Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - The IMAX Experience Review

Rated PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Sci-Fi Action Violence, Language, Some Crude and Sexual Material, and Brief Drug Material)

Running Time: 2 Hours & 30 Minutes

Cast-

Shia LaBeouf-Sam Witwicky

Megan Fox-Mikaela Banes

Josh Duhamel-Major William Lennox

Tyrese Gibson-Sergeant Robert Epps

Ramon Rodriguez-Leo Spitz

John Turturro-Reggie Simmons

Kevin Dunn-Ron Witwicky

Julie White-Judy Witwicky

Isabel Lucas-Alice

Glenn Morshower-General Morshower

John Benjamin Hickey-Galloway

Rainn Wilson-Professor Colan

Peter Cullen (voice)-Optimus Prime

Hugo Weaving (voice)-Megatron

Tony Todd (voice)-The Fallen

Robert Foxworth (voice)-Ratchet

Jess Harnell (voice)-Ironhide

André Sogliuzzo (voice)-Sideswipe

Grey DeLisle (voice)-Arcee

Tom Kenny-Wheelie/Skids

Reno Wilson-Mudflap

Mark Ryan (voice)-Jetfire

Charlie Adler (voice)-Starscream

Frank Welker (voice)-Soundwave/Devastator/Reedman/Grindor

Calvin Wimmer (voice)-Wheelbot

Michael York (voice)-Prime #1

Kevin Michael Richardson (voice)-Prime #2/Skipjack/Rampage

Robin Atkin Downes (voice)-Prime #3

Directed by Michael Bay

Outside of the forest battle halfway through the film, everything else about "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" is total garbage.

We’ve finally arrived at the most anticipated movie of the summer, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” released into conventional theaters and IMAX yesterday. The sequel to the 2007 hit has been outselling “Star Trek” in advanced ticket sales and your favorite reviewer has returned from the multiplex to give you the verdict. Unfortunately, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” is a massive disappointment and earns the dubious honor of being the worst summer film I’ve seen so far. The visual effects are still state-of-the-art but they’re no longer any special and while Bay certainly ups the ante in scope, everything else from the story to the characters suffers. The sexual humor extends the camp factor to an almost unbearable limit and by the time the film meanders toward its loud climax, you’d wish it ended forty minutes earlier.

SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW! After a short prologue taking place in 17,000 BC, we return to our main characters two years after the first film, with the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime (voice of Peter Cullen) joining forces with the British and American military to form NEST, an organization devoted to hunting down the remaining Decepticons on Earth. Both Major William Lennox (Josh Duhamel) and Sergeant Robert Epps (Tyrese Gibson) are part of this newly formed organization. Meanwhile, Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) is preparing to go to college and while going through his belongings, he finds a shard of the All-Spark. Upon touching it, his mind is filled with ancient Cybertronian text. He requests his girlfriend, Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox) to keep the shard for safe keeping and says good-bye to his guardian, Bumblebee. In space, Soundwave, the Decepticons’ intelligence officer, hacks a United States military satellite in an attempt to learn the location of Megatron’s corpse and a shard of the All-Spark in the hopes of resurrecting their leader. The shard happens to be heavily guarded in a NEST bunker and Soundwave sends Ravage to retrieve it. Deep in the Laurentian Abyss, the Constructicons revive Megatron (voice of Hugo Weaving), who flies into space and meet his true master, the Fallen (voice of Tony Todd), one of the original thirteen Transformers who is now looking for a Sun Harvester, a large device that can harvest the energy of a planet’s sun and convert it into energon, the lifeblood of all Transformers. The Autobots now must face their old foes, the Decepticons, in battle once more and protect Sam, whose mind holds the key to the survival of the Transformers and their hidden origins.

First let’s look at the plot of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.” Unfortunately, there is none because everything is a damn near incomprehensible mess. Of course, story is never important in these types of films but if that’s true, why did Bay and writers Ehren Kruger, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman spend two hours and thirty minutes telling it? What made the first film mostly work was that amidst all the mindless robot battles lay a simple coming-of-age tale of a boy buying his first car and taking that first step into adulthood. No such themes are found here and the sequel’s sense of scope begins to work against it as we’re introduced to convenient plot devices such as a large ‘rail gun’ that the U.S. military just happens to have and when Sam discovers the ‘Matrix of Leadership,’ which just happens to have the ability to resurrect a major character. Another problem is that "Revenge of the Fallen" reaches its climax about midway and after that, it comes to a screeching halt as it wanders aimlessly toward the final battle. The sequel tries to cover too much ground by piling on the mythology even when it makes no sense and requires too much suspension of disbelief.

It doesn’t help that the characters aren’t all that engaging and Shia LaBeouf seems to have lost much of the wit and charm he had in the first film. Still, I can say that Sam remains the most fleshed-out character, which is no surprise considering he’s always at the center of everything but it’s hard to care about his mission because there’s just no emotional investment. When he suffers a fatal blast from Megatron that leaves him near-death, we don’t feel any grief because we know Bay will find some way to bring him back or there’s no “Transformers 3.” This film reaffirms the fact that Megan Fox absolutely cannot act. When her character Mikaela first appears, she’s wearing ultra-short, cut-off jeans and leaning suggestively on top of a motorcycle. This led to all the male audience members to start whooping and hollering. Yes, we get it, Fox is really attractive and I don’t dispute that but here, it’s just overdone way too much as we’re constantly reminded of how good-looking she is. During the final battle, there’s debris and dirt flying everywhere but amazingly, Fox’s white jeans remain clean throughout that entire sequence! I certainly would like a pair of these special pants as it would sure save on quarters at the local Laundromat! Both Duhamel and Gibson’s characters are now little more than cardboard cutouts with their macho-man banter, taking part in the action yet adding little to the plot. Sam’s neurotic parents, played by Kevin Dunn and Julie White, continues to steal the show in one of the film’s more humorous bits when White’s character accidentally eats brownies that are filled with weed while visiting Sam’s college campus. John Turturro also reprises his role as Reggie Simmons, who now works in a Brooklyn deli since the U.S. government has disbanded Sector 7. Unfortunately, his character is now more annoying than ever and we’re even treated to a shot of his bare buttocks in a thong. Seriously, Bay, was that even necessary? Joining the cast is Ramon Rodriguez (last seen in “The Taking of Pelham 123”) as conspiracy theorist Leo Spitz but he soon wears out his welcome with his incessant screaming that I wished one of the Decepticons would just step on him.

