20 Biggest Blockbuster Movie Showdowns Of All Time

19. The Battle Of Alcatraz - X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

While The Last Stand is easily the weakest of the standalone X-Men movies, it could have turned out a lot worse given the troubled pre-production. After Bryan Singer and Matthew Vaughn both dropped out of the director's chair, Brett Ratner took over just two months before the start of principal photography and less than a year before the release date. The first X-Men movie to overtly favor sheer spectacle over plot and theme, Ratner did manage to deliver some solid action scenes in amongst the underwritten narrative and two-dimensional characters. It isn't just the best scene in the movie, but the Alcatraz showdown between the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Mutants is one of the greatest set-pieces in the entire X-Men franchise, and definitely the biggest in terms of scale. Starting with Magneto's jaw-dropping relocation of the Golden Gate Bridge, the two factions square off with the future of both humanity and mutantkind in the balance, with heavy losses on both sides. Although there are a few missteps (mostly Vinnie Jones' irritating Juggernaut), the climactic battle provides a fitting showcase for each of the main characters to display their powers, as well as highlighting the bond between the X-Men. Even though the movie completely mishandles the Phoenix storyline, things still finish on an emotional note as Wolverine is forced to kill the woman he loves in order to save the day.