Films That Can Be Salvaged Part 4: X-Men The Last Stand (2006)

The Rundown: After Bryan Singer departed to helm Superman Returns, Fox brought in Brett Ratner to close out the X-Men trilogy (sorta, with Wolverine 2 and X-Men First Class on the way). The result: an okay film that doesn’t quite live up to the lofty heights set by its predecessor, X-Men United.

What made it great: Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine was the most popular and compelling character in the franchise, and that continued here. Other standouts like Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart afforded X3 some much-needed credibility. Kelsey Grammer’s turn as Beast was inspired casting.

What can be fixed: Too many useless mutants. If there are means to get rid of some of Magneto’s more toothless minions, I’d do it. They set-up the whole Multiple Man thing so he could bait an army - the sort of tee-it-up exercise I loathe in films.

Get rid of Angel. The whole opening sequence showing the boy (young Angel) trying to cut off his wings can be nixed. Angel sprouting wings to escape a treatment can be nixed. Angel showing up at the Xavier Institute can be nixed. And lastly, Angel saving his dad can be nixed. He doesn’t need to be in the picture at all. Beast merely has to lay out the exposition for the ‘mutant cure’, as well as Dr. Worthington’s press conference to spell out the threat. It doesn’t even matter if Worthington lives or dies at the end, he is a throwaway character. I often cringe at the plot point that these powerful mutants can only think of throwing him off the building as a means to kill the guy. Just a convenient means for Angel to save the day. Ugh.

Some surprise editing. Xavier telling Storm she may one day be the head of the Institute was laying it on a bit thick for foreshadowing. Let his death be an actual surprise when it happens. Might be trickier to execute, but attempting to make Jean’s first appearance since her escape from the mansion to be by Magneto’s side at the end would be more interesting.

Not much exposition needed. When Magneto rescued Mystique from the mobile jail, they went into this big spiel where Juggernaut and Multiple Man were introduced. They just had to show the guys stepping out of their cells. One is big and tough. The other multiplies. We can see them in action later. Let their abilities unfold onscreen like an extension of their characterization (which wasn’t a whole lot).

Cut out the unnecessary. There was some talk about the army’s response time to get to Alcatraz at the climax - ultimately it didn’t matter, so trying to elevate the stakes with this ‘race-against-the-clock’ cliche was a futile gesture. Hank McCoy’s ascension into the Senate at the end was tacked-on, and a goal the audience wasn’t invested into seeing happen.The funeral was a mixed-bag, as seeing the name Scott Summers on a tombstone seemed like a grand gesture for such a token, almost forgettable death by the time the end of the film rolls around.

Would these changes improve the film? I believe they would. By getting rid of the Angel character and the related story arc, you’d have a leaner film that would be more focused on the two major plots: The Cure, and the Phoenix Saga. But even if a major edit occurred, X3 would still live in the shadow of X2.