Movie Review Black Los Angeles

BlackNLA Movie Reviews

*****THE REEL DEAL: Reviewz from the Street*****

by Edwardo Jackson

BIASES:30 (yikes!) year old black male; frustrated screenwriter who favors action, comedy, and glossy, big budget movies over indie flicks, kiddie flicks, and weepy Merchant Ivory fare

X-MEN: THE LAST STAND (PG-13)

MOVIE BIASES: Great concept, nice trailer, pre-sold.

MAJOR PLAYERS: Hugh Jackman (Van Helsing), Halle Berry (Monster's Ball), Famke Janssen (Made), Sir Ian McKellen (The Da Vinci Code), and director Brett Ratner (Red Dragon)

After some helpful backstory establishing the power of now-deceased mutant Jean Grey (Janssen), "X-Men: The Last Stand" throws us into the not-so-distant future where mutants - genetically abnormal humans with various superpowers and skills - are tolerated but not quite accepted, as evidenced by the Department of Indian Affairs-ish Cabinet level position of Secretary of the Department of Mutant Affairs, staffed by the blue-coated, puffed chest Beast, a.k.a. Hank McCoy (Kelsey Grammer). When Warren Worthington (Michael Murphy) discovers a cure for mutancy that potentially restores mutants back to normal humans, not only does his own, mutant-winged son Angel (Ben Foster) refuse treatment, but also the government's promotion and weaponizing of the cure gives credence to the troublemaking Magneto's (McKellen) grassroots revolutionary mutant movement called the Brotherhood. Trying to head off a Magneto-provoked war to eliminate humans before they can "cure" mutants, Wolverine (Jackman) and Storm (Berry) lead the young but conflicted X-Men into battle for humanity.

Sounds neat, huh? You know what they say about best laid plans... Despite a slam-bang premise with plenty of overtones of equality, prejudice, tolerance, and ethics, "X-Men" is a bloated, exposition heavy bore. Yeah, I said it. Overstuffed with more mutant superpowers than screentime, to the point you have no idea who these people are or why we should care, "X-Men" is so proud of its plot, it takes every
opportunity to explain it to death. Too much setup, not enough blow up, if you ask me. C'mon, it's summertime - if I wanted verbose, expository filmmaking, I'd go see "The Da Vinci Code." The Simon Kinberg (Mr. & Mrs. Smith) and Zak Penn (Elektra) script is so talky that you're all but lulled to sleep before the final battle in San Francisco can even go down.

Or it might just be Ratner's fault. Brett Ratner, the pinch hitter for the X-Men franchise when Bryan Singer got a "Super" calling and all-around Comic Con/Internet nerd whipping boy, enjoys playing with ILM wizardry for all the superpower magic of mutancy, but rarely are these powers harnessed in any meaningful, character developing way as in the first two movies. Everyone's character seems a shade more muted/diluted, as if they were playing for the assistant coach after the head coach got ejected from the game. For a movie with such big ideas and stars, the John Powell (United 93, Mr. & Mrs. Smith) musical
score is surprisingly timid and unheroic.

I have a cure for mutancy: pop in "X-Men 2: X-Men United" on DVD and, if you must, wait for "The Last Stand" to hit the video stand.

@@ REELS
(TWO REELS)
Extra medium

Like what you read? Agree/disagree with The Reel Deal? Think he's talkin' out his...HUSH YO' MOUF! (I'm only talkin' about The Reel Deal!) Email him at ReelReviewz@aol.com!

Edwardo Jackson is the author of the novels EVER AFTER and NEVA HAFTA, (Villard/Random House), a writer for UrbanFilmPremiere.com, and an LA-based screenwriter. Visit his website at www.edwardojackson.com




			BlackNLA Movie Reviews ***THE REEL DEAL: Reviewz from the Street*** by Edwardo Jackson BIASES:30 (yikes!) year old black male; frustrated screenwriter who favors action, comedy, and glossy, big budget movies over indie flicks, kiddie flicks, and weepy Merchant Ivory fare X-MEN: THE LAST STAND (PG-13) MOVIE BIASES: Great concept, nice trailer, pre-sold. MAJOR PLAYERS: Hugh Jackman (Van Helsing), Halle Berry (Monster's Ball), Famke Janssen (Made), Sir Ian McKellen (The Da Vinci Code), and director Brett Ratner (Red Dragon) After some helpful backstory establishing the power of now-deceased mutant Jean Grey (Janssen), "X-Men: The Last Stand" throws us into the not-so-distant future where mutants - genetically abnormal humans with various superpowers and skills - are tolerated but not quite accepted, as evidenced by the Department of Indian Affairs-ish Cabinet level position of Secretary of the Department of Mutant Affairs, staffed by the blue-coated, puffed chest Beast, a.k.a. Hank McCoy (Kelsey Grammer). When Warren Worthington (Michael Murphy) discovers a cure for mutancy that potentially restores mutants back to normal humans, not only does his own, mutant-winged son Angel (Ben Foster) refuse treatment, but also the government's promotion and weaponizing of the cure gives credence to the troublemaking Magneto's (McKellen) grassroots revolutionary mutant movement called the Brotherhood. Trying to head off a Magneto-provoked war to eliminate humans before they can "cure" mutants, Wolverine (Jackman) and Storm (Berry) lead the young but conflicted X-Men into battle for humanity. Sounds neat, huh? You know what they say about best laid plans... Despite a slam-bang premise with plenty of overtones of equality, prejudice, tolerance, and ethics, "X-Men" is a bloated, exposition heavy bore. Yeah, I said it. Overstuffed with more mutant superpowers than screentime, to the point you have no idea who these people are or why we should care, "X-Men" is so proud of its plot, it takes every opportunity to explain it to death. Too much setup, not enough blow up, if you ask me. C'mon, it's summertime - if I wanted verbose, expository filmmaking, I'd go see "The Da Vinci Code." The Simon Kinberg (Mr. & Mrs. Smith) and Zak Penn (Elektra) script is so talky that you're all but lulled to sleep before the final battle in San Francisco can even go down. Or it might just be Ratner's fault. Brett Ratner, the pinch hitter for the X-Men franchise when Bryan Singer got a "Super" calling and all-around Comic Con/Internet nerd whipping boy, enjoys playing with ILM wizardry for all the superpower magic of mutancy, but rarely are these powers harnessed in any meaningful, character developing way as in the first two movies. Everyone's character seems a shade more muted/diluted, as if they were playing for the assistant coach after the head coach got ejected from the game. For a movie with such big ideas and stars, the John Powell (United 93, Mr. & Mrs. Smith) musical score is surprisingly timid and unheroic. I have a cure for mutancy: pop in "X-Men 2: X-Men United" on DVD and, if you must, wait for "The Last Stand" to hit the video stand. @@ REELS (TWO REELS) Extra medium Like what you read? Agree/disagree with The Reel Deal? Think he's talkin' out his...HUSH YO' MOUF! (I'm only talkin' about The Reel Deal!) Email him at ReelReviewz@aol.com! Edwardo Jackson is the author of the novels EVER AFTER and NEVA HAFTA, (Villard/Random House), a writer for UrbanFilmPremiere.com, and an LA-based screenwriter. Visit his website at www.edwardojackson.com Â© 2004, Edwardo Jackson