As for the Transformers themselves, they’re still relegated to supporting characters but the film suffers from what I call “X-Men 3 syndrome” as a gaggle of unknown, uncharacterized robots just suddenly pop up to wail on each other and little else. Outside of Optimus Prime, Megatron and a few others, all the other robots are interchangeable, and they exist only to fight because someone decided that’s all the core audience is interested in. Some of the new Transformers wear out their welcome fast, such as Jetfire (voice of Mark Ryan) with his grumpy old man shtick or Wheelie (voice of Tom Kenny), who ends up latching on to Fox’s leg and humping it. Those are minor gripes compared to Mudflap and Skids, two of the worst racial stereotypes I’ve seen in a film since Jar Jar Binks in “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.” Both of them have gold buck teeth, speak in street slang and get this, they admit that they’re illiterate! This is the twenty first century and its amazing films have to fall back on these offensive caricatures just to provide a cheap laugh. Just when it couldn’t get any worse, Bay fills the entire film with a constant barrage of campy sexual humor that makes “Batman & Robin” look like an Academy Award-winning masterpiece. We have dogs humping each other, Megan Fox landing on people’s crotches, and testicles on Devastator. The audience just ate it up, laughing throughout at the most inane and banal of jokes. The one thing I can positively say is that the special effects and action scenes don’t disappoint but even then they begin to grow tiresome. Bay has refined his technique in making the fights more comprehensible and the highlight would be when Optimus Prime takes on Megatron, Starscream, and Grindor in a thrilling forest battle but when the all-out rumble begins to take place in an Egyptian desert, you’re just too exhausted to even care about the outcome anymore. Roger Ebert says it best, ‘If you want to save yourself the ticket price, go into the kitchen, cue up a male choir singing the music of hell, and get a kid to start banging pots and pans together. Then close your eyes and use your imagination.’

Critics agreed with everything I have mentioned as “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” currently holds the lowest rating of all the high-profile summer releases: 22% on Rotten Tomatoes. I know I hold an unpopular opinion with this film and I’ll probably get bashed for it but that’s something a critic, even an amateur one has to deal with it. So far, the box office gross stands at a record-breaking $60.6 million for a movie opening on a Wednesday, surpassing 2004’s “Spider-Man 2,” which earned $59.8 million that same day. There is no doubt now that the film will open at number one at the box office and the final figure might be upwards of $150 million. Last year, “The Dark Knight” was the highest grossing film of the year and had emotionally resonant characters and an intelligent script that asked interesting questions of what a man would do to save a city, the likes of which is rarely seen in a high-profile summer picture. I can’t help but think of Joshua Starnes' review on ComingSoon, where he wrote that 'the people the film was made for won't notice; they'll like it for what it is. Which, on consideration, is probably the saddest thing of all. As long as you're willing to accept crap, you're not likely to get anything better.' At first, I thought it was too harsh of a statement but after seeing this garbage on the big screen, it’s apt. Nonetheless, it doesn’t matter what I or other critics think, because the film will still make millions of dollars but as you’re watching, keep Starnes' statement in the back of your mind. If “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” has already sunk this low, I can’t imagine how the third film will turn out.

Final Rating: 1.5 out of 5

"Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing."

Addendum: Having seen "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" in IMAX, I am here to report that there are only two scenes shot with full IMAX cameras: the forest battle between Optimus Prime and the Decepticons and when Devastator rampages across the Egyptian desert.

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Transformers Blu-Ray Review

Rated PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Sci-Fi Action Violence, Brief Sexual Humor, and Language)

Running Time: 2 Hours & 24 Minutes

Cast-

Shia LaBeouf-Sam Witwicky

Megan Fox-Mikaela Banes

Josh Duhamel-Captain William Lennox

Tyrese Gibson-Sergeant Robert Epps

Rachael Taylor-Maggie Madsen

Anthony Anderson-Glen Whitmann

John Turturro-Agent Reggie Simmons

Jon Voight-Defense Secretary John Keller

Michael O'Neill-Tom Banacheck

Kevin Dunn-Ron Witwicky

Julie White-Judy Witwicky

Amaury Nolasco-ACWO Jorge 'Fig' Figueroa

Zack Ward-First Sergeant Donnelly

Bernie Mac-Bobby Bolivia

Peter Cullen (voice)-Optimus Prime

Hugo Weaving (voice)-Megatron

Mark Ryan (voice)-Bumblebee

Darius McCrary (voice)-Jazz

Robert Foxworth (voice)-Ratchet

Jess Harnell (voice)-Ironhide/Barricade

Jimmie Wood (voice)-Bonecrusher

Reno Wilson (voice)-Frenzy

Charlie Adler (voice)-Starscream

Directed by Michael Bay

This picture is a commentary on the awesomeness of America.

Summer movies have gained a reputation for being heavily driven by special effects whose sole purpose is to make money, regardless of what critics think of said movie. No other film epitomizes this than 2007’s “Transformers,” with the sequel, “Revenge of the Fallen” opening in theaters and IMAX tomorrow. Transformers are actually a series of toys created in 1984 by a Japanese toy company called Takara Tomy. Hasbro originally handled distribution in the United States but eventually, brought the entire toy line after Takara gave them sole ownership of the series and copyrights. Takara retained its right to produce and distribute the toys for the Japanese market. Transformers quickly became popular, leading to the creation of various television shows, video games and a full-length animated film but that popularity began to wane until Michael Bay came along. While Bay’s films have certainly raked in millions at the box office with the exception of 2005’s “The Island,” his rather dubious reputation as a filmmaker invoked fears of ‘butchering’ the franchise among hardcore fans, and the radical redesign of many characters didn’t exactly help matters. Available on Blu-Ray since last year, “Transformers” certainly delivers on the spectacle that borders on sensory overload but the story often feels trite with its disparate subplots and the human characters aren’t that interesting to begin with. At the end of the day, this is either a love-it or hate-it film but for me, “Transformers” is merely just average.

After a short narration from Autobot leader Optimus Prime (voice of Peter Cullen) that explains how the war with the Decepticons destroyed their homeworld Cybertron, the film switches to present day Qatar in the Middle East where a U.S. SOCCENT base is tracking an unknown helicopter. The helicopter turns out to be none other than the Decepticon Blackout, who promptly begins to demolish the base in an attempt to hack into the U.S. military network. Captain William Lennox (Josh Duhamel) and Sergeant Robert Epps (Tyrese Gibson) lead a group of survivors but Scorponok burrows underground to follow them. Meanwhile, regular kid Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) is shopping for his first car with his father when he comes upon a faded yellow Chevy Camaro. Sam promptly buys it in an attempt to woo his school crush, Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox) but discovers to his horror that the Camaro is actually Autobot Bumblebee, who transmits a homing signal to his fellow compatriots. Led by Optimus Prime, the group reveals that they are looking for the ‘All-Spark’ and are at war with Megatron (voice of Hugo Weaving), leader of the Decepticons. A map to the location of the All-Spark happens to be etched into the glasses of Sam’s great-great grandfather, who discovered a giant ‘ice man’ buried in the Arctic Circle in 1897. Sam agrees to help the Autobots in a race against time with the Decepticons as the United States military prepare for what seems to be a full-scale alien invasion.

