X-Men III: The Last Stand (12A)

The disadvantage is that with so many subplots to find room for, there's no space left for sustained action set pieces. All of the X-Men films struggle to jam in decades' worth of continuity from the monthly Marvel comics, so that anyone who isn't familiar with the characters already can lose track of them amid the multiple storylines and political intrigue. If it weren't for the sight of Vinnie Jones in a rubber muscle suit, you could easily imagine you were watching Syriana. A final apocalyptic showdown makes The Last Stand the most satisfying film of the trilogy, although the X-Men would be more satisfying still as an ongoing TV series - or, for that matter, an ongoing comic.