X-Men: The Last Stand is the third and final movie in the original X-Men trilogy and concludes the adventures of Professor Xavier's team of mutants. The movie revolves around the new invention of the government that involves a cure for mutations, which naturally leads to a turning point for all mutants. Mutants can now choose between giving up their powers to become normal humans and fit in with the rest of society, which has always been what they always wanted, or keeping the very essence of what makes them unique and powerful. Because this obviously divides all of the mutants, both those who are fighting for Professor Xavier and those who are on Magneto's side, this conflict now transforms into mutants attacking other mutants as a war looms. As a war between Charles Xavier's mutants, who strive for tolerance, and Magneto's mutants, who are firm believers in the concept of fighting for survival due to Magneto's experience as a Holocaust survivor, comes to fruition, it seems that an all-out battle between the two sides is inevitable. When an unexpected and familiar source then becomes enlisted by Magneto, things become that much more complicated for the X-Men and company when they discover that this battle is more than just a fight involving their powers, because all of the mutants soon discover that this new source brings conflicting emotions as well. 

 X-Men: The Last Stand proves to be a fairly exhilarating adventure that provides enough action, fierce passion, and emotional tragedy to act as a somewhat satisfactory conclusion. While the movie does try to tie up all loose knots, which it mostly does, in the process, it ends up getting somewhat convoluted and none of the concepts presented are given that much time to be fleshed out. Often, it seems as though several different storylines are occurring at the same time in this adventure, and while that could be a good thing if executed differently, this just isn't the case and the movie ends up becoming unfocused. This lack of focus hinders the movie's potential from reaching the same gold standard that the original two movies set, and this movie never becomes a triumphant hit, settling for just being a satisfactory sequel. 

 X-Men: The Last Stand might have the most story-driven plot in the entire franchise, but the actual story of the movie gives different results at times. The beginning of the movie does manage to seamlessly transition from the epic events of the last movie, and the movie manages to reintroduce audiences to all of the most important mutants, including those who serve Magneto and the X-Men. However, the movie is at its weakest during the middle portion of the movie, and this is when all of the film's flaws become apparent. It's during this part when the various storylines conflict with each other the most, and this portion also feels the most excessive. While this part tries to do everything, it ends up failing to accomplish much of anything and ultimately succumbs to being lackluster. Despite this, the ending of the movie does prove to be enticing and manages to make audiences feel an entire spectrum's worth of emotions with a few thrilling twists and turns that will surely surprise even the most avid superhero fans. Although the actual conclusion of the movie manages to wrap back together with the start of the franchise, which allows the entire franchise to come together cohesively, the ending of the movie is still not enough to save this movie from mostly being mediocre. While the movie isn't necessarily horrible, it simply isn't as well done as the originals. 

 X-Men: The Last Stand continues the tradition of the X-Men movies boasting a star-studded cast that oozes with talent. Hugh Jackman returns to play Wolverine once more, and as per usual, his performance is wonderful, mostly due to the grand amount of emotion, passion and intensity that he brings to the role. Ian McKellen is nothing short of incredible as Magneto, and as the main villain of the movie, he does not disappoint. Patrick Stewart's Charles Xavier is spectacularly spot-on, and his performance is synonymous with the character as a whole. While there are some other notable roles, like Anna Paquin's Rogue, the core trio of Jackman's Wolverine, McKellen's Magneto and Stewart's Xavier are once again the main stars. 

 X-Men: The Last Stand has a talented cast, vivid visuals, and enough passionate, action-packed fight scenes to allow the movie to act as a satisfactory conclusion with aid from a thorough and well-written ending. While the movie may not surpass all expectations, due to how many feel that the movie focuses on attempting to accomplish too many things at once, the movie certainly has its strengths. The movie will continue to transcend how viewers view the mutants on-screen and that in fact does the characters' long history justice. For fans of the original two, this is still a must-see, because it does still manage to bring the entire franchise together.