X - Man The Last Stand.
X-Men: The Last Stand is the third theatrical film adaptation of the Marvel Comics' X-Men superhero comic books, following X-Men and X2. Brett Ratner directed, having taken over when Bryan Singer dropped out to direct Superman Returns. The movie revolves around a "mutant cure" that causes serious repercussions among mutants and humans, and on the mysterious resurrection of Jean Grey, who appeared to have died in X2. The film is loosely based on two X-Men comic book story arcs: writer Chris Claremont's and artist John Byrne's "Dark Phoenix Saga" in The Uncanny X-Men and writer Joss Whedon's and artist John Cassaday's six-issue "Gifted" arc in Astonishing X-Men.[citation needed]
The film was released May 26, 2006 in the United States and Canada, and one or two days earlier in approximately 22 other countries. Despite mixed reviews from critics, the film did well at the box office. Its opening-day gross of $45.5 million is the fourth-highest on record while its opening weekend gross of $103 million is the fifth highest ever.
A pharmaceutical company called Worthington Labs announces that it has developed an inoculation to permanently suppress the X-gene that gives mutants their powers, offering the "cure" to any mutant who wants it. While some mutants are interested in the "cure", including the X-Men's Rogue, many others are horrified by the announcement. In response to the news, the X-Men's adversary Magneto raises an army, warning his followers that the "cure" will be forcefully used to exterminate the mutant race.
Cyclops, still heartbroken about the loss of Jean Grey, returns to Alkali Lake, where Jean sacrificed herself to save the X-Men. Jean appears to Cyclops, and as the two kiss, Jean changes and appears to kill Cyclops. Sensing trouble, Professor Charles Xavier sends Wolverine and Storm to investigate. When they arrive, the two X-Men encounter telekinetically floating rocks, Cyclops' glasses, and an unconscious Jean
Xavier explains that the majority of Jean's power is seated in her unconscious mind (Sigmund Freud's "Id") and that, as a result, her powers are largely fueled by instinct, and not under her complete control. In fact, when Jean was a little girl she was so powerful that he had to put telepathic blocks on her mind to help keep her powers under control. Her bottled up powers manifested themselves as an id-like alternate personality called the "Phoenix"--a purely instinctual creature, ruled not by logic, but by its own violent desires. Wolverine is disgusted to learn that Xavier has kept Jean in check telepathically, but when Jean awakens, he realizes she is not the Jean Grey he knew. Wolverine asks about Cyclops, but she cannot remember and fears she killed him. Jean pleads with Wolverine to kill her before she harms anybody else, but when he refuses, the Phoenix surfaces and telekinetically slams Wolverine into a wall. She then flees to her childhood home. Magneto, also aware that Jean's powers are loose, meets Xavier at Jean's house. The two men vie for Jean's loyalty until the Phoenix resurfaces, unleashing her devastating power. Furious at being caged within Jean's subconscious for twenty years, she destroys her family's house, disintegrates Xavier, and leaves with Magneto.
Following the losses of Xavier, Cyclops, and Rogue (who decides to take the mutant "cure"), the X-Men regroup and confront Magneto's army, which is attacking the pharmaceutical company's laboratory on Alcatraz Island. During the battle, Beast injects Magneto with the "cure", nullifying his mutant powers. After the battle, Wolverine nearly coaxes Jean back to sanity. However, soldiers arrive and fire upon Jean. The Phoenix quickly emerges and begins to disintegrate everything and everyone around her, vaporizing the soldiers. While the other X-Men flee to safety, Wolverine fights his way to Jean, relying upon his healing abilities to save him from her destructive power. Momentarily gaining control, Jean begs Wolverine to save her. Telling Jean he loves her, Wolverine reluctantly kills her with his claws.
Despite the X-Men's losses, life goes on. The school will continue, even without Xavier. Rogue returns and tells Iceman she had to take the "cure." The two reconcile and continue their relationship now able to touch each other. Magneto, now an ordinary man, sits at a chessboard and reaches out toward a metal chess piece that trembles slightly — indicating that the cure might not be as permanent as thought. Following the closing credits, Dr. Moira MacTaggert checks on a comatose patient who greets her with Xavier's voice, implying that he has transferred his mind into this new body.
