There’s something about “X-Men: The Last Stand” that feels insincere. Yeah, I know it’s a comic book movie and therefore set in the land of make-believe, but still...
Throughout the film, a couple of major characters bite the big one and I just sort of sat there unmoved -- part of my beef with last week’s episode of “Lost”. None of the deaths resonated with me. Maybe the problem lies in the fact that there are too many damned characters running around (which has always been the case with this franchise) and not enough time for them to properly reflect on stuff. I might start to sound like a crotchety old humbug, but back in my day, death used to actually mean something. People didn’t disintegrate, they dropped dead. Whole bodies and everything. And it wasn’t always quick and neat either. Remember when Spock died in “Wrath Of Khan”? Now that’s a death scene. How about Joyce Summers’ quiet and unremarkable death on “Buffy”? One of my favorite death scenes was in “Fright Night” where Mr. Fearless TV Vampire Slayer stakes a real vamp and it’s nothing like what transpires in his movies. There’s pain, sadness and even a sense of regret between him and the dying vampire. I think if you’re gonna kill somebody, try to make it matter beyond advancing the plot. Didn’t stop the movie from making a bajillion at the box office though. Overall, “X3” is a lot like Chinese food. Enjoyable enough while you’re taking it in, but afterwards, it becomes a distant memory like... that.
