I was like a lot of people, lamenting that the director of the first two "X-Men" movies, Bryan Singer, was replaced by Brett Ratner, whose best film, "Red Dragon," was a dubious success at best (yeah, it was fun, but certainly no "Silence of the Lambs"). But while Singer went on to respectfully (almost too respectfully) preserve the Superman legend, Ratner surprised a lot of people by, not only helming an entertaining third installment of the "X-Men" franchise, but perhaps making the best film of the whole trilogy. *I think it is also important to note that the copy I received of "X-Men: The Last Stand" is a promotional screener, and based on the look of the picture, this can't possibly be the final product. Still, I have to base my picture & sound grade on what I've been given.

Of the three films, this one has the best story: A supposed 'cure' has been developed to treat the increasing mutant population, rendering them has human as anyone else and allowing them to fit better into society. Of course, some mutants, led by Magneto (Ian McKellan), don't see this as a cure so much as a way to stifle the natural evolution of humans. This leads to an epic confrontation between the "good" mutants and "bad" ones (and, once again, this movie does a great job blurring the lines between the two). Though the film threatens to collapse under its own weight by burdening us with too many characters (much like the first two), it does a great job allowing us to sympathize with both sides; we may not condone Magneto's actions, but we certainly understand them. More importantly, we feel the conflict these mutants are going through (Rogue, in particular) when deciding whether or not to accept the "cure" and live as a normal human being, or retaining their powers, which are often depicted as more of a curse. That theme provides more than a few surprises in the film, as do the fates of several beloved "X-Men" characters. Without giving too much away, it is obvious that the filmmakers intended this to definitely be the last "X-Men" movie (although the door is left slightly ajar for another installment). The visual effects are, of course, terrific, but don't ever threaten to overwhelm the story, which is populated by great returning characters (most of the cast seem more comfortable in their roles than ever), along with the usual assortment of new ones (none of which make much of an impact on the story). Ironically, it's still Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) who remains the most interesting and fun to watch, even though he actually undergoes the least amount of change from "X-Men 2" to this one. I do truly hope Wolverine gets a spin-off film of his own.

As I said before, the copy I got from Fox must be a tentative screener, because the overall picture quality of the copy I viewed totally sucks. It was grainy, inconsistent in color tones and often-times pretty murky, not to mention the fact I had to start the movie three times before it would begin to play. The sound quality was great, though, rendered in 5.1 Dolby EX & 6.1 DTS ES. The sound is crystal clear and well-balanced, with no distortion or hissing.

Another reason I think this was a promo screener was the fact that accessing some of the extras was a chore unto itself. I had no problem with the either of the two commentaries by various members of the production team, both of which are informative enough to please long-time fans. Accessing the numerous deleted scenes was tough...it kept throwing me back to the main menu. Still, the scenes are pretty cool, and feature a few which probably should have stayed in the final cut.

None of the "X-Men" films are the best superhero movies ever made ("Batman Begins" gets my humble vote on that one), but the overall franchise is easily the most consistent; this third installment carries on the tradition of emphasizing characters over spectacle, yet not skimping on the visual fireworks. The film also brings satisfying closure to the series (after watching, you'll be 99% certain it's over), with surprising plot turns and character revelations. Highly recommended.