boulevard-ijab (IJA & ME) - one half completing the other half....

The Last X-Men Standing (Spoilers ahead!)

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Review rating system:
***** - 'super good' movie; don't miss it.
**** - good movie; try to find the time to watch it.
*** - average movie; you may or may not like it.
** - crap movie; watch only if you have nothing else to do.
* - 'super crap' movie; don't watch it at all!

Note to fellow Muslims: If you do want to watch the movie(s), please still do obey your prayers and whenever possible, still strive to do so in jemaah. Wallahua'lam. Thank you.

SUMMER is one of the seasons that many Hollywood movie distributors aim for, in releasing new movies. The other would be towards-the-end-of-the-year season, where movies released during this time are usually potential oscar contenders.

If most winter season movies rely on the (almost) impeccable acting performances, the best screenplay ever written (original or adaptation), articulate directors and intricate costumes/sets/make-up; summer movies mainly deliver star power or highest paid actors, superb special effects, action-packed sequences and fast-paced storylines.

X-Men 3 is (or was) one of the most highly anticipated movies for this year's summer. The early millennium (2000) welcomed the adaptation of the popular Marvel comic of the same name. This is followed by its sequel three years later - X2: X-Men United.

Let us get acquainted with some of the children of the atom who have appeared in one or more X Men movies; the super heroes and super villains, each born with a unique genetic mutation, with extraordinary powers:

1. Professor Charles Xavier - the world's most powerful telepath and an optimist who believes that humans and mutants can coexist. His 'school for the gifted' has taught students how to control and direct their powers for the good of mankind.

2. Magneto - as the name implies, he can control and manipulate all things metal. Because of that, he was imprisoned inside a plastic prison in X2 and needs to fight against a government's army who uses plastic weapons in X3 (which can shoot of course, not that they are weapon toys or something). Magneto is Xavier's nemesis who is against Xavier's beliefs and efforts to make things right (despite them being friends back in the old days).

3. Wolverine - with an animal-like fury and sense of smell, Wolverine's skeleton is made of adamantium and has retractable claws. He also has healing powers, that enables him to heal quickly from deep cuts and broken bones. However, it's not known whether he can heal as easily if someone throws harsh words towards him, since as they say, 'words cut deeper than knife' :). He also falls for a girl with red hair (Jean) despite knowing her boyfriend (Cyclops) can fire red beam from his eyes.

4. Jean Grey - she is telepathic, so she doesn't need to use telephone to 'telecommunicate' with other people. She's also telekinetic, so she can lift tonnes of weights and hardly break a sweat. She has a double personality, whose other name is Phoenix, 'dying' to come out and play. Don't dare kiss her or cross her path when Phoenix is dominant, for she'd probably disintegrate you to pieces.

5. Cyclops - wears the coolest shades, but they are not for us to borrow, for they help Cyclops to control his power. The thing is, Cyclops can't open his eyes without the shades on. Otherwise, his eyes will release an energy beam so powerful, it can rip holes through mountains (if not your hearts hehe). He has small screen time in X2 and even smaller in X3.

4. Storm - Don't blame it on the weatherman, but blame it on Storm :) She pretty much can manipulate the weather. Probably keen in getting wet, most of the time, she causes clear weather to become windy, rainy and stormy. Oh yes, she can fly too...

5. Rogue - she caused a boy to fall into a coma after kissing him. Basically, she can suck the energy and probably the life out of you just by touching, rubbing, holding, hugging and kissing you. So, you can imagine the stress that she endures, especially now that there's a boy (Iceman/Bobby) who likes her for who she is. As Rogue puts it to him, "you're a man Bobby, your mind only wants the one thing..." So, how long can Bobby (no matter how 'cold' he is inside - no pun intended) stand in this relationship without getting any forms of physical contacts?