For a movie that is called “Transformers,” the actual Transformers are relegated to supporting characters that end up doing very little until the final thirty minutes of the film. The main plot is your typical coming-of-age story that we’ve seen thousands of times before but Shia LaBeouf’s charismatic and sincere performance makes it work. It's not particularly deep or emotionally involving and the only time that it comes close to that is when Bumblebee is captured by the government. At times, the film’s fragmented storytelling may frustrate viewers as they wonder how the subplot involving the United States military fits into Sam’s predicament but writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman manage to make it come together into a satisfying whole…for the most part. There are a few lingering plot holes involving the All-Spark, the picture’s MacGuffin, as we are led to believe that whoever possesses it wields unlimited power but this idea is thrown out the window when Sam shoves the cube into Megatron’s chest to destroy him. Of course, a film like “Transformers” seems to follow its own logic and scenes such as Frenzy walking nonchalantly through an airbase with Secret Service crawling around or the Autobots milling about in Sam’s backyard begs the question: shouldn’t someone outside the core cast notice giant anthropomorphic robots running around? I mean, they’re pretty hard to miss! Sure, Bay doesn’t want us to take the film too seriously but in reality, it just comes off as distracting. Also, Lennox trying to hide the All-Spark in 'Mission City' (actually Los Angeles) struck me as poor thinking since they know the Decepticons are coming after it so why would they go to a heavily populated area with civilians? The real reason is to have an epic battle but for all its effort to ground the film in reality, this just borders on the absurd. “Transformers” is certainly Bay’s best film to date as he spends a fair amount of time developing the characters, though some only exist mainly to sprout exposition or provide comedy relief but at the end of the day, it’s just an excuse for giant robots to pummel the metal out of each other.

The acting is somewhat mixed but Shia LaBeouf continues to prove that he has the effective screen presence to carry an entire film. His character Sam is your normal, everyday kid who’s excited about getting his first car because this is his ticket to winning the hot girlfriend. It’s a tried-and-true formula for this type of story but Shia manages to bring a maturity to Sam as the film progresses, thanks to his family motto, ‘No sacrifice, no victory.’ Unfortunately, the rest of the cast aren’t given much to do; Megan Fox serves as the obligatory eye candy and the rest of the supporting cast, which includes Josh Duhamel, Rachael Taylor, and Jon Voight, serve to provide exposition so audiences new to Transformers wouldn’t get lost in the shuffle. However John Turturro is rather memorable as the stereotypical, Area 51-like, government official. Turturro never ceases to amaze me thanks to the wide range of different genre’s he’s been involved in, being able to switch from serious to more comedic roles without any effort.

Of course, the real reason to watch “Transformers” is the robots themselves and thanks to Industrial Light & Magic, you’ll see every little gear move with life-like accuracy as they switch between bot and vehicle modes. As actual characters they don’t fare as well and with the exception of Optimus, all of them are just given a name, what their function is and that’s it. As I mentioned before, the robots end up doing very little, with the Decepticons being shortchanged the most as they just suddenly pop up for the final battle! One thing I can say positively is that the special effects are nothing short of astonishing and it was a letdown that they lost the Academy Award to “The Golden Compass.” The action scenes are very much Michael Bay and has his personal, over-the-top touch. Some of them border on sensory overload as you’ll see so many robots shooting and pummeling each other that it all starts to blur together. One of the primary complaints was that viewers had trouble telling who was fighting whom or what faction they belonged to. It was also disappointing that some of the later battles, like the one between Optimus and Megatron, partially take place off-camera, making it feel like a bit of a gyp.

“Transformers” was at the center of the format war between HD DVD and Blu-Ray and was considered to push HD DVD to victory as it was arguably the best looking high definition transfer at the time. When HD DVD was finally phased out and the film arrived on the superior Blu-Ray format in September 2008, the picture quality went beyond reference material. The opening scenes of the film are absolutely breathtaking as we see every drop of sweat on the soldiers gleaming off their pores but where the Blu-Ray really shines is in revealing all the intricacies of the robots and the hard work that was put into bringing them to life. Shadows are rich and inky and all the primary colors of the Autobots leap off the screen. The battles will leave your mouth hanging open as debris flies everywhere, windows shatter, and spent shell casings scatter all over the ground. Audio quality is likewise flawless, the highpoint being Peter Cullen’s booming and authoritative voice of Optimus Prime. When the music swells, you will get chills, especially during the scene when the Autobots crash-land to Earth. Sound effects are everywhere as buildings crumble while machine gun fire splits the air with the robots throwing each other around like rag dolls in the background, resulting in room-shaking thuds. Special features are plentiful with an audio commentary from Bay and three in-depth features on the making of the film, including a history of the Transformers franchise and the special effects involved. “Transformers” may be average but this Blu-Ray is certainly a must-buy as it is an experience you’ll never forget.

Released on July 3, 2007, “Transformers” received a mixed reception from critics, averaging a 57% on Rotten Tomatoes, citing the lack of believable characters but praised that the ‘effects are staggering and the action is exhilarating.’ Made on a surprisingly low budget of $150 million (compared to the $258 million for “Spider-Man 3”), the film earned an impressive $319 million domestic and $708 million worldwide, so a sequel was already a given. For me, “Transformers” at times borders on being plain dumb or absurd but I agree that it is one of the most entertaining movies I’ve seen in a while. The problem is that it never strives to amount to anything more than just robots fighting and that’s a damn shame but what would you expect from a Michael Bay film?

Final Rating: 3 out of 5

"Were we so different? They're a young species. They have much to learn. But I've seen goodness in them. Freedom is the right of all sentient beings."

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Star Trek Review

Rated PG-13 (Sci-Fi Action and Violence, and Brief Sexual Content)

Running Time: 2 Hours & 6 Minutes

Cast:

Chris Pine-Captain James T. Kirk

Zachary Quinto-Commander Spock

Karl Urban-Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy

Zoe Saldana-Lieutenant Nyota Uhura

John Cho-Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu

Simon Pegg-Chief Engineer Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott

Anton Yelchin-Ensign Pavel Chekov

Eric Bana-Nero

Bruce Greenwood-Captain Christopher Pike

Winona Ryder-Amanda Grayson

Ben Cross-Ambassador Sarek

Jennifer Morrison-Winona Kirk

Chris Hemsworth-Commander George Kirk

Leonard Nimoy-Future Spock

Directed by J.J. Abrams

Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto  boldly goes where no man has gone before in J.J. Abrams' reboot of "Star Trek."  

