Add "X-Men: The Last Stand" to the list of trilogies whose third parts are the weakest, along with "
Jurassic Park," "Back
to the Future" and "
The Godfather." It's not a bad movie, though not for lack of several bad elements (sloppy editing, some outrageous plot maneuvers). It's fun enough to be worth seeing, but it's nowhere near as slick, action-packed or entertaining as its predecessors . Brett Ratner, the hit-or-miss director of "Rush Hour" (boo!) and "Red Dragon" (yay!), brings his frenetic, self-assured bombast to the "X-Men" franchise, replacing the savvier, more sensitive Bryan Singer. As a result, "The Last Stand" feels busy and rushed even when there's no action -- which, curiously, is most of the film. Yes, for an action film there's surprisingly little action. Instead, the first 75 minutes are practically bursting with plot, as a major pharmaceutical company has created a product that will "cure" a mutant of his or her unusual traits. Mutant activists are outraged by the very idea -- mutantism doesn't need to be "cured" any more than left-handedness does! -- while some of the meeker members of the community are secretly overjoyed to know they can finally be relieved of the things that make them different from everyone else.
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