X-Men: The Last Stand Blu-ray delivers stunning video and audio in this fan-pleasing Blu-ray release
Experience the awesome power of The X-Men's epic, final battle. Join well-known mutant
heroes and villains, and meet a cadre of all-new warriors — including Angel, Beast, Juggernaut
and Colossus — in this thrilling, explosive adventure! After a controversial "cure" is discovered,
mutants can choose to retain their superhuman abilities or give up their unique gifts and
become "normal." When peaceful mutant leader Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) clashes with
his militant counterpart, Magneto (Ian McKellen), the battle lines are drawn for the war to end
all wars.
The question is, will you control that power or let it control you?
The X-Men series of films have proven themselves to be among the elites of the comic
book
turned movie adaptations. Sporting a strong cast, well written stories, plenty of action and
excellent direction by director Bryan Singer (Superman Returns), the first two films are in select company among the
best of the genre. X-Men: The Last Stand is a film that became the subject of much
speculation and
controversy when Singer left the project before filming began to instead helm the
aforementioned
Superman film. After a search for a new director that included rumored candidates such
as
Alex Proyas (I,
Robot) and Rob Bowman (Reign of Fire), Brett Ratner (Rush Hour 3) was brought on board. The
result is a film considered by most to be the weakest in the series but a strong entry nonetheless
into the lore of comic book movies.
Behold! Magneto is in high definition!
X-Men: The Last Stand picks up where the second film left off. Jean Grey (Famke
Janssen, Goldeneye) is dead and a
new threat faces the X-Men: "the answer" for mutation. Some humans have deemed the cure a
means of saving the mutants, allowing them to fully integrate into society by changing who they
are fundamentally. The arch nemesis Magneto decides to gather his forces to attack the humans
who wish to cure the mutants of their powers. The X-Men, of course, oppose the use of force,
but team member Rogue (Anna Paquin, The Piano) buys into the cure as she longs to
touch other people without bringing harm upon them. Meanwhile, Jean Grey appears out of the
lake where she died in the second film, presumably killing her love, Cyclops (James Marsden, Enchanted) and
becoming a being known as "The Dark Phoenix." Her powers are so great that they have
morphed
her into a being unable to control herself, letting only her darkest and most horrific powers and
emotions loose, and killing off another prominent member of the X-Men in the process. Will she
side with Magneto? Will the X-Men stop Magneto and return Jean to a state of normalcy? Both
questions will be answered in an exciting finale.
This is certainly an entertaining movie, but it just doesn't reach the level of greatness of the first
two films. Looked at in a vacuum and ignoring the existence of the first two films (only aware of
their basic plots) this film looks very good, but in the context of the series, the drop off in quality
is clearly discernible. The exit of director Bryan Singer was a major blow to the franchise, and the
politics surrounding the hiring of his replacement have been well publicized and criticized. Ratner
has delivered a film that is certainly worthy of the franchise and he continues the story in a
logical and exciting manner, but the magic of the first two films is simply lost here, and the result
is a fun popcorn movie that lacks the cleverness, spirit, and sense of awe that accompanied the
first two. It feels like there is nothing we haven't seen already in this film and it becomes tedious
at times. This film also introduces some characters from the comic book that we are meeting on
screen for the first time, and it's no surprise that we see some of he "weaker" or perhaps better
said "less interesting" mutants. A couple of them had me chuckling, like the "porcupine" mutant
(Kid Omega) whose power allows his face to extend 8 inch long spikes. It came off as silly and,
frankly, nearly worthless as a power. Other newly introduced mutants, like Angel, work better,
but his character is not given sufficient time on screen so that we really care about his angle. It's
a good one, and his character plays a role in the end of the film, but his angle is rushed as a
subplot that didn't fit in completely with the rest of the story. However, this is a fun action film
that is competently directed and acted with a lot of explosions and fun mutant on mutant on
human brawling action.