Captain’s Log, Stardate 2009.07.05: Today, the much anticipated “Star Trek” has beamed into theaters and your favorite movie reviewer was there at an advance screening! The eleventh film in one of the most iconic science fiction franchises ever, Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry in 1966, was deemed by many critics and fans to have worn out its welcome after the disastrous box office take of 2002’s “Star Trek Nemesis,” earning a mere $43 million domestic ($67 million worldwide) and serving as a swan song to “The Next Generation” cast. Making matters worse was the declining viewership of UPN’s “Star Trek Enterprise,” leading to a truncated fourth season, being canceled in May, 2005. Many thought this to be the death knell of Star Trek but a few months later, Paramount Pictures announced that pre-production had begun for the eleventh film and it was to be a prequel that dealt with James Kirk and Spock fresh out of Starfleet Academy. The internet forums were abuzz, with many questioning why another film was being made and whether it was necessary to prolong a dying franchise. After all, “Star Wars” stopped with six films. “Transformers” writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, with “Lost” producer Damon Lindelof decided that a clean reboot would be unwise but that the new film should acknowledge what came before while also creating an opportunity to write a new set of adventures that was accessible to our generation. J.J. Abrams, creator of “Alias,” “Lost,” and “Fringe” came onboard to lend a helping hand but once he read the script, he remarked, ‘I would be so agonizingly envious of whoever stepped in and directed the movie,’ and accepted Paramount’s offer to direct in February, 2007. So, with “Star Trek” opening in wide release tomorrow, the big question would be whether the movie achieved its goals of pleasing us ‘Trekkies’ and creating a new legion of fans. I answer with a resounding YES! “Star Trek” successfully reinvigorates a franchise that was in its death throes and offers an amazing story, a perfect cast and astonishing visual effects that make “Star Wars” looks like a 1950’s film. In short, the film is a masterpiece of the best of what science fiction has to offer and is definitely a must-see summer film, whether you’re a hardcore or casual fan or just completely new to the franchise!

SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW! The film doesn’t waste any time, opening with a brutal space battle between the Federation starship USS Kelvin and a massive, heavily-armed Romulan vessel, the Narada, which emerges from a black hole. Led by the Romulan rogue Nero (Eric Bana), he demands the surrender of the Kelvin’s captain in an attempt to learn the whereabouts of a certain Ambassador Spock. First officer George Kirk takes command and begins immediate evacuation of the ship as he prevents to hold off the Narada while the survivors escape. His wife, Winona (Jennifer Morrison) gives birth to James T. Kirk onboard a shuttlecraft but his father sacrifices himself by setting the Kelvin on a collision course with the Narada. Twenty two years later, James (Chris Pine) grows to be a young, intelligent adolescent with a reckless streak. While at a bar in Iowa, he meets Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldaña), a Starfleet cadet studying in the field of communications and alien languages. He is goaded into a fight with a group of bullying cadets and would surely have been beaten to death if it were not for the timely intervention of Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood). Pike reminds James of the sacrifice that his father made and urges him to join Starfleet Academy, and with some reluctance, he relents. Along the way the he meets the eccentric Dr. Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy (Karl Urban), who becomes his closest friend during his three years at the Academy. At the end of the semester, Kirk takes the Kobayashi Maru, an ‘unwinnable test’ designed by half-human, half-Vulcan Spock (Zachary Quinto) but is caught cheating. Before he can be reprimanded, the Academy learns of a distress signal on nearby Vulcan and all the cadets are quickly assigned to their ships. McCoy smuggles Kirk onboard the USS Enterprise, led by Captain Pike and includes Uhura, Spock, Hikaru Sulu (John Cho) and Pavel Chekov (Anton Yelchin). Kirk realizes that the situation is highly similar to the event that caused his father’s death 25 years ago and convinces Pike that they are walking into a trap. When they disengage from warp, the Enterprise finds itself in the midst of a battle involving the Narada, who are in the process of drilling into Vulcan’s core. The crew learns that Nero is from the future and has time-traveled to the past from the black hole to exact his revenge for the destruction of his homeworld, Romulus. Kirk must lead this untested crew against Nero and battle to protect their future, boldly going where no man has gone before!

Trekkies can relax their phasers, as the story in “Star Trek” is an adrenaline rush from start to finish. While it does use the worn concept of time-travel, which has already been explored in “Star Trek First Contact” in great detail, Orci and Kurtzman uses it to acknowledge the previous mythology while allowing future films to tell new, fresh adventures without being burdened by so much back-story. It does an amazing job of re-introducing all of the old characters, taking all of the familiar character traits from the original series but never outright imitating them, instead the actors/actresses provide their own unique perspective that will still be instantly recognizable by fans. One of the primary goals was to make “Star Trek” accessible to people who were unfamiliar or have shunned the franchise, and the way the writers have done it is by stripping away much of the confusing ‘Treknobabble,’ but still letting the dialogue feel distinctly Star Trek. Although the new film is definitely faster and more intense, J.J. Abrams takes the time to inject some emotion too, as we’re treated to a heartbreaking scene where Kirk’s father hears his newborn son crying through the communicator and then mere seconds after sacrifices himself.

While the entire supporting cast is given scenes to shine, the focus of “Star Trek” is always on Kirk and Spock and how they become rivals with differing ideologies to becoming best friends who are inseparable. This is in no small part thanks to the perfect casting and everyone brings their A-game in playing these iconic characters. Chris Pine is often hilarious as young Kirk but he displays a kind of determination that is often at odds with authority yet follows what he knows in his heart is right. He’s cocky and confident but is also the type of person who won’t leave any man behind. The one cast member that really goes above and beyond is Zachary Quinto as Spock and his performance is just perfect. Ever since he was a child, Spock has been an outcast due to his half-human heritage and Abrams even injects a bit of a racism issue when the council at the Vulcan Science Academy is surprised at Spock’s achievements despite his ‘disadvantage.’ You really feel in the inner turmoil that rages on Spock; on one hand he has been taught to think logically by the Vulcans but at times, cannot help but let his emotions takeover. He’s the heart and soul of the film, more so then Kirk, especially with the plot involving Romulans attempting to wipe out his entire race. All the other cast members have great scenes such as John Cho’s Sulu getting down with an old-fashioned sword fight with a group of Romulan grunts, Karl Urban’s Dr. McCoy needlessly poking and jabbing Kirk with injections and Anton Yelchin’s Chekov saving the day using math! There’s also the right amount of humor injected into the film that keeps everything from being too serious yet doesn’t go into cheesy territory. One of them is when McCoy sneaks Kirk aboard the USS Enterprise and as the situation spirals out of control, he gets an allergic reaction to an injection! There’s also a funny moment between Chekov and the voice recognition computer, plus the endless rejections between Kirk and Uhura. When Kirk sees that Uhura loves Spock, he gets this dumbfounded look that echoes just what the audience is thinking! If there was one cast member that didn’t get his due, it would be Eric Bana as the vengeance-hungry Romulan Nero. His character is not on-screen very much and I think the writers should’ve spent some more time with him so we get a better handle of his pain and seeing the loss of his homeworld. Nonetheless, Bana’s performance is fine and he looks particularly badass with all his tattoos!

