History YMMV / XMenTheLastStand

** At one point, Magneto uses his powers to blast away Logan into a tree, and Logan survives the fall downwards due to his healing factor. Then ''Film/{{Logan}}'' happens, and we see [[spoiler:X-24, a full clone of Logan, shove the latter into a jutted tree branch. As Logan was severely weakened due to his age and adamantium skeleton poisoning him, there is a lot of blood, and he dies]].
** The Rogue-Kitty-Iceman romance subplot seems far less cute in light of Creator/ElliotPage and Creator/AnnaPaquin's testimonials about Creator/BrettRatner's sexual harassment towards them.
** The fact that Phoenix kills people by blasting them to dust. ComicBook/{{Thanos}} would replicate this on a ''universal scale'' come ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar''.

** Creator/KelseyGrammer's take on Beast is considered one of the highlights of the film, being one of the most faithful translations of an ''X-Men'' character from the comics to Fox's film continuity and receiving a charismatic performance befitting of the character. His take was so popular that it was widely thought that Creator/NicolasHoult, who is well-regarded as an actor, had a ToughActToFollow in the prequel series.

* {{Misblamed}}:

** Ironically, many fans actually blame ''Bryan Singer'' for everything wrong with the film. Despite (or perhaps even ''because of'') Singer departing the franchise to direct the similarly failed ''Film/SupermanReturns'', and having nothing to do with the film at all!

* OvershadowedByControversy: In November 2017, Elliot Page accused Creator/BrettRatner of homophobic abuse during the production of this film, with Anna Paquin corroborating his account of the incident. In the space of a day this film went from being at the back of most people's minds to being negatively referred to on every news broadcast and website in the world. At time of writing, Brett Ratner has denied his claims.

** There's also Jean not sensing Logan coming up to her during the final battle. Is she holding the IdiotBall? Or is she holding back the Phoenix just enough to prevent her from killing him outright?
** Did Magneto callously abandon a de-powered Raven for not being a mutant anymore, or he instead did it because he thought that a powerless human would be a load for them and that [[BreakHisHeartToSaveHim she would be safer not following them to the battlefield?]]

* BrokenBase: Rogue choosing to take the cure has divided fans. Some think it goes against the film's message, but others support the decision, given Rogue's powers are pretty much a curse, [[AdaptationalWimp and she doesn't have the comic version's stronger aspects]] to justify wanting to keep them.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Ben Foster's heartfelt performance as Angel almost makes you forget his screen time is so small. Doubly impressive, considering the role was [[PlayingAgainstType massively against type]] for him at the time (he was best known for psychopath roles, such as ''{{Film/Hostage}}'').

* ScapegoatCreator: Creator/BrettRatner picks up a ''lot'' of hate from fans of the ''X-Men'' for his role in directing this movie. Said fans tend to ignore the fact that Ratner joined the film's production at a relatively late stage (replacing Creator/MatthewVaughn, who had been attached to direct for most of the film's development phase), thus minimizing the amount of creative input he could have possibly had to the movie. Ratner ''was'' allegedly responsible for a lot of HostilityOnTheSet, including causing the initial cinematographer to quit, and also being abusive towards Creator/ElliotPage and Creator/AnnaPaquin, but not for most of the aspects of the movie he's typically been blamed for over the years.
** While Ratner is still criticized m for a lot, both in terms of quality and work in environment, the fact that Creator/BryanSinger's golden record with the series was undone by ''Film/XMenApocalypse'', his works in the series have endured a bit of HypeBacklash in recent years, and his [[RoleEndingMisdemeanor reputation was destroyed during the #METOO movement]] has slightly helped Ratner's standing in the franchise, as the man he replaced in now less revered in terms of quality, and quite hated in terms of his actual character.

** The film wastes both the ComicBook/TheDarkPhoenixSaga and the [[ComicBook/AstonishingXMen Gifted]] storylines, two highly regarded arcs from the comics, by shoving them together, ensuring neither individual plot has room enough to breathe or make the impact that it should. Not only that, the obvious justification for doing both in the same film, that the "cure" just so happens to be a solution to the whole Phoenix problem, is never even considered.

** Rogue's attitude as well--does she have a legit reason to be suspicious? Or is she just paranoid and possessive?

* BrokenBase:
** A very minor one, but there's division between those who think the "[[AscendedMeme I'm the Juggernaut]], [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch bitch]]" line is either a funny reference or absolutely cringeworthy.
** Rogue choosing to take the cure has also divided fans. Some think it goes against the film's message, but others support the decision, given Rogue's powers are pretty much a curse, [[AdaptationalWimp and she doesn't have the comic version's stronger aspects]] to justify wanting to keep them.

