X-Men: The Last Stand ***1/2

X-Men: The Last Stand
Starring Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart, and Ian McKellen. Rated PG-13.

During the weeks preceding the release of X3, as it will heretofore be referred, a lot of fans were worrying that it wouldn't at all measure up to the two previous installments. A lot of this was of course due to the change in director. Bryan Singer has never failed to impress me, but Brett Ratner doesn't exactly have the best track record. I liked The Family Man and Red Dragon, but the Rush Hour series was never my cup of tea. However, I'm glad to say that X3 turned out to be just excellent, and it's probably my favorite of the series thus far.

X3 has a great premise. After lots of conflict between humans and the mutants, a cure able to destroy the mutant gene has finally been formulated. Of course, none of the mutants are very happy about this, especially the ruthless Magneto (Ian McKellen) who has formed a Brotherhood to fight against the cause of the humans and destroy the cure. Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and his aptly named X-Men know that Magneto will stop at nothing to win his battle, so they must suit up once more to save all of humanity...again. Meanwhile, the recently deceased Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) has been resurrected and is now possessed by the power of the Dark Pheonix, a power that she cannot control and will endanger herself, others, and the entire planet.

This is one of the best superhero movies I've ever seen. Granted, it isn't as good as the Spider-Man movies, but it comes close. Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, and everyone else perfectly slip back into their original roles and they all do a great job. The script has several instances of corny dialogue and doesn't have as much character development as it should have, but it works well enough. In all the big set pieces and action sequences, it's the special effects that really shine. The post-production team did a fantastic job, and they should be commended.

Thankfully, X3 was the action extravaganza that everyone was hoping for. And if this is indeed the "last stand," it's a great way to go out.