicht einfach eine weitere Folge warten? X-Men 3 - Der letzte Widerstand hätte ein Highlight werden können, so bleibt es einfach ein guter Comic. ***1/2 (29.05.2006)

Had such a routine and uninteresting dull popcorn affair come as an adaptation of another comic, it could have been a relative success, but as a continuation of the franchise started by Singer, it is a huge flop, though watchable. (27.05.2006)

Not as emotional and almost perfect as the first installment, and not as comic book-like and cohesive as the second installment, yet despite the change of director, it is still adequately X-Men and unmistakable. Wolverine with Hugh's traditionally sharp face is a safe bet and it's no wonder he remained the main character. Others lag behind him surprisingly this time, which is especially disappointing with the highly favored Storm, from whom we don't get any new surprises. It is even more unfortunate that the very interesting background characters (Angel and especially Kitty) are not developed. Before Singer's departure, a grand finale of the entire mutant saga was promised, which surprisingly does not happen in the end. I didn't feel like I was watching the last installment, rather maybe one of the final ones. After the first few showings, due to my love for the school for gifted youth, I gave a rating somewhere around 90%, because after three years of eagerly waiting and subsequent fear of the outcome, I felt highly satisfied with the path Ratner took. However, with distance, it's not that glorious, mainly due to the unnecessarily clunky screenplay. For an installment where two major storylines of Phoenix's rampage and the mutation cure come together, it's a shame to waste such an ace up the sleeve as Juggernaut. One of the most iconic villains in comics could have been a draw for the next installment, but here he is just an ordinary unremarkable pawn. With distance and comparison to the remaining installments (including Logan's solos, First Class, and Days of Future Past), it must be admitted that this is indeed the weakest adventure of the Children of the Atom. Fortunately, it still means a clear victory. (04.06.2006)

The Last Stand is definitely the most bombastic part of the whole mutant trilogy. Despite the change in director (Ratner instead of Singer), they managed to film an epic piece of entertainment with great special effects that makes skillful use of the psychology already developed in the first two X-Men. The story revolves around the discovery of a cure against being a mutant (the ever more frequently casted fresh-faced Cameron Bright). Magneto takes advantage of an opportunity and widens the ranks of his followers (Juggernaut, Callisto, Phoenix...) and makes preparations for the long discussed war. Which makes room for lots of playing about. Ratner even came up with several wonderful novelties (the 1 to 5 mutant evolution scale, Wolverine’s improved fighting style) and amazing scenes (Wolverine approaching Jean is absolutely perfect, as well as Xavier testing his strength with Phoenix). But Ratner is no Singer and so his work with character psychology was a little shoddy. He tied up some loose ends from part two and tried to open some new storylines (Angel, Mystique), only to close them again. It’s hard to say how it would have all ended up if Brian Singer hadn’t eloped with the guy in the red cloak, but even so X-Men: The Last Stand is the biggest blockbuster event of this year. P.S. I really like Famke Janssen, but she gave me goose bumps in this movie and I was almost afraid of her. (17.07.2006)

Compared to the second one, this entry is much less demanding in terms of viewer's attention and knowledge of the mutant mythology. Also, there is a bit less action, though the ending more than makes up for it. It was nice the cast again, as well the metal claws of good-old Wolverine, but the Famke Janssen’s character seemed completely redundant to me. It disrupts the main storyline and doesn't fit well into the hyped finale. The visual effects, on the other hand, are absolutely breathtaking – I could only watch in disbelief during the scene with the bridge, just like with the one involving Xavier. Brett Ratner knows very well how to satisfy the desires of mainstream viewers without significantly degrading the story and characters and he did a very good job here, even though the whole thing feels quite inconsistent and unengaging overall. At least the more intimate passages and romance are pleasant to watch. (19.07.2006)

Not as bad as it might seem at first glance. Ratner adores all the various mutant figures and is concerned first and foremost with getting them to show off as much as possible for the audience, and secondly with making sure that their antics and powers properly develop the story and maintain the fatality present in both of Singer's previous films. It's pretty nice to watch and there's always something going on, but the layering between so many characters is a bit shoddy at times and the pace is as frantic as in any guilty pleasure action flick. The final action set-piece is fine, I just don't like the scheme where someone we don't doubt isn't a bastard starts getting harassed in the head, and one invulnerable dude has to talk them through the pain and tell them that you just don't do that. (05.03.2017)

A film that completely disgusted me throughout the entire trilogy. This is a film that is made solely for the sake of the effect, without any sense or ability to utilize not only the potential of what has already been filmed, but also the potential of the characters and the story. The emotional scenes do not work at all, new characters appear here that are completely unnecessary. A great disappointment. (29.03.2014)

Well, I don't know. At least given the material, this installment could have been the best one, but the way Ratner narrated the story was just pathetic. There was a lot of action in The Last Stand, but it was so devoid of emotions or spirit, that I just couldn't care less about how it all went and especially how it would turn out in the end, which is a huge red flag for any movie. Plus, most of the new characters and even some regular ones did not appear at all, so after the second installment, the rating dropped back down to average. (30.07.2013)