Dear Brett Ratner,
I owe you an apology. In the many months preceding the release of X-Men: The Last Stand, I've said some very negative things about your film. At that point, you must understand, I hadn't seen it, but rather made an assumption based on your past work. I'm writing you this letter in the hope that you'll forgive me, and to tell you that I was wrong — you've done a damn fine job.
As I write this, I've not yet had the chance to re-watch that Singer fellow's work. I've seen his films, but time can do funny things to your recollection of quality. At some point, perhaps when the inevitable boxed set is released, I'll recap and decide which film is truly the best. At this point in time, however, I'm going to have to say that you've done the best job; X-Men: The Last Stand is the best film in the trilogy.
I realise, of course, that it's not entirely your work. You've got an excellent script, which moves at an impressive pace and seems to waste no time on anything that isn't essential to the story. Of particular note is the lack of any heavy-handed recap on the events of the previous film, or insulting explanation of the powers of each character. And rightly so - by this point, surely everyone knows why Magneto can throw Wolverine around - right?
Then there are the actors. And what a wonderful cast you had, Brett! May I call you Brett? Perhaps it's best if I stick to Mr Ratner? First and foremost you've got Ian McKellen - a man I suspect is a mutant himself, gifted with a special ability that allows him to turn any piece of written text into a Shakespearean monologue. The man is incredible! It's almost fair to say that McKellen is the lynchpin of your film, but that would be doing a disservice to the work of the three other impressive stars: Famke Janssen, Hugh Jackman, and Patrick Stewart.
Stewart is and always will be Professor X. Forget that Picard bloke, his shiny headed magnificence was born to play Xavier. It is his destiny. There's really little else to say.
Janssen and Jackman are both especially important, and haven't let you down, Bre... sorry, Mr Ratner. Jackman, for me, has become so synonymous with Wolverine that I doubt I'll ever really be able to accept him in any other role. Not that I really care; I was so worried that Wolverine would be impossible to film that I'm very pleased with Jackman's achievement. He hasn't just managed to portray the Wolverine side of the character brilliantly, but also Logan. And the hair - what a wonderful job the stylists have done here!
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