X-Men 3

There was a lot more talking and a lot less action than I had expected from "X-Men 3." Fans of the previous two films will certainly still enjoy this third outing, but newbies need not apply.

The United States government has created a cure for the gene that has been turning more and more people into mutants. As the government sees it, mutants are outside the norm and need this cure. Meanwhile, the opinion of the mutants is split down the middle. Many of them, under the leadership of Magneto (a second movie this summer starring Ian McKellan), feel that the government is trying to exterminate mutants, forcing them towards a showdown. Others, under the more peaceful guidance of Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), would prefer to workout a compromise, making the "cure" optional. Now, it's mutant vs. mutant vs. the homosapiens.

The usuals from the first two movies return, including Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Storm (Halle Berry), and a resurrected Dr. Jean Grey, who now lacks control of her powers and skews toward the evil side of life. Joining the cast are more new mutants than I could count, with the main one being the Beast (Kelsey Grammer) as the Secretary for Mutant Affairs.

Really, so many mutants takes away from the focus of the main characters, diluting the strength of the ones you really care about. When there is action, the scenes are solid, but they are few and far between. Just as with "The DaVinci Code" the talking and moral discussions slow the movie down. Overall, it's a definite must-see for X-Men fans if, for no other reason, simply to round out the series. Otherwise try something else. I give it a B.

"X-Men: The Last Stand" is rated PG-13 with a running time of 104 minutes.