For a while there, it seemed like X3 (which apparently now has the asinine subtitle The Last Stand which, like X2‘s marketing addendum X-Men United, I am refusing to acknowledge) would be nothing but an unmitigated disaster. But the early teaser trailer assuaged some of that worry — it actually looked like it could be a feasible entry in the X-Men movie franchise, despite the Beast’s blue hair-shirt, Juggernaut’s bad muscle-suit and the involvement of Brett Ratner.

However, in retrospect it may have just been the brief thrill of seeing the characters in motion once again. And that’s passed. Now the more I see (and hear through the grapevine), the more that apprehension rises like a dead redheaded mutant. The photographic evidence that has shown up at Dark Horizons and Coming Soon paints a grim picture — they seem to be utilizing the exact same angsty multi-poster advertising scheme as Rent, and those mutant chicks look more like a J-Pop band from The Fifth Element than worthy X-foes.

I wonder if Superman Returns is any good…