X-Men: The Movies

[RottingCorpse]

I'm with Cass. Disappointing on just about every level.

[Tatertots]

Seeing Rebecca Romijn naked was disappointing? You bitch!

But now that Anna Paquin is "cured", we'll get to see her tits in X4! Yeah!

I'm banking on a Rogue/Angel hardcore scene.

Also, you all stayed until after the credits, right? Where Xavier... You know...

[Cassander]

god, what a waste of my time.  a friend told me to stay, and i'd already hated the movie so i was just fuming while the credits rolled on and on and all i got was a coldcock to the face.  "Remember, kids, IT'S NEVER OVER WHEN MARVEL'S INVOLVED!"

[Tatertots]

Marvel touched me in my special place.

[Matt]

See, my expectations were so low, I enjoyed it. For the most part. I went in with no expectations, didn't expect anything fulfilling, and for the most part I was satisfied.

[RottingCorpse]

Up until the point where

Spoiler

Xavier dies

, it was passable. There were even a few moments of "wow." The Jean/Wolverine make out scene was cool, especially when she Phoenix-ed out on him. The Angel scene was good, but ultimately pointless. Actually that was the problem with most of the movie. Most of it was just pointless. Also, the movie got so over the top at the end that I just kind of tuned out.

They should have either done a movie about the cure, or a movie about Phoenix. Trying to do both (and in an hour and forty-five minutes no less) just made everything get watered down.

The Beast was a cool character but the wire work during his fight was abyssmal. I also liked how Iceman developed as a character too.

Plus, Ian McKellan is an acting god. When he's on screen, there's was magic that Ratner couldn't completely obliterate, no matter how hard he tried.

And really, don't blame Ratner. Blame Tom Rothman and 20th Century Fox who rushed it into production instead of waiting on Bryan Singer and David Hayter like they should have.

Oh, and $120 million over Memorial Day weekend? Can you say countdown to X4? (After we get the Wolverine and Magneto spin-off movies?)

[Tatertots]

Yeah - they confirmed X4, and possibly more.

What the fuck was up with the little kid? They made him up to be hugely important and then, in the end, he just... Runs away. Fucking nitwit.

Juggernaut was cool and I liked some of the fight scenes. But they couldn't touch X1 or X2 in the least.

And, like I said, Rebecca's tits!

[Matt]

Iceman vs. Pyro fight I enjoyed. Because Bobby suddenly realized all he could do, and Pyro was such an emo bitch in this movie.

I agree with anything about Ian McKellen. He is hardcore.

I was disappointed with the Phoenix special effects. I viewed the killing/neutering of most of the characters just FOX's way of saying "haha, Bryan Singer, see what convoluted shit you're going to have to put together when you finally come back to us?"

Juggernaut sucked balls, BTW. And I'd say it was good up until Xavier dies. Except I was hoping that they could continue that opening that they did for X-Men and X2. Because really, those themes and introductions helped bookend and focus the movie.

[Matt]

Another thing I liked, although I'm sure Cass and RC will disagree with me, was when Magneto moves the Bridge. Although you'll say it's over the top, I was waiting for a huge set-piece like that where Magneto opens up . Whenever Magneto flies, I get chills. It's badass. 100%.

What I missed: Nightcrawler and John Ottman's score. Like the series, Ottman was developing the themes and motifs and taking them places. I would've liked to see what he had done this time around. Buuuuuut...I only have to wait a month and I'll get to hear his work in Superman Returns, which I will be in line for to help break X3's record.

[Matt]

Oh, and finally... Hugh Jackman is one GODDAMN LUCKY SON OF A BITCH. To have Famke Jenssen's legs wrapped around him. Daaaaaaamn. We should all be so lucky. Although I have to say, the idea that a woman could be that sexually aggressive, I'm finding it a little harder to believe these days. Just doesn't seem possible.

[Tatertots]

Oh, yeah. Hot damn. There *are* women that aggressive, they're just never "stable".

[RottingCorpse]

The Golden Gate Bridge scene was Exhibit A of how this movie went too over the top.

I missed Nightcrawler too, and think it was a mistake to jettison him after how he was developed in the last movie. Though really, with all the other characters, where would you have put him?

Iceman vs Pyro was okay. I though Pyro was the one of the only characters that was consistant from X2 to X3.

Phoenix was pretty lame, though Famke Janssen is uber-hot. Again, they didn't take the time they should have with it.

