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I've always had a soft spot for superheroes, and it's not just the special
powers or the fact they get to wear their underpants on the outside. I also
like that whole dual personality thing. On the one hand they're superheroes,
and on the other they're ordinary people, but being both is very difficult. There's something of a split personality in my appreciation of this film—bits of it were good, and bits of it weren't.
All the main players from the last two outings are back again in this
installment, with a few extras as well. Unfortunately, having such a large
cast of principals means something's got to give, and it does, with both
heroes and villains either losing their powers or dying altogether.
A newly discovered vaccine that can suppress the mutant gene, and thus rid
the hero/villain of their super powers, forms the backbone of the plot. Is
it a cure or a punishment? The heroes, Professor X (Patrick Stewart),
Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and so on, are pro-choice, believing it's up to the
individual what they do with their own body. Main bad guy, Magneto (Ian
McKellan), firmly sees the vaccine as a punishment, something that, given
time, will be forced upon all mutants. And so, the battle lines are drawn.
Sub-plots weave in and out of the main goings-on, but because of the
relatively short running time, none of these are really explored.
Newcomers such as Beast (Kelsey Grammer) and Shadowcat (Ellen Page) deserve more
screen time, but they don't get it. Jean Gray (Famke Janssen), dead at the end of
the last film but back in this one (this is superhero land after all), is
now Phoenix, but she does little more than stare vacantly into the distance and
turn people inside out when she gets upset. Of all the additional characters,
I liked Angel (Warren Worthington) the most—stand aside Brokeback cowboys,
there's a new gay icon in town. A blond-haired, blue-eyed Adonis, he swoops
over San Francisco flapping his pearly white wings in such a manner as to
just be this side of camp.
As I mentioned earlier, heroes die in this movie, which I thought was a bold
move. Taking out two of the principals early on changes the dynamic of the
X-Men, and in a way felt quite refreshing. By the end of the film it's all
change, with quite a few of the originals either dead or stripped of their
powers. But wait! This is superhero land, so don't be writing anyone off too
soon. Make sure you stay in your seat until the end credits have finished,
and you'll see a "hidden" scene that might just be a setup for the next
installment. Because after all, real heroes don't die, they just get offered
more money to come back and do the next film in the series.
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