X-Men : L'affrontement final

En tant que divertissement hollywoodien attrayant pour un jeune public sans faille, en tant que suite de X-Men 2 de Singer, mais triste. Brett Ratner est un cinéaste enthousiaste, un fan des belles images, des effets spéciaux et des héros de films, mais il est trop superficiel et enfantin par rapport à la substance significative esquissée par Bryan Singer. Le personnage de Juggernaut (Vinnie Jones) et les incohérences occasionnelles semblent sortir de l'adaptation de jeu vidéo de Paul W.S. Anderson, et le film est plus proche de Fantastic Four que de ses prédécesseurs. À l'âge de dix-sept ans, quand j'adorais Commando car il s'y passait "constamment quelque chose", X-Men: The Last Stand aurait été mon préféré de toute la série. P.S. : Si Singer avait complété leur scénario dynamique avec ses propres éléments et l'avait réalisé avec un visage plus sérieux et une durée modérée de 120 minutes, cela aurait pu être vraiment le meilleur épisode de la série. (23/05/2006)

Not as emotional and almost perfect as the first installment, and not as comic book-like and cohesive as the second installment, yet despite the change of director, it is still adequately X-Men and unmistakable. Wolverine with Hugh's traditionally sharp face is a safe bet and it's no wonder he remained the main character. Others lag behind him surprisingly this time, which is especially disappointing with the highly favored Storm, from whom we don't get any new surprises. It is even more unfortunate that the very interesting background characters (Angel and especially Kitty) are not developed. Before Singer's departure, a grand finale of the entire mutant saga was promised, which surprisingly does not happen in the end. I didn't feel like I was watching the last installment, rather maybe one of the final ones. After the first few showings, due to my love for the school for gifted youth, I gave a rating somewhere around 90%, because after three years of eagerly waiting and subsequent fear of the outcome, I felt highly satisfied with the path Ratner took. However, with distance, it's not that glorious, mainly due to the unnecessarily clunky screenplay. For an installment where two major storylines of Phoenix's rampage and the mutation cure come together, it's a shame to waste such an ace up the sleeve as Juggernaut. One of the most iconic villains in comics could have been a draw for the next installment, but here he is just an ordinary unremarkable pawn. With distance and comparison to the remaining installments (including Logan's solos, First Class, and Days of Future Past), it must be admitted that this is indeed the weakest adventure of the Children of the Atom. Fortunately, it still means a clear victory. (04/06/2006)

It's as if I've gone from a four-star restaurant called Singer's, serving chicken medallions in cheese batter, Sacher cake for dessert, and 2004 Chardonnay, to a perfectly functional fast-food chain called McRatner, with a triple burger and a Coke. You might eat at both places, but you'll have a different experience, not to mention the memories you'll take away. (14/09/2006)

The clock started turning back, and Brett Ratner went back to the 1980s. He brought along a bunch of hotshots using special effects and made an impactful action spectacle that could certainly be a full-fledged film in its own right if it didn't want to tie itself to the previous two installments in the franchise. The theme and the screenplay (except for the terrible dialogue!) are fine, but Ratner completely misunderstands the meaning of the plot and instead plays at being a narrator. The mutants are characters with no psychology, no history, and no distinctive dimension. The quantum of new arrivals, most of whom don't even have a name, is brought out around in a disorganized manner and any action they take is completely self-serving. Without these specifics, their emotions towards themselves sound either ridiculous or (more likely) completely incomprehensible. Only Mr. Singer's group of old warriors carry the film forward, but even they aren't enough to keep the mutants from (sadly) burying themselves. The first time it was a blast, the second time an absolute collapse. (10/09/2006)

Ratner is not Singer, which wouldn't be such a big flaw if it weren't for the fact that Singer = X-men. The young director inserted so much of his own style into the X-men series that Ratner simply has no options. However, he is able to do the action sequences as effectively as his predecessor, he handles the dynamics and tension well (the film really flows fast), and he also retains a decent portion of chemistry between the main characters. But. He lacks a creative approach to the matter, the new characters are bloodless, superficial, and any deeper dialogues in Ratner's routine performance suddenly sound convulsive and untrustworthy. There’s an increase in clichés and superfluous pathos, which replaces honest work with the main idea, in which Singer was the master of masters. Although the X-Men were never great philosophers, one could not deny them depth and sophistication. The third film has the energy, good moments and the characteristics of the previous parts, but Ratner is unable to imitate Singer's bravura and diligence. Why couldn't Bryan wait one more film? X-Men: The Last Stand could have been the peak, whilst this is just a good comic book film. ***1/2 (29/05/2006)