up there too. Though it's not exactly true to the last mythos around
Bats' history (the great Year One books following the Crisis on Infinite
Earths) I thought it was a very good take on the Dark Knight.
Interesting to have Batman actually fear the thing that's his symbol,
yet use that fear to drive him onward. I also think "Superman: The
Movie" was faithful to the legend of Kal-El accepted at that time
(though again, I prefer the post-Crisis interpretation by John Byrne
which is alas being reversed by current DC leadership). The Spider-Man
flicks are good in that they're pretty true to Peter Parker's life and
travails, but the villains and FX have left me a little underwhelmed, so
they're not at the top of my list.
-----Original Message-----
From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of Martin Pratt
Sent: Wednesday, 24 May, 2006 13:12
To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Early Review: Final "X-Men" has lost its
X-factor
Based on the performance of previous comic-based movies, I despair of
H'Wood ever getting the formula completely right. "Hellboy" worked on
every level, from effects to sheer entertainment value. IMO, it should
be looked at carefully by other studios before they leap into the actual
making of their movies.
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Not really any spoilers. This is just
one reviewer's opinion, and it's someone I've frankly never read before.
Seems this boils down to the opinion that it has gloss but little under
the surface. Given the changes in writers and director, not surprising.
It may still be a decent time-waster for the summer, though ultimately
forgettable.
I don't know... "MI-3" was okay but not scintillating, "Poseidon" was
lousy, and though "Superman Returns" will get my ducats, I ain't feeling
the plot or that young, weak-looking Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane! The
blockbusters may disappoint this year. Hell, "Snakes on a Plane" may end
up being the best one of all!
Final "X-Men" has lost its X-factor
By Michael Rechtshaffen2 hours, 8 minutes ago
Not exactly going out with a whimper, "X-Men: The Last Stand," the
closing installment of the commercially and critically successful Marvel
movie franchise, still fails to generate the satisfying bang created by
the first and, particularly, the second edition.
With creative force Bryan Singer having vacated the X-Men universe for
the highly anticipated "Superman Returns," Brett Ratner has taken the
reins, and though the picture is not without its wow-inducing,
SFX-driven moments, that potent X-factor is considerably diminished in
Singer's absence.
Arriving Friday on the heels of a splashy Cannes premiere, the film
should still enjoy an X-cellent opening weekend, but less assured is its
ability to scale the $214.8 million-grossing heights of 2003's "X2:
X-Men United."
The gang's pretty much all here for the purported final go-round, which
sees the makings of a virtual mutant civil war ignited by the
introduction of a pharmaceutical cure for their afflictions/attributes.
That promise of conformity offered by the crusading Warren Worthington
Sr. (Michael Murphy) further alienates the mutant society with its
double-edged ramifications.
Unsurprisingly, the "cure" triggers a sociological showdown between the
ever-tolerant Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and the mercurial Magneto
(Ian McKellen), who vows to obliterate both the remedy and its
adherents, human and mutant alike.
Meanwhile, on a more local level, Logan, aka Wolverine (Hugh Jackman),
is thrown for an emotional loop when the extremely telepathic Jean Gray
(Famke Janssen) emerges from what was believed to have been her watery
grave with her powers notably undiluted.
But while the setup, with its underlying themes of sexual identity and
alienation more pronounced than ever, is intriguing enough, "Last Stand"
is more concerned about getting to the next special effects sequence
than it is about tapping into those relevant undercurrents.
Sticking mainly to the surface, Ratner, who came on board after the
hasty departure of "Layer Cake" director Matthew Vaughn, keeps things
moving swiftly enough, but his writing team (Singer took previous
"X-Men" scribes Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris to the "Superman"
movie) -- including Simon Kinberg ("Mr. & Mrs. Smith") and Zak Penn --
fails to nail the requisite tone.
So while Jackman, Janssen, McKellen, Stewart, Halle Berry's Storm,
Rebecca Romijn's Mystique, as well as newcomer Kelsey Grammer's hairy,
blue-tinged Dr. Henry McCoy/Beast are all in fine fighting form, their
superpowers ultimately are rendered useless in the face of some
ultradumb dialogue that truly misses the "X-Men" mark.
Visual effects supervisor John Bruno, meanwhile, doesn't disappoint with
some franchise-worthy set pieces -- among them a dramatic repositioning
of the Golden Gate Bridge and a rather extreme makeover of Grey's
suburban home -- that are worthy of the Marvel moniker.
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