* EnsembleDarkhorse:
** Ben Foster's heartfelt performance as Angel almost makes you forget his screen time is so small. Doubly impressive, considering the role was [[PlayingAgainstType massively against type]] for him at the time (he was best known for psychopath roles, such as ''{{Film/Hostage}}'').
** And of course this version of Kitty Pryde, who was enjoying a higher profile in the zeitgeist thanks to being featured in ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'', and gets an expanded role compared to her cameos in the previous two films. Creator/ElliotPage going onto become a notable star in his own right helps massively.

* IdiotPlot:
** The government hears that Magneto is raising an army to attack the mutant cure laboratory on Alcatraz. In response, they arm the guards there with mutant cure dart weapons in plastic dart rifles, the latter of which is sensible to stop Magneto but the former being CripplingOverspecialization at its finest. This only works because Magneto is equally stupid. They also leave Leech at Alcatraz instead of quietly moving him somewhere else when they know his life is in danger. Even though Magneto has a mutant sensor character in his ranks and would know they moved him, the government doesn't know that.
** Magneto's plan involves uprooting the Golden Gate Bridge to bring his mutant army to Alcatraz. He could have just as easily dropped the bridge on Alcatraz, removing the need for an army entirely, or flown himself to an unreachable distance and turned the entire island and its large supply of metal (rebar, pipes, etc.) into a deathtrap.
** Magneto just sends his army in with no plan, using them as fodder to determine the enemy's capabilities. As he demonstrates later, he could just have his A-list destroy everyone in a few moves and they would be powerless to stop him. This essentially serves no purpose but to make Magneto seem unsympathetic and callous to his own race. (A deleted scene does show Magneto try to get Phoenix to do something, which she refuses, telling him, "You're sounding like [Xavier] again." This does not excuse him failing to use his lesser, but still ridiculously powerful elites right off the bat.)
** Magneto is surprised that the humans are using plastic guns, as if he genuinely didn't expect them. This from a guy who's not only been held in a plastic prison for quite some time (which included guards with plastic weapons), but has shown the ability to detect metallic signatures from far greater distances and act on them accordingly. He does so in this very film, in fact.
** Magneto controls metal. Wolverine has metal bones and Colossus turns into metal. You would think Magneto would just toss them into the ocean (something he would do in a later film), but instead he leaves them on the battlefield.
** The heroes need to stop Phoenix, so Wolverine is sent in to stab her with his claws. If he's in a position to get close enough to do that and you aren't going to [[MagicPants make her vaporize his pants]], then he should have grabbed some cure darts (which are literally ''everywhere'') and cured her instead of killing her. Still psycho or not, she wouldn't be a threat.

* OneSceneWonder: The movie is full of them -- Vinnie Jones as Juggernaut, Creator/EricDane as Multiple Man, Ben Foster as Angel.
** Cyclops is little more than a cameo here, but Creator/JamesMarsden still does what he can do with what he's been given and delivers a strong performance that [[TheWoobie makes the audience feel for him]] before [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter his character winds up being completely wasted]].

** Many members of the main cast were considered to suffer from this, as wanting to showcase LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters [[DemotedToExtra robbed their screentime]].
** The film in general is lousy with this, wasting not only the already under-utilized Colossus, but Psylocke and Multiple Man as well. Even Callisto could have gotten more characterization mileage than simply being another of ComicBook/{{Magneto}}'s lackeys.
** Cyclops, leader of the X-Men and arguably the '''REAL''' main character of the comics: the guy was less than a cameo in the movie. The character had to deal with the ''death of his lover'', but apparently that wasn't worth exploring, nor were his actual leadership abilities. Also, with Xavier's death, the idea of Cyke taking leadership of the X-Men as a whole and not just the field team was very doable (he's been leader of the majority of the mutants for years in the comics), and would've made sense in the context of the story. But no, he was thrown out like yesterday's trash.
** Storm, the woman who led the X-Men for years in the comics, and, with Cyclops and Professor X dead would be the most logical choice to take over. She kind of does, but her only show of leadership is assuring Angel the Xaver School is a safe place for mutants. Otherwise she largely just stands around with a blank expression. This was most likely the result of a contract dispute leaving the writers initially unsure whether or not Creator/HalleBerry would return, and therefore limiting her role accordingly in case she didn't (Wolverine's SpotlightStealingSquad status probably didn't help either, but it was at least never in any serious doubt that Creator/HughJackman would appear in this).
** Basically, there are two kinds of characters in this film: on one hand, you have the characters who could all be the poster children for this trope. On the other hand, you have ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}.
** This was the first film that had the original X-Men team (Professor X, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Beast and Angel) all play a part... but they never share a scene as a unit, let alone work together like fans would have loved to see. [[spoiler: Jean spends the majority of the film in the villainous Phoenix persona, Charles and Scott both die at her hands, and Angel never even joins the team.]] The only ones seen to work together are Beast and Iceman in Act 3. Considering the next team film was First Class (which managed to feature ''none'' of these characters besides Charles and Hank,) this stings all the more.
** While Beast's actual role in the film averts this, the fact that highly divisive at best film is the only project where the perfectly Creator/KelseyGrammer got to play this role [[spoiler: outside of a [[Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast cameo]]]] is rather disappointing.
** Nightcrawler not returning is commonly seen as this since he was widely agreed to be one of the best parts of the previous installment.

