X-Men: The Last Stand
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: May 26, 2006 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
58
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 38 Critic Reviews
Positive:
24
Mixed:
14
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Surprise, surprise. X-Men: The Last Stand, the third big-screen convocation of mutant shape shifters, weather changers, ice makers, energy suckers, healers and telepaths from Marvel Comics, has shifted the shape of the franchise from pretty good, if uninspired, to terrifically entertaining.
75
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Ratner is unable to maintain the emotional intensity that has made this series so deeply epic. But he sure knows how to put on a show. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
Love it or hate it, X-III packs more action and razzle-dazzle visuals into its 104-minute running time than "Mission: Impossible III," "Poseidon" and "The Da Vinci Code" combined. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
The happiest news about the third (and final?) X-Men movie is actually quite sad: headstones. Yes, The Last Stand brings the lamentable deaths of several major characters. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
I liked the action, I liked the absurdity, I liked the incongruous use and misuse of mutant powers, and I especially liked the way it introduces all of those political issues and lets them fight it out with the special effects. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
It delivers pretty much what's expected. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterMichael Rechtshaffen
Though the picture is not without its wow-inducing, SFX-driven moments, that potent X-factor is considerably diminished in Singer's absence. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)David Edelstein
It's a fast and enjoyable B-movie, though, and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine brings some good stormy drama to the proceedings. Read full review
70
VarietyJustin Chang
The result, though it delivers only in fits and starts, is still sharper and more inventive than most comicbook-adapted fare, and eventually gets the job done as far as action buffs are concerned. Read full review
70
Village VoiceDennis Lim
If little else, the third and supposedly final entry in the X-Men mega-franchise suggests that some movies -- or at any rate some formulas -- are not just critic-proof, they might even be director-proof. Read full review
70
Dallas ObserverLuke Y. Thompson
If this really is the last stand, it's a stylish farewell indeed. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesCarina Chocano
Ratner seems to have found a theme that he can relate to: A terrifying trio of angry, undomesticated women who all but run away with the movie. Read full review
70
NewsweekDavid Ansen
Ratner's version is friskier, shallower-and more fun. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
This is interesting stuff. So why does The Last Stand feel driven to dumb itself down, as if embarrassed by its own ideas? Read full review
67
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
I suppose it's asking too much of Ratner to impart some kind of visionary flourish to the proceedings. But without it, these comic-book movies all tend to look the same. Read full review
67
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
Whether the entry is good, great or (in this case) indifferent, it's always stimulating to return to the high-flying X-Men series. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Disappointingly, X-Men: The Last Stand slides back between the first two episodes. It's not stuporous, and it's not super. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Has a couple of emotionally resonant scenes that build on the first two story lines. But it lacks the intriguing moody quality of the previous films. The mutants are more pumped up and angry this time, rather than misunderstood and conflicted. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
While I didn't love it, I enjoyed The Last Stand because it made me imagine the mutant powers I want to develop. I'm thinking along the lines of merging Rogue's suction abilities with Storm's controlled-rain skills. Read full review
63
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
But for all the sound, fury and spectacle, the film feels vaguely hollow and unsatisfying. Read full review
63
New York PostLou Lumenick
Mostly about extending a Hollywood franchise with ever-diminishing returns. Read full review
63
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Director Brett Ratner can't make chicken a la king out of chicken droppings, and that's what writers Simon Kinberg ("XXX: State of the Union") and Zak Penn ("Elektra") supply. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
With more superheroes, more action and more stuff blowing up than ever before, X-Men: The Last Stand has the climactic oomph that suggests a finale, though not the gravitas to suggest a resolution. Read full review
63
PremiereEthan Alter
Comic-book enthusiasts can breathe a sigh of relief: Brett Ratner hasn't completely ruined the X-Men series a.k.a. "The Franchise that Bryan Singer Built." Read full review
60
EmpireDan Jolin
Singer's absence is felt but not fatal. By adding too much new blood Ratner loses some of the original DNA, but with its nifty set-pieces and a few nasty surprises, X3's still a worthy enough sequel to ensure it’s no Last Stand. Read full review
60
SalonStephanie Zacharek
Only half a mess -- and even with all its flaws, it's an enjoyable diversion that shows both respect and affection for the formidable legacy of the "X-Men" comics. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
Following two superior entries, Ratner's slick placeholder of a sequel lacks that crucial X-factor called inspiration. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
Almost as mindless as "Fantastic Four," but more annoying in that this one has philosophical pretensions. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Despite all the grand gestures of climax and resolution, there's a pronounced sense of autopilot; the only person who seems to be having a good time is Ian McKellen as the scheming Magneto. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
There's much to enjoy here – Ratner's pacing is fluid and fast and the film rushes along its busy, cluttered way with something approaching melodramatic snarkiness – but it's also terribly busy and cluttered. Read full review
50
The New York TimesManohla Dargis
Mostly, as so often with these types of empty entertainments, you are left to wonder why companies that hire so many fine actors to run around under latex and foam and have the best technological wizardry money can buy seem to spend so little attention to the screenplay. Read full review
50
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Last stand? My ass. Billed as the climax of a trilogy, the third and weakest chapter in the X-Men series is a blatant attempt to prove there is still life in the franchise. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
It's a disappointing chapter in what until now has been a highly entertaining, even thought-provoking series. Read full review
50
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
Ratner makes a hash of the story and characters his predecessor brought to such complex, sympathetic life, delivering a pumped-up exercise in mayhem, carnage and blunt-force trauma. Read full review
50
SlateMichael Agger
An uninspired hodgepodge. Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyScott Foundas
Long before the movie's climax, in which Magneto (Ian McKellen) turns smashed-up automobiles into fiery projectiles to be hurled at his enemies, those in the audience will know what it means to behold a flaming hunk of junk. Read full review
40
Film ThreatPete Vonder Haar
Has a few high points, but feels far too disjointed and slapdash to favorably compare to what came before. Read full review
40
The New YorkerDavid Denby
What a comedown, after the weirdly beautiful things Singer and his technicians did in the first two movies. Read full review
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