shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Mar 17, 2017 16:33:54 GMT -5
I'm not sure one had any correlation on the other. You have to keep in mind how different the market was back then for films like this. There was no guarantee this film would be a financial success, and certainly no guarantee there'd be a second and third in the series, let alone the wide breadth of comic book films that exist today. So the very idea that some of the less mainstream X-Men characters might appear on film for a brief moment -- that was damn exciting back then, regardless of how strong or weak the main cast was. We don't flinch now when it happens because every hero and their uncle is being optioned for a film, but it was a precious thing back then. I still remember nearly peeing my pants when Colossus appeared in X-2. Not as precious when they only got 2 or3 minutes on screen of hardly recognizable as the character you loved. There was the hope of something wonderful like a great tasting steak and we got a hot dog instead. Very unfulfilling and less satisfying as Fox/Hollywood thinks we can be appeased with a boring mediocre moment than a full blown realization. Take those 5 minutes and let Cyclops be developed or allow Sabretooth being fleshed out into a true threat rather than coming across lamely. Such hopes and we get so little. And since X-Men most of the superhero movies have followed this route of trying to put too much into the movie and not delivering enough to satisfy thinking they are pleasing the fans when they are not and only confusing those who don't follow comics. I suspect it comes down to personal preference here. I'd rather get one good shot of Danielle Moonstar, Doug Ramsey, and Siryn each than another minute of Hallie Berry dialogue, myself. I didn't need each of those characters to get fully developed -- it was enough to know that they existed in this universe; that the cinematic X-Men didn't consist of a small core team with everything else forgotten. The X-Men franchise had a vast wealth of characters, and these films were happy to assure us that, somehow, somewhere, those characters were still out there in the film universe and might even, one day, get an important role in a later film. At least that was my experience. |
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Post by brutalis on Mar 17, 2017 17:08:50 GMT -5
I suspect it comes down to personal preference here. I'd rather get one good shot of Danielle Moonstar, Doug Ramsey, and Siryn each than another minute of Hallie Berry dialogue, myself. I didn't need each of those characters to get fully developed -- it was enough to know that they existed in this universe; that the cinematic X-Men didn't consist of a small core team with everything else forgotten. The X-Men franchise had a vast wealth of characters, and these films were happy to assure us that, somehow, somewhere, those characters were still out there in the film universe and might even, one day, get an important role in a later film. At least that was my experience. It is all about the personal preference. Myself i want a full blown Beast origin as misanthropic teen grows into respected scientist who experiments on himself trying to cure mutations and becomes a tortured and horrible grey beast of the night or Sunfire flames burning across the Japanese skyline as his samurai heart drives him to help abused mutants in his homeland movies. Imagine what could be done with an Ice Man movie with a good story and spectacular ice effects. Gimme a Blob and Unus the Untouchable buddy action/caper movie. How about a Mimic movie where his power is uncontrollable as he keeps on crossing paths of unknown mutants and their powers bursting forth from him causes him even more troubles? The mutants of the Marvel u deserve their own full blown stories and movies more than just a slight cameo cramming them into a movie where they do nothing except for Fox copyright purposes. i don't want to settle for less, i crave MORE  That is the real problem with the early X-Men movies: they always come up short and leave you wishing and wanting more from them. |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Mar 17, 2017 17:12:34 GMT -5
The mutants of the Marvel u deserve their own full blown stories and movies more than just a slight cameo cramming them into a movie where they do nothing except for Fox copyright purposes. i don't want to settle for less, i crave MORE Again, though: historical context. This was in an age before you could count on new Marvel movies three times a year. There was no guarantee there'd ever be a second or third X-Men film, or that this emerging interest in superhero films wasn't a bubble about to pop. You simply couldn't bank on the idea that there'd be more time to develop characters later -- you threw what you could into the running time you were allotted because that might be all that this franchise will ever get. |
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Post by badwolf on Mar 17, 2017 17:34:33 GMT -5
It might seem like a weird thing to say, but this is a movie that is very close to my heart. I had never thought an X-Men film would ever get made; even though they were super-popular with comics readers, I figured they'd stick to flagship characters like Spider-Man or the Hulk for the masses. I still remember the excitement I felt seeing the first trailers, with the brief glimpses of each character. As for the film itself, I don't mind saying I was a little teary by the end. Here were my characters, the ones that meant the most to me, on screen--and successfully. Not perfect, I know, but very, very good. It was more than I could hope for.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Mar 17, 2017 19:43:19 GMT -5
It might seem like a weird thing to say, but this is a movie that is very close to my heart. I had never thought an X-Men film would ever get made; even though they were super-popular with comics readers, I figured they'd stick to flagship characters like Spider-Man or the Hulk for the masses. I still remember the excitement I felt seeing the first trailers, with the brief glimpses of each character. As for the film itself, I don't mind saying I was a little teary by the end. Here were my characters, the ones that meant the most to me, on screen--and successfully. Not perfect, I know, but very, very good. It was moreg than I could hope for. Well said. It was more than fans of the time felt they had the right to hope for. Historical context is essential to understanding the importance of this film. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2017 22:01:41 GMT -5
badwolf ... You made very good points and I've echo your sentiments exactly. Well Said.
