WHO MADE IT? | Director Brett Ratner Cast: Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Sir Ian McKellan, Patrick Stewart and Famke Janssen | WHAT'S IT ABOUT? | A cure for mutancy has been uncovered and mutants have a choice for the first time - remain as they are or give up their unique powers and become human. Magneto (McKellan) believes the cure is a weapon for the authorities to eradicate the mutant population, a move to be resisted at all costs while Charles Xavier (Stewart) advocates tolerance. Meanwhile Magneto and Xavier's opposing views triggers a war to end all wars. | WHAT'S IT LIKE? | This is the climactic final chapter in the X-Men trilogy and carries on where the last one left off. Directed by Brett Ratner (Silence of the Lambs) instead of Bryan Singer (who went off to direct Superman) it is the darkest and most sinister of the three but lacks the humour that the others had. Gone are the snappy funnny one liners replaced by Vinny Jones as the Juggernaut who's like a bull in a china shop in his comic timing and delivery. Instead this is more earnest and very sentimental at times. The special effects are as spectacular as we have come to expect. The removal of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge is one to behold. The apocalyptic showdown ending is also guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser. Our favourite X-Men are back Wolverine (Jackman), Storm (Berry) and a more complex and malevolent Jean Grey (Janssen) as the reincarnated Phoenix who has serious anger issues. However there are far too many secondary mutants with second rate powers (i.e. Angel, who has great big white wings and Callisto who can tell how powerful other mutants are. Reach for the cure girl) who get far too much screen time instead of the main X-Men (Rogue). It's a wonderful premise which they should have spent more time exploring. As a huge X-Men fan I was left slightly disappointed but it was a great watch. They've also left it open for X-Men the next generation (make sure you stay until the end of the credits) so fret not. | Opens nationwide on 25 May 2006
