Director Bryan Singer may have abandoned the franchise in favor of Superman’s big return, but the ensemble cast is back in leather for another adventure from the world of Marvel Comics in X-Men: The Last Stand. The third installment in the blockbuster superhero film franchise arrives in theaters today with hopes of cracking The Da Vinci Code and outperforming DreamWorks Animation’s Over the Hedge with its own animal attractions over the lucrative Memorial Day weekend.
In X-Men: The Last Stand, lines are drawn between mutants when a cure for mutations is discovered and certain tortured superheroes are seduced by the possibility of leading normal lives. Hugh Jackman returns to lead the good guys as Wolverine, while Frasier star Kelsey Grammer joins the cast as Dr. Hank McCoy, a hairy, blue mutant also known as ‘Beast.’ The film features visual effects work by MPC, Soho VFX, Weta Digital, Cinesite, Framestore CFC, Rhythm & Hues and Kleiser-Walczak.
Filling in for Singer on this X-Men outing is Brett Ratner, director of the Rush Hour series and of action films and the latest Hannibal Lechter thriller, Red Dragon. Currently in pre-production on Rush Hour 3 with Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, Ratner has failed to impress a number of critics with his superhero trilogy ender.
Though reviews have been mixed, a built-in young male audience should drive X-Men to the top of the box office chart. However, Over the Hedge still has the highest theater count with more than 4,000. Da Vinci is close behind with just over 3,700, followed by X-Men with nearly 3,700.
Fans of the X-Men films and comics can go to Last Stand‘s MySpace page at www.myspace.com/xmenthelaststand, and vote on whether or not the mutants should give up their powers and be normal at www.curesummit.com. The film’s official website is www.x-menthelaststand.com.
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