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Post by coinkadink on Mar 19, 2017 12:38:43 GMT -5
I loved this one as well. It has a special place in my heart. I had just been married and my wife was pregnant with my first son "Logan". Yes I named my son after Wolverine. I was caught up in the excitement of an X-men movie. It was a good start. I wish some of the threads set up had payed off and been explored but I didn't know what would happen then and was intrigued by the possibilities. Did Rogue know Mystique? Was Logan and Creed me mindwiped of their past? Would we see other X-men and learn their secrets in future installments? One thing I did know at the end was there would be more and it was exciting.
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Post by Icctrombone on Mar 20, 2017 4:30:20 GMT -5
The choice of villains is probably the most serious misstep of the series. Singer delivered the hot villains that fans of the late 1990s were clamoring to see (Mystique and Sabretooth), and yet, for the sake of efficiency, the two are relegated to the status of henchmen who, for the sake of screen time, never really exhibit any kind of personality whatsoever. Both come off as a joke as a result, and thus, while the first film tries its best to lay clues that there is unspoken history between Sabretooth and Wolverine that will ultimately come to fruition in later films, we never see Sabretooth again (good thing, too, as that Chris Hemsworth guy clearly had no future in superhero films). Mystique is an equally squandered opportunity who in no way resembles her comic book counterpart, but apparently the whole "nude but with scales look" won her enough acclaim with fanboys to warrant her returning for the rest of the series and retroactively get her a pivotal role in the prequels as well. The part of Sabertooth was played by Tyler Mane, not Chris Hemsworth. |
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Post by Icctrombone on Mar 20, 2017 4:41:38 GMT -5
Let me start by saying that I never have expectations for Comic movies to completely match the source material. I believe that both genres are separate universes and the movies have to do what works. Leaving the traditional costumes behind was something that the non comic book fan audience needed to not think the movie was cheesy. I agree with a previous poster that there were too many characters in the X comics to showcase each and give them all their separate moments to shine. The leads in this movie were Logan, Jean, Scott and Magneto. They dominated the screen and the movie worked.
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Post by brianf on Mar 20, 2017 5:05:14 GMT -5
Cameo X-Men appearances: - Colossus (according to wikipedia. I did not notice this, myself) I believe the Colossal Cameo was in X2. While over all i enjoyed it, the one silly thing that stuck out to me was during the Wolverine / Sabertooth fight on top of the Statue Of Liberty - when Wolverine is thrown off he saves himself bus using his claws to swing around the crown and I always find myself thinking "Ummm... wouldn't the momentum cause his claws to just slice through the statues metal?" |
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Post by brianf on Mar 20, 2017 6:00:42 GMT -5
This made re-watch the "Everything Wrong With" and "Honest Trailers" for the 1st X-men movie and I hope no minds me sharing - this stuff make me laugh  |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Mar 20, 2017 7:56:51 GMT -5
The part of Sabertooth was played by Tyler Mane, not Chris Hemsworth. My bad for not fact-checking an anecdote I'd recently been told. Thanks. |
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Post by shaxper on Mar 20, 2017 7:58:17 GMT -5
Cameo X-Men appearances: - Colossus (according to wikipedia. I did not notice this, myself) I believe the Colossal Cameo was in X2. Colossus does appear in X-2, but Wikipedia and other sources agree he can be seen in one scene in the first film sketching on a drawing pad. |
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Post by shaxper on Mar 20, 2017 8:00:16 GMT -5
Leaving the traditional costumes behind was something that the non comic book fan audience needed to not think the movie was cheesy. That's certainly what Hollywood thought at the time, but Sam Rami's Spider-Man quickly proved that thinking wrong. |
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Post by Randle-El on Mar 20, 2017 15:46:41 GMT -5
Leaving the traditional costumes behind was something that the non comic book fan audience needed to not think the movie was cheesy. That's certainly what Hollywood thought at the time, but Sam Rami's Spider-Man quickly proved that thinking wrong. Yes, but Spider-Man's costume is iconic. I don't think you can really mess with that design and have it still be recognizable as Spider-Man. Whereas the X-Men's costumes, recognizable though they may be to comics fans, are hardly iconic. Even within the comics themselves, they have had a number of different costume designs. Some characters can survive costume changes and still be recognizable. Others pretty much need to stay faithful to the source material. I'd argue the X-Men have greater leeway in this respect, whereas Spider-Man is more constrained. |
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