The visual effects by Industrial Light & Magic are nothing short of breathtaking. All the Federation starships feature incredible detail and you can see every individual phaser on the ship moving. Sometimes it’s a little hard to tell what is going on with the use of ‘shaky cam’ and the extreme close-ups but once the camera is pulled back, prepare for a new definition of space battle that rivals even those of Star Wars! The design of the Narada impressed me the most, with its claw-like design that recalls its initial origins of being a mere mining ship, not a military vessel. The USS Enterprise maintains the basic shape of the original series but is given a much sleeker, modernized look inspired by the Enterprise-E from “Star Trek First Contact.” There’s also a “Cloverfield” reference when Kirk becomes stranded on the ice planet Delta Vega. I can only imagine just how impressive the film would look on IMAX, as I was unable to obtain tickets due to being sold out early. There is one annoying issue and that’s the overuse of lens flare in every scene. Sometimes it creates a blinding effect that might irk some people. The score from Michael Giacchino is also a joy to listen to and he delays using the familiar Star Trek until the end, signifying that the crew has finally come together.

Upon its release, no one could’ve predicted the overwhelming positive response to the film, and “Star Trek” currently stands at a whopping 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and is currently the best-reviewed movie of 2009! For anyone that still thinks Star Trek is silly and that people should ‘get a life,’ just stop, because you really shouldn’t judge until after you’ve seen the film and I have no doubt all of you naysayers will be equally impressed. I am worried about what the opening box office gross will be since the advance screening I was at had relatively few people, with almost half of the theater empty. One fan showed his dedication by coming in wearing a full Starfleet uniform! Hopefully positive word-of-mouth spreads and makes “Star Trek” become a rousing box office success. Consider the irony of this statement when someone asked Roddenberry what would become of Star Trek in the future and he answered that he ‘hoped that someday some bright young thing would come along and do it again, bigger and better than he had ever done it. And he wished them well.’ Too right, mate, too right! Be it hardcore, casual, or just plain new to the franchise, “Star Trek” is an amazing film that will have you on the edge of your seat as you prepare to BOLDLY GO WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE!

Final Rating: 5 out of 5

"Space: the final frontier. These are the continuing voyages of the starship Enterprise. Her ongoing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life-forms and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before!"

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X-Men Origins: Wolverine Review

Rated PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Action and Violence, and Some Partial Nudity)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 48 Minutes

Cast:

Hugh Jackman-James Howlett/Logan/Wolverine

Liev Schreiber-Victor Creed/Sabretooth

Danny Huston-Colonel William Stryker

Lynn Collins-Kayla Silverfox

William Adams-John Wraith

Ryan Reynolds-Wade Wilson/Deadpool

Kevin Durand-Frederick J. Dukes/The Blob

Dominic Monaghan-Christopher Bradley/Bolt

Daniel Henney-David North/Agent Zero

Taylor Kitsch-Remy LeBeau/Gambit

Scott Adkins-Weapon XI

Tim Pocock-Scott Summers/Cyclops

Tahyna Tozzi-Emma Frost

Directed by Gavin Hood

Hugh Jackman, you're awesome. This film, not so much.

SNIKT!!! Summer officially begins with the release of the much-anticipated Marvel Comics film, “X-Men Origins Wolverine.” Most of you have probably already seen it due to leaked workprint that has been floating around on the Internet for the past month but I’ll discuss that later. I’ve read a lot of the negative buzz surrounding the film, especially the changes with fan-favorite Deadpool but personally, it wasn’t the disaster most people made it out to be. Sure, it’s definitely no “Dark Knight” or “Watchmen” but “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is still an action-packed, enjoyable film that’s bogged down by a somewhat weak story, clunky dialogue and an overall generic feel.

SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW! In Canada, 1845, young James Howlett lies bedridden due to an unknown condition but is suddenly awoken by the sound of a shotgun. To his shock, he discovers his father shot by the groundskeeper, Thomas Logan. Enraged, his hands sprout razor-sharp bone claws and James kills Logan in an act of vengeance, who, with his dying breath, reveals that he is his true father. James runs away with his brother, Victor Creed, and throughout their adult years, participate in many historical wars such as the American Civil War, World War I and II, and eventually the Vietnam War. Victor (Liev Schreiber) revels in his animalistic and savage nature, and he attempts to rape a young Vietnamese girl until stopped by his superior officer, whom he kills. James, now called Logan (Hugh Jackman) comes to his defense and the two are sentenced to death by firing squad, though their unique regenerative abilities keep them alive. Colonel William Stryker (Danny Huston) visits the two in prison and makes them an offer to join a special black ops team called ‘Team X,’ which also includes Fred J. Dukes/The Blob (Kevin Durand), John Wraith (William Adams), Christopher Bradley/Bolt (Dominic Monaghan), David North/Agent Zero (Daniel Henney) and Wade Wilson/Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds). During a mission in Africa, Logan becomes disgusted at the group’s willingness to kill innocents and leaves Team X. Six year's later, Logan works as a logger in his native Canada and lives his girlfriend, schoolteacher Kayla Silverfox (Lynn Collins). Meanwhile, someone has been murdering former members of Team X and Stryker asks for Logan’s help but is refused. The killer turns out to be none other than Victor, who murders Silverfox in cold blood. Swearing vengeance, Logan agrees to Stryker’s offer, who laces his skeleton with an indestructible metal called Adamantium, and becomes…WOLVERINE.

Adapting a comic book character whose history spans over 35 years was no easy task, and writers David Benioff and Skip Woods succeed for the most part, merging elements of the mini-series ‘Wolverine: Origin’ with the Weapon X storyline from ‘Marvel Comics Presents’ #72 to 84. The problem is that it feels very generic and rushed, sacrificing character development in favor of focusing on loud action sequences. We never really care about Wolverine’s anguish because not enough time is spent on them. It’s marginally better than “X-Men: The Last Stand” but that’s not saying much, since the film falls into the same trap of trying to shoehorn every character from the comics. This is frustrating because while you’re happy that your favorite character is in the film, the result is unsatisfying because it just boils down to a glorified cameo. Prime examples would be Remy LeBeau/Gambit (Taylor Kitsch) and Deadpool. Gambit literally is on-screen for 15 minutes and we never really learn his motivations because one minute he’s fighting Wolverine and becomes his sidekick the next. Perhaps what will make comic book fans reach for their pitchforks is the complete bastardization of Deadpool. We see him as a member of Team X and his depiction is largely fine there thanks to Reynold’s portrayal of the ‘Merc with a Mouth.’ Unfortunately, he just disappears until the end, where he comes back as Weapon XI with an appearance that bears no resemblance to his comic book counterpart and wielding an amalgamation of other mutant’s powers. Sad, because director Gavin Hood really had the potential to do the character justice but I guess the rumored studio interference from 20th Century Fox and the reported reshoots did more damage than I had originally foreseen. Also problematic is the way Logan loses his memory due to 'Adamantium bullets,' which just seems crude and not well thought-out.

