X-Men: The Last Stand (DVD, 2009, Widescreen; Movie Cash)

Comic book fans- more specifically, super hero buffs- owe a lot to the X-Men Franchise. The first X-Men movie was THE film that put super heroes on Hollywood’s radar and jumpstarted the current comic-book-to-film trend. And "X2: X-Men United" kept the momentum going with a sequel that actually surpassed the original- A trick that very few sequels have accomplished (“Hello 'Empire Strikes Back' and 'Spiderman 2'!”).

That being said, "X-Men: The Last Stand" had a lot to live up to…
Fortunately, even with an ensemble cast of characters that has grown too large to properly manage within two-hours, Director Brett Ratner (replacing Bryan Singer, who left the franchise to direct "Superman Returns") delivers an excellent action movie that doesn’t skimp on story.

The action is non-stop and every character has an opportunity to show-off their awesome powers. And the good mutants vs. evil mutants “last stand” on Alcatraz Island is extremely satisfying!

My only issue with the movie- considering this is supposed to be the last installment of the series- is that the Jean Grey (Phoenix)/Scott Summers (Cyclops) reunion isn’t properly resolved.

DVD is truly the best format for this film. It actually gets better with repeat viewings. It’s fun to go back and catch all the special effects that sped past the screen during previous viewings. And without giving away a significant spoiler, upon second viewing, the relevance of a seemingly throw-away line by Prof. Xavier to his class became glaringly clear in the final scene following the credits (For further clarification, check out my blog, "Comic Book Ramblings" by copying the following address into your address bar: http://blogs.ebay.com/bmbcomics/entry/X-Men-The-Last-Stand-DVD-Ah-ha-Now-it-makes-se/_W0QQidZ26007018).

With the X-Family grown out-of-control, it’s no wonder the film’s producers have decided to shelve the X-Men story while focusing on Wolverine and Magneto solo spin-off films. Still, "X-Men: The Last Stand" was fun enough that I hope the producers haven’t truly taken the film’s title literally.

For a package consisting of a single disc, there are plenty of DVD extras. Don’t be fooled by the “Join The Brotherhood” or “Take A Stand” choices when the menu first loads. Each choice (with different background graphics) takes you through the same menu options. The extended, deleted and alternate scenes are interesting, but it’s the commentaries that are always the selling point for me when buying a DVD. Along with two commentaries for the feature, there is also a commentary track to go along with the scenes not used in the theatrical release.

*The only Easter Egg I found can be accessed in the “Deleted Scenes” section.
To access:
1. From the Main Menu, click on “Features”
2. From the Features Menu, click on “Deleted Scenes”
3. From the “Deleted Scenes" Menu, click on “More” three times
4. Click the up arrow of your DVD player until either the Brotherhood or X symbol is highlighted in the upper left corner.
5. Click on the symbol, then click on “Play” to view a neat visual effects clip of the X-Plane.