X-Men: The Last Stand is a fine looking Blu-ray disc. This 2.40:1, 1080p transfer looks
stunning from beginning to end. This image is of very solid clarity and high detail. I was very
impressed with the blacks in this movie. They remained spot-on and consistently good throughout
with a very true and natural looking dark and deep level. The movie was filmed in super-35 format,
a film stock that is inherently grainy to begin with, so it comes as no surprise that a
layer of grain overlays this image. I did not find it a distraction, but it is noticeable. Grain haters
may not like this transfer, but do know it is supposed to be there and is not a fault of
the transfer. Flesh tones looked mostly accurate and natural. This film has a very nice, natural,
and
lifelike look about it. Fox has been one of the most consistent studios in terms of releasing solid
looking and sounding discs, and X-Men: The Last Stand fans are in for a treat. This is one
very
good looking release.
X-Men: The Last Stand sounds as good as it looks. Presented in DTS-HD MA 6.1 lossless
audio, this soundtrack is a nonstop barrage of comic book action. Currently, I can only decode the
"core" 1.5 Mbps DTS track via my Playstation 3, but the results is still mind and ear numbingly
good. The track is perhaps best described as completely enveloping and engrossing. This is an
awesome sonic assault that will give your system a tough workout. The opening battle scene is
marvelous with bass that rocks your seat, shakes your body, and rattles the windows. The
remainder of the movies packs the same punch. If X-Men: The Last Stand is anything, it's
a sonic masterpiece that will have you checking for shrapnel wounds every time you hear an
explosion. The surrounds are more than simply active; they create a completely immersive and
believable wartime experience during battle sequences and they form a pleasing and natural
ambience during the calmer moments in the movie. This is a hard hitting and pulse pounding track
that delivers on the promise and premise of the action movie genre as it sounds almost as good as it
gets.
Although the special features here may not be as in-depth as some fans would like, there is still
a decent offering of extras to peruse after the movie is over. First up is a feature commentary
track with Brett Ratner, Zak Penn, and Simon Kinberg. One of my favorite commentary tracks is
Ratner's effort on the old Rush Hour DVD, and he provides another solid one here. This
is your standard fare commentary track and with two writers chiming in, it comes as no surprise
that the writing of the script is discussed quite a bit. The track is fairly entertaining, but unless
you love this movie, I wouldn't bother listening for the entirety. The second track is a producers
track featuring Avi Arad, Lauren Shuller Donner and Ralph Winter. This is a pretty boring track
that rehashes much of what was discussed in the first track.
After the two commentary tracks the supplements get pretty thin. There are a dozen deleted
and alternate scenes with optional commentary by the participants of the first commentary track.
The scenes are presented in 1080p with a Dolby Digital 5.1 track. The scenes combine for a total
runtime of 9:13. There is also a trivia track that provides some informational nuggets in a small
window throughout the film. Finally, trailers for this film, Fantastic Four, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and Planet of the Apes conclude the special features.
X-Men: The Last Stand is the low point in the series, but it remains a solid, entertaining
movie that might disappoint hardcore X-Men fans but should please general audiences as a
hard hitting action movie with plenty of good special effects that showcase the powers of these
mutants. The premise of the story is a good one that with some fleshing out could have been equal
to the first two entries in terms of overall quality. This felt like a mostly recycled picture with
nothing new to offer other than the basic plot and a few new mutants. In the end, it still winds up
as a massive
confrontation that is exciting but ultimately lacking in bringing another layer of depth to the
franchise. For fans of the movie, this disc is technically astounding. We get top notch audio and
video presentations. The supplements get rather short rather fast after the two commentary
tracks, but what is included is mostly good. Despite not liking this movie as much as the first two, it
was still a fun ride from beginning to end that delivered solid action. Recommended.
X-Men: The Last Stand: Other Editions
2-disc set $13.00
3-disc set $18.35
Blu-ray bundles with X-Men: The Last Stand (1 bundle)