“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is really Hugh Jackman’s show and it is his performance that saves the film from complete mediocrity. After playing the character that made him a household name nine years ago, I don’t expect anything less but like I mentioned before, not enough time is spent on analyzing the personal tragedies he suffers in favor of slicing and dicing helicopters. Hood won an Oscar for his 2005 foreign language film, “Tsotsi” and it makes one wonder how different "Wolverine" would've turn out if he had focused his effort into making a more dramatic film, rather than fulfilling the demands of studio. After Jackman, Liev Schreiber shines the most as Victor Creed/Sabretooth, who displays the right amount of menace that looks like he could explode into a berserk rage at any second. His tumultuous relationship with his brother is the centerpiece of the film and is an example of the good that comes from a storyline if given the proper time to develop. The only other actor with the most screen-time is Danny Huston as Colonel William Stryker. He is essentially channeling Brian Cox’s performance from “X2: X-Men United” and it works for the most part but he lacks the charisma of Cox. The rest of the supporting cast play bit parts that don’t really serve the story and could’ve been replaced by any other X-Men character without making a difference. The relationship between Wolverine and Silverfox doesn’t resonate partly because Lynn Collins is not on-screen much, thus robbing much of the film’s emotional impact. Reynolds is hilarious as Deadpool and after he kills an entire group of gunmen with twin katanas he yells, ‘Ok! People are dead!’ This just makes it more disappointing due to his limited screen-time and if the rumors about the reshoots were to expand his role, then originally he must’ve only had a fleeting cameo.

The action scenes are generally exciting but occasionally bogged down by bad visual effects, a prime example being the plane sequence during the beginning of the film. Wolverine and Sabretooth engage in a few titanic claw fights; other memorable action scenes include Agent Zero dishing out punishment with his pistols and Deadpool swinging his katanas so fast to deflect bullets. However, the violence is just too toned down for such a vicious character and it is surprising to see that the game adaptation revels in blood and gore with Wolverine frequently disemboweling enemies. In the film, there's nary a drop of blood! Comic book fans will notice some smart nods to the previous X-Men films, including a cameo by Scott Summers/Cyclops (Tim Pocock) and Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), though his digital de-aging didn’t really look that great and had the appearance of a wax figure.

“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” was released to largely negative reviews from professional critics, with a 37% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is incredibly low for such a high-budget summer release. While Jackman was singled out for his performance, critics said that not even he can ‘overcome a cliché-ridden script and familiar narrative.’ It could’ve been worse considering that there are certainly some god-awful comic book films such as “Elektra” and “Ghost Rider.” It will no doubt be #1 at the box office this weekend but most certainly be demolished by “Star Trek” next week, which has been receiving positive buzz all across the board. General audiences that aren’t too familiar with the comics will probably enjoy it as evidenced by the whooping and applause when I saw the film. Now, as for the people that watched the workprint, I urge you to experience it in the movie theater because what you saw was an unfinished film, akin to playing a beta of a video game. “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is certainly worth the price of admission largely thanks to Hugh Jackman’s performance and some awesome action set-pieces but it’s bogged down by a run-of-the-mill story that doesn’t push the limits of what comic book movies can do such as “The Dark Knight.” At the end of the day, it feels like every other loud summer blockbuster, which is a shame considering how Marvel started off last summer with a bang thanks to "Iron Man." Make sure to stay during the credits for a special epilogue, which is different depending on what movie theater you’re in.

Final Rating: 3 out of 5

"I'm the best there is at what I do, and what I do best isn't very nice."

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Fast & Furious Review

Rated PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Violence and Action, Some Sexual Content, Language and Drug References)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 47 Minutes

Cast:

Vin Diesel-Dominic Toretto

Paul Walker-Agent Brian O'Conner

Jordana Brewster-Mia Toretto

Michelle Rodriguez-Leticia ‘Letty’ Ortiz

John Ortiz-Ramon Campos

Laz Alonso-Fenix Rise

Gal Gadot-Gisele Harabo

Sung Kang-Han Lue

Jack Conley-Agent Penning

Shea Whigham-Agent Ben Stasiak

Liza Lapira-Agent Sophie Trinh

Directed by Justin Lin

Just like old times, ain't it?

On April 3rd, “Fast & Furious,” the fourth installment of “The Fast & the Furious” franchise, exploded out of the box office with an impressive opening weekend take of $71 million, beating out March’s “Watchmen,” which earned $55 million. The first film, “The Fast & the Furious,” was released way back in 2001, jumpstarting the careers of both Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. It was a surprise summer hit, which prompted Universal to green-light the sequels. Unsurprisingly, none of them surpassed the quality of the original thanks to the departure of Diesel in “2 Fast 2 Furious” and Walker in “The Fast & the Furious Tokyo Drift.” Now, Universal has done the smart thing and has reunited the original cast in what should have been the true sequel.

MINOR SPOILERS FOLLOW! Taking place between the second and third films, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) has escaped to the Dominican Republic, hijacking fuel tankers for a living with his girlfriend, Leticia ‘Letty’ Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez). With the authorities breathing on their neck, Dominic decides to leave Letty, unable to convince her to run away with him to another country again. Meanwhile, back in the United States, FBI agent Brian O’ Conner (Paul Walker) is chasing down a lead, literally, on notorious drug lord Arturo Braga. His investigation leads him to a man named David Park, who helps people gain entrance into illegal street races. Dominic is forced to return to Los Angeles after his sister, Mia (Jordana Brewster), contacts him with terrible news: Letty has been murdered. He manages to learn of David Park as well, crossing paths with O’ Conner. Despite the two being suspicious of each other, Dominic and Brian reluctantly work together and infiltrate Ramon Campos’ (John Ortiz) illegal street race so that they can bring Braga and Letty’s murderer to justice.

During one the street races, O’ Conner says to Dominic that ‘A lot has changed.’ Well, you could’ve fooled me because the plot here is nothing special and paper-thin. In fact, the movie begins the EXACT same way as the original! Director Justin Lin is competent in making a highly stylized film with an easy-to-follow narrative but it feels like he’s just recycling from every other action movie in recent memory. The plot is nothing but an excuse to just bring Diesel and Walker back rather than a serious attempt to pump new life into this already worn franchise. In a way, it reminds me of “The Mummy Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” (directed by Rob Cohen, who also helmed the original “Fast & the Furious”) where an unnecessary installment to an aging franchise was made, except there was no demand for one, leaving the only reason that the film was released was to squeeze out every last drop of revenue left for said franchise. I know that audiences don’t go to see films like “Fast & Furious” for an Oscar-worthy story but some originality from screenwriter Chris Morgan would’ve greatly helped.

