Gee, THAT'S a Surprise...

You scored as Cyclops. Cyclops is the team leader of the X-Men, and a skilled one at that. He loves Jean Grey very much. He's a strict and sometimes uptight leader, but he believes in his cause and he knows what he's fighting for... Peace between Mutants and Humans. Powers: Optic blasts Cyclops 95% Iceman 65% Colossus 60% Storm 55% Jean Grey 55% Wolverine 45% Rogue 40% Nightcrawler 40% Beast 35% Emma Frost 25% Gambit 20% Most Comprehensive X-Men Personality Quiz 2.0 created with QuizFarm.com

...which brings me to X-Men: The Last Stand. First off, I will say that it was not of the "unwatchably bad" variety, but that was mostly due to the cast being packed with really good actors. Really good acting, however, can't save a weak script, lame direction ("Bryan Singer's not available? Then let's get the guy who did the Rush Hour movies!"), or unnecessary character murder. The alterations to canon characters and continuity will leave most X-fans less than enthusiastic (and that can look like anything from rabid frothing-at-the-mouth to head-scratching and mutting, "But... but... WHY??").

I understand that changes must sometimes be made in translating comic book characters to the big screen, but it HAS been done successfully in the past, without sacrificing the core ethos of the title in question. Singer's first two X-films were, with a few notable exceptions, fairly loyal to the characters, if not the continuity as a whole. They had heart, and were well executed and entertaining. Fox claims this is the final X-film they will tackle. I say, if this is the way they are going to treat Marvel's most popular comic title, thank God.

So here's my list of good & bad - it's VERY geeky, and your mileage may vary. !!SPOILER ALERT!!

GOOD

• Kelsey Grammer as The Beast. Perfect visual representation and a great performance.
• Visual representation of Angel was, I felt, spot-on.
• The Danger Room, Sentinels and the Colossus/Wolverine "fastball" were all represented.
• Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen are always awesome, especially playing off one another.
• Magneto's "detour" of the Golden Gate Bridge is a great sequence.
• Liked the representation of Juggernaut, despite a continuity issue (see BAD).
• Kitty Pryde, one of my faves from the Claremont/Smith days, has a lot more to do in this film, and is well represented visually.
• Jean Grey's transformation toward what in the comic would be her Dark Phoenix form I felt was pretty impressive and well done.

BAD

• The X-Men represent a multi-ethnic, multicultural melding of ethics and ideas. Why was Colossus made American?
• Why remove the Kitty's love interest in Colossus and give it to Iceman?
• Where was Nightcrawler?
• Rogue does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, and punks out by taking the cure. WTF??
• Magneto walks away from Mystique after she takes the shot meant for him, and loses her powers. The Magneto we know would not have abandoned such a loyal comrade - he would have tried to find a way to re-cure her and get her mutant abilities back.
• Juggernaut is NOT A MUTANT.
• Since when does Callisto have super-speed/time-phasing ability?
• Did Hugh Jackman actually grow another couple inches in height, or did he lose weight? Wolverine is in the mid 5-foot range and built like a tank. Although Jackman had sort of grown on me in his Wolvie portrayal in the first 2 films, this was the least convincing Wolvie yet. Tall, slender and hardly any chops. They need to look much more like The Beast's whiskers. Sorry Hugh - most of it was the script and makeup, not you.
• I'm not against the occasional loss of a major character in an epic continuity. It increases tension and keeps interest, and usually serves as a catalyst toward some major plot twist or action. But to kill a main character OFFSCREEN?? I was going to invoke the script yet again, but IMDB doesn't even have a listed credit for whoever wrote the damn thing. Ugh. Come to think of it, a lot of folks just get punked in the film - mostly by neutering of character.

Anyway, don't spend the money for a nighttime show. Stick with a matinee or wait for DVD.