** The film wastes both the Dark Phoenix Saga and the "mutant cure" storylines, two highly regarded arcs from the comics, by shoving them together, ensuring neither individual plot has room enough to breathe or make the impact that it should.
** On the one hand, you have a member of the cast who turns evil, gains a huge boost to her superpowers, and threatens to kill lots of people if she's not stopped. On the other hand, you have a "cure" for mutations, with some mutants wanting the cure while others are afraid that it will be forced on them. Of course, since they are both in the same film, there is no time to explore either of them to their full potential. Not only that, the obvious justification for doing both in the same film, that the "cure" just so happens to be a solution to that whole Phoenix problem? It's never even considered.
** ''X2'' ends with Professor Xavier suddenly getting distracted during a class and staring into the distance, after which he smiles and says "everything will be alright". The implication is that he felt the Phoenix as she appeared in Alkali Lake, therefore realizing Jean had survived. So of course the third movie chooses to completely forget about this scene and have him act as surprised as everyone else when Jean is found. This in turn means Cyclops is the one who unleashes the Phoenix and [[spoiler: gets killed for it.]]
** The decision to reduce Rogue to the role of TagalongKid made a certain amount of sense in the first and even the second movies, but the script's insistence on sticking to it here results in missed stakes. Rogue's most famous powerset in the comics is the FlyingBrick; she gained them when she was tricked by a villain into {{Depower}}ing [[Comics/CaptainMarvel some other superhero]], leaving them an EmptyShell, imprinting their powers on her permanently, and inspiring Rogue's HeelFaceTurn. Having Marie do something similar in this film would add some nuance to the Mutant Cure subplot; if Rogue feels she is so CursedWithAwesome that she's willing to give up a power level that would (in a movie [[Film/AvengersEndgame two decades later]]) allow her to go ''toe-to-toe with Thanos'', it paints a clear picture of her plight. Instead, the cure is portrayed as an unquestionable improvement to the state of the world (unscrupulous {{muggle}}s inflicting it on non-mutants notwithstanding), allowing the one person who takes it voluntarily to cruise off to a HappilyEverAfter with no consequences felt or opportunities missed.

** This can be said for many as well. From heavy hitters Creator/HughJackman, Creator/PatrickStewart, and Creator/IanMcKellen, to series newcomers Creator/KelseyGrammer and Creator/ElliotPage, there's strong performances all around in this film.

** Scott starts hearing Jean's voice in his head, calling his name.\\
'''You'd Expect:''' That, being the leader of the team, he would (at the very least) go talk to someone about it, especially Xavier (who would be able to read his mind and figure out what's going on).\\
'''Instead:''' He secretly packs a bag, blows off Logan (who tries to help him) and goes off to Alkali Lake by himself. There, he accidentally(?) awakens Jean/Phoenix, who then proceeds to [[spoiler:de-atomize him]]. As if acknowledging Scott's actions, no one mentions him for the rest of the film. StuffedIntoTheFridge and SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome, indeed.

** Kid Omega's IntimidationDemonstration where he quills out in Magneto's general vicinity. Perhaps not silly itself, as it is clearly meant to evoke a scary animal's threat display, but utterly ridiculous when you learn that it's ''all his mutant power''. That's correct, he is throwing his entire might on Magneto, which does nothing because it is literally next to nothing.
*** The fact that the quills are about three inches long certainly doesn't help. The one time we see him use them to any kind of effect, he literally has to hug his victim while "quilling out" (and it seems that she ''let'' him do it anyway). Considering that throughout the film he's included in a trio with the other two mutants' powers being vastly more impressive, it makes the whole situation that much worse.

* OneSceneWonder: The movie is full of them -- Vinnie Jones as Juggernaut, Eric Dane as Multiple Man, Ben Foster as Angel.

** Rogue choosing to take the cure has also divided fans. Some think it goes against the film's message, but others support the decision, given Rogue's powers are pretty much a curse, [[AdaptionalWimp and she doesn't have the comic version's stronger aspects]] to justify wanting to keep them.

* CriticalBacklash: While most fans will agree it's weaker than the prior films, there's several viewers who think that it's not nearly as bad as it's made out to be, having several legitimately good new characters, performances, and ideas, even if some of them aren't executed that well.