This leaves the cast to make the film work but most of the time, it’s hit-or-miss thanks to the clichéd dialogue. Vin Diesel can be pretty good if he puts his heart into it but here, all he does is stare at the camera in a grimace. Either that or he bursts into anger and starts throwing people against walls to pummel the life out of them. There are some scenes where he goes into ‘badass’ mode, especially the final act where he bursts from an underground tunnel in a battered vehicle and slams it into Letty’s murderer. In his deep baritone voice, he says, ‘Pussy.’ Paul Walker is less interesting this time around, playing a role we’ve seen countless times before: the disobedient law enforcer who often takes matters into his own hands. While the original “Fast & the Furious” didn’t have a particularly deep story, his character goes through an identity crisis where he’s torn between his love for Mia and his commitment to bring the illegal street racers, including her brother, to justice. None of that exists here and “Fast & Furious” boils down to a buddy cop film where Brian and Dominic stalk the same prey, brought together by circumstance with neither fully trusting the other. The two remaining cast members, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster, appear in a handful of scenes, amounting to glorified cameos. It seems like they were written into the story for no other reason because they appeared in the first film. Yes, they are central to the plot, but they do not take part in it. The supporting cast members fill the standard roles seen in cop films, with Jack Conley as O’ Conner’s superior who is determined to being the criminals to justice as quickly as possible, Shea Whigham as the rival, disbelieving FBI agent, and John Ortiz as evil Mexican drug lord. Why are all drug lords from Mexico anyway? I’m pretty sure you can get heroin from other countries too, but I digress.

“Fast & Furious” is truly style over substance and it does the style pretty well. You see many stylish cars with slick paint jobs and engines with all these pseudo-modifications. Many of the car races features over-the-top crash sequences that stretches the laws of physics to video game territory. All of them are filled to the brim with scantily-clad women, often making out with each other. Yes, it does tickle my inner hormonal teenage self but it doesn’t change the fact that “Fast & Furious” features a sub-par plot and non-existent character development.

When the film was released two weeks ago, I didn’t think too much on it, mainly because “The Fast & the Furious” franchise never really appealed to me but after reading about its impressive opening weekend gross, I decided to check it out. The fact that it reunited the original cast certainly piqued my interest. Unfortunately, my initial negative expectations turned out to be all true and when the entire theater applauded as the end credits rolled, I seriously was dumbfounded. Still, if you’re a hardcore fan of the franchise, than more power to you. I also want to mention that the theater I went to had a large amount of kids and one of them was screaming throughout an entire chase sequence! Professional critics were largely not enthusiastic about “Fast & Furious” and it currently holds a rather low 26% on Rotten Tomatoes, the lowest out of the entire franchise. They cited that while the film had ‘the requisite action and stunts, the filmmakers have failed to provide a competent story or compelling characters.’ Still, what both professional and amateur critics think is meaningless as I mentioned before with its record-breaking April debut. Currently, the film has grossed $118 million domestic and with the foreign box office factored in, $149 million worldwide. At this rate, it’ll easily surpass “2 Fast 2 Furious” and possibly the original. Universal has done the smart thing bringing back the original cast and it does make a difference, but not a lot and it seems like a last, desperate attempt to keep a worn franchise going. “Fast & Furious” features the expected car races and over-the-top stunts, but at the end of the day, it’s more of the same. Even the title feels lazy; all they did was remove the word ‘The.’ Fans will no doubt come out in droves (they already have!) but the franchise is fast losing fuel since the release of “Tokyo Drift” and I think it’s time for Universal to put this one in the garage for the long term.

Final Rating: 2.5 out of 5

“A real driver knows exactly what's in his car.”

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X-Men: The Last Stand Blu-Ray Review

Rated PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Action Violence, Some Sexual Content and Language)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 44 Minutes

Cast:

Patrick Stewart-Professor Charles Xavier

Ian McKellen-Eric Lehnsherr/Magneto

Hugh Jackman-Logan/Wolverine

Halle Berry-Ororo Munroe/Storm

Famke Janssen-Jean Grey/Phoenix

Kelsey Grammer-Dr. Henry 'Hank' McCoy/The Beast

James Marsden-Scott Summers/Cyclops

Shawn Ashmore-Bobby Drake/Iceman

Ellen Page-Kitty Pryde

Anna Paquin-Anna Marie/Rogue

Ben Foster-Warren Worthington III/Archangel

Daniel Cudmore-Piotr Rasputin/Colossus

Rebecca Romijn-Raven Darkholme/Mystique

Aaron Stanford-John Allerdyce/Pyro

Vinnie Jones-Cain Marko/The Juggernaut

Dania Ramirez-Callisto

Eric Dane-Jamie Madrox/Multiple Man

Ken Leung-Quill

Mei Melançon-Elizabeth Braddock/Psylocke

Omahyra Mota-Philippa Sontag/Arclight

Cameron Bright-Jimmy/Leech

Josef Sommer-The President

Shohreh Aghdashloo-Dr. Kavita Rao

Directed by Brett Ratner

"X-Men: The Last Stand" is when the series jumped the shark but at least the cast does it with style!

Note: Part of the "X-Men Trilogy" Blu-Ray set.

With "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" due out on May 1st, I decided to go back and review the "X-Men Trilogy" on Blu-Ray. Now I'm starting with the third film because it's already out on Blu-Ray but 20th Century Fox is releasing a boxset on April 21st. I'll go back and review the previous films when they are available. I also want to say before diving in that I am aware of the workprint of "Wolverine" floating around online and urge you not to download it because a film of this type should be seen in the theater, not on your computer with unfinished effects and lacking the ten minutes added from reshoots. With that said, let's review "X-Men: The Last Stand!" After the release of "X2 X-Men United" in 2003, fans waited in anticipation of what Bryan Singer would come up with, especially with his adaptation of the famous "Dark Phoenix Saga." Unfortunately, trouble plagued pre-production from the start as Singer was faced with increased studio interference. Warner Brothers immediately pounced and asked Singer to direct "Superman Returns" which he accepted. He was also keen on returning to direct "X3" but 20th Century Fox terminated his contract due to this...betrayal and soon, Matthew Vaughn (who directed "Layer Cake") was brought on. Vaughn was adamant about making "X3" as good, if not better than, "X2" but was faced with a flawed script, rushed production schedule, and studio interference. He left after six weeks and cited 'personal family issues' as his reason. Brett Ratner, who was originally one of the choices to direct the first "X-Men" was hired, having experience for working on films with a rushed schedule like "Rush Hour." Unfortunately, all this trouble resulted in a film that is not on par with the quality set by the first two and you can feel the plot being rushed at times. Much of the character development had been truncated in favor of adding as many characters from the comics as possible and more action scenes. Despite this, the film largely remains entertaining in its own right but will always be the worst of the "X-Men Trilogy."

