X-Men: The Last Stand has already been mentioned several times in the course of this article and it's no surprise. Spoiler alert: it's not very good. One of the myriad of issues with the film is the handling of the 'mutant cure' storyline. The script takes it's cues very loosely from the acclaimed Gifted arc, published in Astonishing X-Men in 2004 and written by future Avengers director Joss Whedon. The comic features a cure, designed by Dr. Kavita Rao, that was created using illegal human experimentation. It is revealed that Rao is sponsored by an alien warlord named Ord, so it's understandable that the filmmakers adapted the story somewhat for film, but they ended up only paying lip service to the potentially fascinating ethical and moral debate that a 'cure' brings up. There is a scene in which young Warren Worthington III, who will become known as Angel due to the wings that sprout from his back, is found by his father while trying to cut them off. This is tragic and interesting; it plays into the idea that a lot of mutants would want to be 'normal' as they feel their powers make them freaks. Sadly the film chooses to focus more on large-scale action and crams far too many mutants into the story. The mutant cure should have had a whole film devoted to it, but instead the makers decided to include another celebrated X-epic as well...