Brian Singer , the director of the first two X-Men films, left the project during preproduction in order to direct the film Superman Returns. He was joined by X2 screenwriters Dan Harris and Michael Dougherty and composer / editor John Ottman. Though Singer, Harris and Dougherty had yet to complete a script, the director has revealed that at the time of his departure they had partially completed a story treatment for the film which would have focused exclusively on Jean Grey's resurrection[4] with the new villain Emma Frost, a role intended for Sigourney Weaver.[5]
Simon Kinberg was hired as writer soon after Singer's departure, and speculation arose to Joss Whedon directing the film.[6] Rob Bowman[7] and Alex Proyas[8] were also rumoured, though the latter personally turned it down.[9] Zack Snyder was also approached, though he turned it down due to his commitment to 300.[10] Despite the controversy over Singer's departure, the cast and producers were still clearly keen to return.[11] Matthew Vaughn was hired as the new director for the project. He cast Kelsey Grammer as Beast and Vinnie Jones as Juggernaut, but family issues reportedly led Vaughn to withdraw before shooting began.[12] Vaughn was replaced by Singer's friend Brett Ratner,[13] who was among those originally considered to direct the first film — and coincidentally was considered by Warner Brothers to direct the 2006 Superman project before it evolved into Superman Returns
On June 13, 2005, a review of an incomplete early draft[14] of the screenplay posted by Drew McWeeny from Ain't It Cool News sparked controversy from fans, due to certain main characters' storylines; however, that was the very first of over two dozen drafts of the script. Most notably the Golden Gate Bridge sequence was originally in the middle of the film, but Ratner decided it would create a more dramatic climax if moved to the end,[15] which was originally to take place in Washington, D.C.[16]
X-Men: The Last Stand began shooting in August 2005 and ended in January 2006. Much of X-Men: The Last Stand was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. According to associate producer Dave Gordon, "This is the biggest production ever filmed in Canada. It used to be X2, now it's X3."[17]
Senior actors Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen had their faces completely "de-aged" by complex keyframing, though computer-generated imagery was not used. A technique called "digital skin-grafting" was employed to make them look 20 years younger in the first-scene flashback.[18]
The film has extensive wirework, where many of the actors performed some of their own stunts. The whirlwind wire-stunt performed by Halle Berry during one fight scene reportedly caused Berry to become so nauseated that she vomited. The crew actually had to bring in buckets for her before shooting her scenes. Angel's wings were initially too heavy for Ben Foster, and were remade from foam.[19] Despite his fear of heights, Foster performed a single second-unit stunt where he escapes Worthington's facility.[3]
X-Men: The Last Stand grossed $45.1 million domestically for the fourth-highest opening day after Spider-Man 3 ($59 million), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ($55.8 million) and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith ($50 million).[20] (All figures here not adjusted for inflation.) It is ranked fourth among film debuts having generated an estimated $122.9 million domestically during its four-day Memorial Day opening weekend and the number one Memorial Day movie of all time until the record was broken by Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End which earned $142 million during its four-day Memorial Day opening. The website The Numbers notes that the film's weekend gross "equals the record for the fewest number of days taken to earn $100 million, joining four other movies that achieved the feat in three days."[21] However, the film suffered a significant drop of 66.9% in its second weekend, when its box office take fell to $34.0 million.[22] Nevertheless, the film has grossed over $234 million in North America (fourth-highest of 2006) and over $459 million globally (fifth-highest of 2006).[20] It is the fifth-highest-grossing comic book adaptation, and the highest grossing of the X-Men series.[20] It became the first film of 2006, and the 67th film on record, to pass the $200 million mark at the North American box office, which it accomplished on the weekend of June 9, 2006. It is the first X-Men movie to surpass $200 million outside the United States. X-Men: The Last Stand is one of the few third installments in a series to outgross its predecessors, The Return of the King being another example.
Reviews of the film have generally been mixed, with the film-review website Rotten Tomatoes giving the film a 57% approval rating.[23] The film review aggregate site Metacritic also reported mixed reviews with a score of 58/100.[24] Ebert and Roeper gave the film a "two thumbs up" rating, with Ebert stating "I liked the action, I liked the absurdity, I liked the incongruous use and misuse of mutant powers, and I especially liked the way it introduces all of those political issues and lets them fight it out with the special effects." [25] Some film critics, however, considered the third film to be of lesser quality than the previous two. Justin Chang from Variety said the film is "a wham-bam sequel noticeably lacking in the pop gravitas, moody atmospherics and emotional weight that made the first two Marvel comicbook adaptations so rousingly successful."[26] Frank Lovece of Film Journal International said, "A risk-taking script with genuine consequences elevates this ... above the lackluster direction of Brett Ratner, whose competent mechanics move the story efficiently but with very little soul."[27] At the 2007 Saturn Awards, Famke Janssen won the Best Supporting Actress award for her portrayal of Jean Grey.[28] Also impressed with Janssen's performance were Total Film, who said, "playing the super-freaky mind-control goddess like GoldenEye’s Xenia Onatopp’s all-powerful psycho sister, her scenes – particularly that one with the house – crackle with energy and tragedy. If only the rest of X3 had followed suit."[29]
The novelization of the movie differs in some areas from the film. In the novel, young Jean Grey discovers her powers after an accident that takes her best friend's life. Angel officially joins the X-Men and travels with them to Alcatraz Island instead of going on his own. Storm spares Callisto's life, and Rogue decides to keep her powers in the end, and Beast stays at the school as a teacher, the latter two of which were alternate versions of the film. Iceman takes an unconscious Pyro away from Alcatraz. The attack on Alcatraz is referred to as M-Day, a reference to the "Decimation of mutantkind" storyline in the comic books. Moira MacTaggert visits Magneto in the park, presumably offering an antidote to the "cure", which he refuses because as the book says: "He couldn't go back. That path had brought nothing but grief, to those he cared for, those who trusted him, to himself." Unlike the film, the novel does not allude to Xavier's resurrection. In the end of the novel Wolverine is in the basement of the Institute training the new X-Men, which includes Gambit, Sage, Danielle Moonstar and Cannonball.
