At the Movies: X3 and Over the Hedge

Got the chance to get to the movies twice over the holiday weekend (hooray!).

Was very apprehensive about "X-Men 3: The Last Stand" and had lowered expectations based on the lack of Bryan Singer and early negative reports. It was action packed and the visuals were generally well done. But I thought it was for the most part missing the heart and substance of the first two, Singer-directed X-Men movies. There were plot holes a plenty (SPOILER ALERT: I thought Jean and Storm were best buds, but she doesn't seem too sad about Jean's return as The Phoenix.) And there was not near enough Mystique (at left). :)

Part 3 was entertaining and had all the trappings of a last chapter (major characters dying right and left). It was OK, just suffered in comparison to the first two - which I re-watched this week to get in gear, so they were fresh in mind.

Now we took the kids to see "Over the Hedge," a fast-paced and enjoyable diversion. A fairly simple story of a wily racoon talking some fellow woodland creatures into snatching food from the suburbs. Did I detect an subtle anti-consumerist message and was big time Republican Bruce Willis voicing his character in a line dissing massive SUVs only containing one human?!?! Nice cast with Steve Carell's squirrel stealing the show. As far as Dreamworks computer animated work, I thought it better than Madagascar but not quite up to Shrek.