* SugarWiki/RuleOfSeanConnery: '''Creator/ElliotPage'''. Even a lot of the film's detractors enjoyed Kitty Pryde taking down the Juggernaut. These included Bryan Singer, who went on to bring Page back for ''Days of Future Past''.

* OvershadowedByControversy: In November 2017, Elliot Page accused Creator/BrettRatner of homophobic abuse during the production of this film, with Anna Paquin corroborating her account of the incident. In the space of a day this film went from being at the back of most people's minds to being negatively referred to on every news broadcast and website in the world. At time of writing, Brett Ratner has denied her claims.

** And of course this version of Kitty Pryde, who was enjoying a higher profile in the zeitgeist thanks to being featured in ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'', and gets an expanded role compared to her cameos in the previous two films. Creator/EllenPage going onto become a notable star in her own right helps massively.

** The Rogue-Kitty-Iceman romance subplot seems far less cute in light of Creator/EllenPage and Creator/AnnaPaquin's testimonials about Creator/BrettRatner's sexual harassment towards them.

* OvershadowedByControversy: In November 2017, Ellen Page accused Creator/BrettRatner of homophobic abuse during the production of this film, with Anna Paquin corroborating her account of the incident. In the space of a day this film went from being at the back of most people's minds to being negatively referred to on every news broadcast and website in the world. At time of writing, Brett Ratner has denied her claims.

** Iceman came out as gay in the comics. Makes his semi-love triangle in the movie with two girls quite a bit funnier, especially when you consider that both his love interests are played by actresses who are into girls in real life (Ellen Page is a lesbian, and Anna Paquin is bisexual).

** Ellen Page as Kitty Pryde. She had only just finished ''Film/HardCandy'' at this point and it would be a couple of years before her Oscar-nominated role in ''{{Film/Juno}}''.

* SugarWiki/RuleOfSeanConnery: '''Creator/EllenPage'''. Even a lot of the film's detractors enjoyed Kitty Pryde taking down the Juggernaut. These included Bryan Singer, who went on to bring Page back for ''Days of Future Past''.
* ScapegoatCreator: Creator/BrettRatner picks up a ''lot'' of hate from fans of the ''X-Men'' for his role in directing this movie. Said fans tend to ignore the fact that Ratner joined the film's production at a relatively late stage (replacing Creator/MatthewVaughn, who had been attached to direct for most of the film's development phase), thus minimizing the amount of creative input he could have possibly had to the movie. Ratner ''was'' allegedly responsible for a lot of HostilityOnTheSet, including causing the initial cinematographer to quit, and also being abusive towards Creator/EllenPage and Creator/AnnaPaquin, but not for most of the aspects of the movie he's typically been blamed for over the years.

* CantUnhearIt: Creator/KelseyGrammer as Beast. His character managed to be a fan favourite despite the contested nature of the movie.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Ben Foster's heartfelt performance as Angel almost makes you forget his screen time is so small. Doubly impressive, considering the role was [[PlayingAgainstType massively against type]] for him at the time (he was best known for psychopath roles, such as ''{{Film/Hostage}}'').

** Iceman came out as gay in the comics. Makes his semi-love triangle in the movie with two girls quite a bit funnier, especially when you consider that both his love interests are played by actresses who are into girls in real life.

** The film wastes both the Dark Phoenix Saga and the "mutant cure" storylines, two highly regarded arcs from the comics, by shoving them together, ensuring neither individual plot has room enough to breathe or make the impact that it should.
** On the one hand, you have a member of the cast who turns evil, gains a huge boost to her superpowers, and threatens to kill lots of people if she's not stopped. On the other hand, you have a "cure" for mutations, with some mutants wanting the cure while others are afraid that it will be forced on them. Of course, since they are both in the same film, there is no time to explore either of them to their full potential. Not only that, the obvious justification for doing both in the same film, that the "cure" just so happens to be a solution to that whole Phoenix problem? It's never even considered.

* OneSceneWonder: The movie is full of them -- Vinnie Jones as Juggernaut, Eric Dane as Multiple Man, Ben Foster as Angel.

* ScapegoatCreator: Creator/BrettRatner picks up a ''lot'' of hate from fans of the ''X-Men'' for his role in directing this movie. Said fans tend to ignore the fact that Ratner joined the film's production at a relatively late stage (replacing Creator/MatthewVaughn, who had been attached to direct for most of the film's development phase), thus minimizing the amount of creative input he could have possibly had to the movie.

** The film wastes both the Dark Phoenix Saga and the "mutant cure" storylines, two highly arcs from the comics, by shoving them together, ensuring neither individual plot has room enough to breathe or make the impact that it should.