4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE LATEST HIT FILM, June 16, 2006
This review is from: Art of X-Men The Last Stand: From Concept to Feature Film (Newmarket Pictorial Moviebook) (Hardcover)
Among the media tie-in items for X-Men the Last Stand, there are few things better for die hard fans than The Art of X-Men The Last Stand from Newmarket Press. This is a gorgeous 160 page soft cover book featuring hundreds of photos, concept drawings, sculptures, and storyboards from the latest hit film. The presentation if first rate in its delivery.
The first chapter of the book traces the long and often bumpy history of the X-Men, first created in 1963 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby at Marvel Comics. While the X-Men has been the most popular comic in the world for the better part of 25 years, it certainly didn't start out that way. The X-Men basically treaded water throughout the 60's and early 70's, with the notable exceptions of the brief runs by artistic greats Neal Adams, Jim Steranko, and Barry Smith. In fact things got so bad for the title that eventually new stories ceased and it just ran re-prints for a time. Then, 1975 brought us Giant-Sized X-Men #1 by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum. This book would feature a whole new cast of X-Men such as Wolverine, Storm, Colossus, Banshee, Nightcrawler, Thunderbird, and Sunfire. The New X-Men were born and the rest is history. This chapter introduces to both the new and old X-men team members as well as their many villains such as Magneto and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
The next chapter gets into the latest film and features outstanding full color photography from the film, but that's just the beginning. There's magnificent concept art done for various characters and scenes from the film. You can see the various artists renderings for Colossus, The Beast, the Danger Room, and Phoenix, and compare them to the finished products.
Chapters three and four highlight the various members of the Brotherhood such as Mystique, Pyro, and Juggernaut, as well as various action scenes. There were over a half dozen different looks to Juggernaut's signature headgear, some of which are really better than the one they ultimately chose for the film. There are some great storyboard sequences in this chapter such as when Magneto brings down the Golden Gate bridge, Pyro battles Iceman, and Kitty Pryde flees from Juggernaut as he literally smashes through walls in pursuit of his prey.
These photos, drawings, and storyboards truly get you inside the film and give the fan a greater understanding of the filmmaking process. You get a keen sense of just how meticulous they are in planning out shots and film sequences. It's a fantastic book from beginning to end. If you're an X-Men fan than you MUST own this book!
Reviewed by Tim Janson
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5.0 out of 5 stars
An appreciation of the art in an irresistible superheroic fantasy of the film itself in filmmaking for aficionados of genre!, June 15, 2010
The Art of X-Men The Last Stand, is definitely a glitzy and lush movie companion book to the hit movie from movie stills to conceptual designs of inside the movie. This book has almost four hundred illustrations from movie stills to production artwork, that's absolutely sensational, concept drawings that are eye popping imagination and ideas abound in this book and movie. This is not a book solely for fantasy superhero buffs but instead is more for aficionados of the superheroic genre that will no doubt find it an irresistible heroic fantasy to watch and enjoy as a moviegoing experenice. Commentary is provided by director Brett Ratner commenting about the film's production,in it and lot review on it. This is the only book on the market on the creation of the blockbuster movie, an absolute essential visual companion to the final chapter in the X-Men motion picture trilogy saga.That will no doubt dazzle it's audience of it's striking visual movie stills and set designs, of concept drawings, and costume sketches of it's storyboards. The book albeit to say has scanty information on the subject but none the less does draw on the original history of the X-Men, illustrated with archival comic book art. The characters portray their comic book counterpart exceptionally well. I had slight reservation in Colossus he could have been a little larger none the less an excellent portrayal. Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman is the incarnation of the character his perfect portrayal of Wolverine is indisputable. Patrick Stewart another great actor who fits into his role Professor X like a glove. Beast who is absolutely magnificent is played by Kelsey Grammer. The entire cast are perfect each actor sliding into their respective roles perfectly doing the character total justice. The movie details the movie where a cure for mutancy threatens to alter the course of history. For the first time, mutants have a choice, change become normal or remain alienated but individually perfect as they are. The entire movie revolves around this dilemma, triggering the war to end all wars. This is the first film in the series to feature the original line up of the X-Men from the comics, Professor X, Cyclops, Jean Grey ( originally she played Marvel Girl, not Phoenix), Iceman, Beast(his character appeared briefly minus blue fur), Angel. Most of the rest of the major characters joined the team in X-Men#1, Storm, Wolverine, Colossus and Nightcrawler and so on.
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2.0 out of 5 stars
The book's contant is so disappointedly, June 9, 2009
This review is from: Art of X-Men The Last Stand: From Concept to Feature Film (Newmarket Pictorial Moviebook) (Hardcover)
This book's name called "the art of XXX",however it's contant is so few,and many page is the picture of the photo of the film and photo of the actors,only little sketch and drawing of the definition
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