The film starts 20 years from the present, where Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Erik Lehnsherr (Ian McKellen), the future Magneto, meets Jean Grey for the first time. 10 years later, we discover Warren Worthington's father discover his son to be a mutant. The opening credits role and after, we meet our favorite mutants Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and Ororo Munroe/Storm (Halle Berry), training a new generation of X-Men. Scott Summers/Cyclops (James Marsden) is still haunted by the death of Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) and abruptly leaves the X-Mansion. Trouble brews on the horizon on two fronts: the apparent discovery of a 'cure' that suppresses or negates an individual's powers and the sudden resurrection of Jean. The mutant community is divided over the cure, but some, like Rogue (Anna Paquin), are interested. Magneto begins recruiting an army, who believes that his race will be forcibly exterminated. However, Jean begins to manifest destructive psychic and psionic abilities, becoming the Phoenix. She joins Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants who begins to wage war on Humanity. The X-Men are forced to battle for the survival of both human and mutantkind, facing their 'last stand.'

The plot sounds great on paper but in reality, it's a rushed mess. What's surprising is that it ends up largely coherent from start to finish. It still feels fragmented in parts because Ratner and the writers have taken plotlines from various X-comics and mashed them together. Besides the "Dark Phoenix Saga," you'll notice the "Cure" storyline from Joss Whedon's run from "Astonishing X-Men" and the love triangle between Bobby Drake/Iceman, Kitty Pryde, and Rogue from "Ultimate X-Men." The main focus is on Phoenix, Wolverine, and Cyclops but it doesn't work because a third of the love triangle is missing. Cyclops only appears in the first 30 minutes and is than killed off in the lamest way possible (off-screen). This is one of the worst sendoffs I've ever seen but the reason behind his characters early demise was that James Marsden decided to star in "Superman Returns," which conflicted with the filming schedules of "X3." Another major character also bites the dust, which I won't reveal if you STILL haven't seen the film but it seems like it's done for pure shock value, not for emotional impact. Many of the subplots introduced are abandoned later in the film due to the fact that there are just TOO MANY characters. If you remember, Ben Foster as Archangel was heavily marketed but he only appears for 10 minutes and, like his namesake, flies away! Many of the new characters are from the Morlocks but here, many of their powers are either altered or changed outright and they're given very limited screen-time with little to no lines. The themes of racism are still here but their impact is lessened to make way for more action sequences. Yes, the plot is coherent, unlike "Spider-Man 3" but that does not equal a good plot and it pales in comparison to the previous films. Also, the ending was rather abrupt with the credits just popping up suddenly; there was no smooth transition.

The acting is pretty much in-line with its predecessors, with Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen being the best. McKellen plays a more Hitler-like Magneto who persecutes Humanity and becomes the very monster that he has fought against. I remember another film reviewer said that this was out of character but it's not, as this was explored in Grant Morrison's acclaimed run on "New X-Men," though to the extreme. One of the best scenes is when he and Professor X start arguing ideology and vie for Jean's allegiance. Hugh Jackman is once again perfect as Wolverine and it's hard to think of any actor that could replace him. The exploration of his past was dropped in favor of his unrequited love for Jean. The rest of the cast is largely a mixed bag. Famke Janssen never really wowed me as Jean Grey but she does a good job playing a mentally unstable character. However, the film always lets us know that her power is limitless and that she can do anything but we never feel that way because she spends a large amount of time just standing and staring off into space. Why would Magneto need an army if he has Phoenix? Couldn't Phoenix have just destroyed the source of the cure with a thought without having Magneto tearing off the Golden Gate Bridge and sending mutants to their death? I know that it's to have a huge battle royale at the end but thinking about it, Magneto's plan seems inefficient (and a sign that I have too much time on my hands!). Halle Berry is still the weakest out of the main cast. She threatened to not return unless she was given a larger role, which Ratner complied. Her performance is still stiff and her character really shines only in the action scenes. The only major addition is Kelsey Grammer as Hank McCoy/The Beast and initially, I thought he wasn't going to do the character justice. Fortunately, my fears were unfounded and thanks to the excellent makeup effects, he is exactly how I pictured him on-screen, especially his speech patterns. Rounding out the cast is a bunch on unknowns with bit parts for the Brotherhood. Since they only have one line, it's hard to judge their performance.

Where "X3" really shines is the action scenes, not surprisingly. The film opens with a thrilling Danger Room session inspired by the "Days of Future Past" storyline, complete with a Sentinel! When Jean Grey and Professor X have a battle of wills while the rest of the team face off against the Brotherhood, you feel the scene crackle with tragedy, but sadly this is not carried over to the rest of the film. Wolverine really goes crazy here, especially the forest sequence but the final battle royale is just gargantuan and borderline ridiculous! The X-Men battle with hundreds of mutants, and both Kitty Pryde and Iceman get their respective moneyshots thanks to a thrilling chase with Juggernaut (Vinnie Jones) and a battle of the elements involving Pyro (Aaron Stanford), respectively. At times, the wirework is very obvious but it never detracts from the action scenes, which are often thrilling and will tickle the geeky fanboy within us.

The Blu-Ray release is rather impressive, though the one on the box set will most likely have even better quality as the one I have uses a 25 GB disc as opposed to a 50 GB disc. Picture quality is incredibly sharp, featuring amazing detail on all of the X-Men's costumes and the actors/actresses faces. Black levels are solid and look natural, as does the rest of the film. The only detractor is the somewhat heavy grain, which may irk some people. While noticeable, it was not a problem for me because all movies have grain, removing it will make the film too 'clean.' Likewise, audio quality is astonishing as you'll be assaulted by a barrage of explosions. The scene where Magneto tears down the Golden Gate Bridge shook the very foundations of my room! For information purposes, this release uses DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1, while the box set will have DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, but your ears will most likely not be able to tell the difference anyway.

Upon the film's release, "X-Men: The Last Stand" was met with a mixed response from both critics and fans, currently holding a 56% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Many people found that while it was not awful, the film just couldn't stand up the high standard set by its predecessors and was too overblown with characters and special effects. However, this is one of the few times where the third film out-grossed the previous entries with a whopping $234 million domestic, greatly helped by its $103 million take during opening weekend. I remember that there were so many people crowding to buy tickets, I ended sitting all the way in the front. Factoring in the foreign box office, "X3" stands at $459 million, making the "X-Men Trilogy" one of the most successful comic book franchises after "Spider-Man." "X-Men: The Last Stand" is missing much of the emotional impact and the character development that made Bryan Singer's entries so strong but the third film should still provide ample entertainment.

Final Rating: 3 out of 5

"Control? You know, sometimes when you cage the beast, the beast gets angry."

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