The novel also makes a reference to X3 scriptwriter Zak Penn, whose name is given to a sergeant in the middle of the novel, and to X-Men writer Stan Lee as Mr. Lee, one of Jean's neighbours portrayed by Stan Lee in the film. The president's name in the novelization is David Cockrum, a reference to comics artist Dave Cockrum. McCoy asks the president about his wife Paty, who in real life is David Cockrum's wife who used to work at Marvel. Two other references are made towards the end of the book, the first is Hollywood planning a film about the Battle of Alcatraz (a possible reference to the actual movie) along with a British Shakespearean actor, who is also a Knight playing Magneto (a possible reference to Sir Ian McKellen who played Magneto in all three films). Other references include the mutant Bishop as police officer after Pyro attacks a cure facility.
The book also briefly references Kitty Pryde's political ambitions when she is shown hanging up a homemade "Pryde for President" poster. In a few possible futures seen in the comics, Pryde has ended up President (X-Men: The End) and her plans to run for office were a sub-plot during the X-Treme X-Men series.
Games publisher Activision released X-Men: The Official Game, the official video game tie-in to the film across all major video game platforms on May 16, 2006. The various editions of the game bridge the events of the films X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand and feature many of both films' prominent characters. Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Alan Cumming, Eric Dane, Shawn Ashmore and Tyler Mane reprise their film roles in this game. Sentinels, Lady Deathstrike, Sabretooth and Silver Samurai also appear in the game. It also provides an explanation of Nightcrawler's absence from the film. An X-Men: The Last Stand game was also released for mobile phones.
X-Men: The Last Stand was released in the United States and Canada on DVD in both standard and collector's edition formats on October 3, 2006. The single-disc standard DVD, in either widescreen or fullscreen, features two menu settings: "Join The Brotherhood" and "Take A Stand". These choices simply change the menu's design and the deleted scenes available, but don't alter the movie content. The DVD also features commentaries featuring the director, writers, and producers; 10 deleted scenes; three alternate endings; and two easter eggs. On the first day of its release, errors were reported with the DVD. About 60% of the DVDs currently in circulation have errors in them. Some DVDs come with only 10 deleted scenes while others come with 21, amongst other errors.[31]
The "Stan Lee Collector's Edition" DVD is a widescreen standard DVD that was packaged in a slipcase with a 100-page booklet featuring a completely new X-Men comic by Stan Lee. The Hollywood Reporter announced that 20th Century Fox will make films available to buy online the same day as the DVD, through Direct2Drive, with X-Men: The Last Stand among the first such available. Also, Wal-Mart stores included a special exclusive DVD titled "X-Men Revealed" with 50 minutes of behind-the-scenes look at the evolution of the X-Men franchise. The Wal-Mart exclusive DVD disc is not what it seems however. From the information of the exclusive DVD front and back cover, it is supposed to be a behind-the-scenes look of the X-Men movie franchise but instead it is a brief history of the X-Men comics. Target also has an exclusive that comes in a tin case with the single-disc DVD plus a reprint of Giant-Size X-Men #1 and four collectible cards from the movie.
The DVD sold 5 million copies in its first week in stores.[32] In other countries, such as the United Kingdom, the DVD package has a bonus disc containing three documentaries (Brett Ratner's Production Diary (40 minutes), X-Men: Evolution Of A Trilogy (40 minutes), and X-Men: The Excitement Continues (20 minutes)) as well as various featurettes, character guides and pre-visualisation sequences. This version is planned for a later region 1 release.[33]
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