6. Iceman (Bobby) - As the name suggests, he can create a block of ice in a matter of seconds and transfer cold energy to make things that are hot (other than Rogue), become cold and icy. He befriends with Kitty and this makes Rogue jealous. Therefore, when Rogue learns that someone has found the "cure" for mutancy, she is among the first in line to volunteer and be injected with the remedy.

7. Mystique - She's a metamorph who can transform herself to become anyone, man or woman, complete with the right personality to match (the right voice, attitude and even the outfits too... hmmm?). She's very bluish and scaly and with unsexy voice. But when a bullet that contains the "cure" accidentally hits and changes her into a normal human forever, Magneto abandons her and remarks that Mystique used to be beautiful in her mutant form.

8. Pyro - You don't want him to play with matches. Though he can't create fire, he can manipulate it and cause some serious damage if he 'fires' you. He used to be Iceman's classmate in Xavier's school. But after crossing to the other side to join Magneto, he somehow particularly targets Iceman as his enemy. Probably he thinks that 'ice' and 'fire' can never be friends.

9. The Beast - If Mystique is the 'bad blue', The Beast is to the contrary (despite his name). He is one of the mutants who doesn't look normal from the outside and whose mutation isn't hidden. He is both brain and brawn. He's an intelligent mutant, with areas of expertise cover genetics and biochemistry. Despite his bulky size, his superhuman strength, agility, endurance and speed helps him to fight whenever he's required to.

10. Kitty - Be careful if she cuddles with you, for she can drag you into a wall or a floor and leave you stuck in there (while she escapes since she can walk through concrete or any solid matter).

X3 unfolds with Cyclops being miserable over Jean's 'death' until he discovers that Jean is still alive at the bottom of Alkali lake. But this leads to his disappearance/death(?) which has shocked all of his mutant friends, and Jean is very much linked to the incident. In my opinion, Cyclops isn't dead, as in one scene when Jean seduces Wolverine, she begs him to kill her "before I kill someone". So, this means that she hasn't really killed anyone prior to that.

Another 'shocking' death is the disintegration of Xavier at Jean's house. This almost causes the students to drop school and the school to be closed down. This shows the human side of all the mutant students. Despite having super powers, they still have fears/they are overwhelmed by emotions, and mourns over the death of their loved ones.

The final fight scene is very entertaining. Beast gets to show his beasty side. Kelsey Grammer of the hit sitcom, Frasier, is suitable as Beast. He's almost unrecognisable under that makeup and prosthetics. Also, watch as Kitty shows bravery towards her much bigger and stronger opponent, Juggernaut; Wolverine and Beast work hand in hand in tricking/defeating Magneto and how Phoenix (or rather, the dark side of Jean) gets really angry towards the end, disintegrating everything - from humans to mutants and buildings to vehicles (though I wonder how come humans and mutants don't disintegrate into pieces of meat and bones, with blood splatter all over? Instead they look like they are all made of some kind of metal).

X3 is another one of those movies with a closing scene that comes after the credits rolled. Obviously it's a marketing strategy of reaping more sales, as some people are probably willing to watch it again (once they find out they've missed the scene the first time) just for that closing scene, if not for the whole movie (unless you want to sneak into the cinema when the credits start to roll hehe). However, don't you think what a great service for the cinemas if they can announce over a speaker or something that there's one more scene after the credits, just as people are leaving?

As for me, I usually wait till the credits are finished only when I buy new DVD/VCD's. You know, just to make sure the DVD/VCD is not faulty from the start right to the end, so that if it is, I'd ask for a replacement. Although of course, I normally do something else (like reading or drinking a cup of coffee) while the credits are rolling instead of watching each credit religiously. That would be boring of course...:))

Back to X-Men 3, to conclude... efforts to 100%-accurately adapt the many years of X-Men comics to movies are not easy. But we can agree that all the three movies have greatly satisfied the general movie goers (fans or non-fans alike). Further, different people are exposed to different versions of X-Men. Some grew up with the comic universe, while others with the animated tv show and/or newspaper comic strips. Overall rating: ****

posted by The Pisces Man @ 6:52 am