And remember, Matt, they didn't kill off anybody they couldn't bring back. No body for Cyclops. The "REAL" Jean Grey could still be cocooned underneath the lake. Xavier is obviously still around. Plus, the last shot showing Magneto still has his powers could also bring back Mystique and Rogue. All of the actors except Halle Berry have said they would come back.

And I liked Juggernaut. I liked how they utilized him. I also enjoyed Kitty Pryde, though again, I would have liked to see her developed more.

[Matt]

I think the movie borrowed heavily from Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men series, personally. The cure and the Professor's "arrogance" - extremely out of character, needed more build-up. I'm waiting for the "Director's Cut" of X3 with all these new scenes added, similar to Daredevil's director's cut.

[RottingCorpse]

I've got a real bug up my ass lately about there being too many threads on GS, so I'm putting this here.

Trailer for X-Men Origins: Wolverine

[RottingCorpse]

And this . . .

'X-Men' spawns family of sequels
Spinoffs will include 'First Class,' 'Deadpool'

Studios have turned summer into a playground for superheroes at the box office.

But the X-Men have quietly been waiting on the Fox lot for their turn to have some fun at the megaplex again.

When the studio releases "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" next May, it will be three years since its comicbook franchise last appeared in theaters.

Fox is looking to change that, reducing the number of years between appearances of its power-possessing mutants by developing spinoffs that lead to a new series of sequels.

Those include:


"X-Men: First Class:" Josh Schwartz, who created the teen-friendly TV shows "Gossip Girl" and "The O.C.," is penning a script, based around the conceit of the 2006 comic of the same name, that focuses on the young mutants enrolled at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. Books revolved around the Cyclops, Jean Grey, Angel Iceman and Beast characters, which already have been featured in the three previous "X-Men" films.

"Magneto": "Batman Begins" co-scribe David S. Goyer is attached to direct the origins story of the "X-Men" arch-villain (played by Ian McKellen in the previous pics) and his relationship with Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart). Both characters would be played by younger actors, given the earlier timeline in which the plot takes place.

And "Deadpool," which would revolve around the sarcastic mercenary played by Ryan Reynolds in "Wolverine," should the character in that pic prove popular with auds.
More than one option(Film) X-Men
(Tv) X-Men
More than one option(Person) Patrick Stewart
Narrator, Voice, Executive Producer
(Person) Patrick Stewart
Electrician
(Person) Patrick Stewart
Manager
(Person) Patrick Stewart
Editor, Assistant Editor
(Person) Patrick Alexander Stewart
(Person) Patrick Stewart
Associate ProducerMore than one option(Person) Ryan Reynolds
Actor
(Person) Ryan Reynolds
Post-Production AssistantNaturally, sequels to "Wolverine" are likely should the actioner, bringing back Hugh Jackman as the title character, become a hit.

Auds have yet to show signs of losing interest in superhero fare, especially considering that "The Dark Knight" and "Iron Man" proved some of the biggest earners of the year.

The first three "X-Men" pics have minted $1.2 billion worldwide. The worldwide grosses have gone up with each installment, with the last outing, "X-Men: The Last Stand," collecting $459 million in 2006.

Yet Fox brass are being careful to make sure they don't rush any of the pics into production.

The studio needs fans to embrace the new batch of pics it makes in order to make even more of them, as well as sell a ton of related merchandise.

Outside of "Fantastic Four," "X-Men" is Fox's only successful superhero franchise. It can't afford misfires like "Daredevil" or "Elektra," which never had follow-ups. Fox is considering a relaunch of "Daredevil" with a new pic, similar to what Marvel and Universal did with the Incredible Hulk character this summer.

If Fox doesn't act soon, it could end up in the same position as Warner Bros. which has been criticized for over-developing its superhero projects, like a sequel to "Superman Returns" or launches for such characters as Green Lantern, the Flash and Wonder Woman.

The studio picked up the license from Marvel before the comicbook company began financing its own slate of pics. Rights to "X-Men" revert back to Marvel in 2012 if pics aren't in active development.

There's certainly a lot to work with.

X-Men isn't made up of a single major character like Spider-Man, Superman or Batman, or even a small group, like the Fantastic Four, but rather a slew of charismatic mutants with a different set of powers that could each headline their own pic.

The future of the franchise essentially has been put into the hands of producer Lauren Shuler Donner, who has overseen all three "X-Men" pics to date and is shepherding "Wolverine," "First Class," (together with "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"-scribe Simon Kinberg), and "Magneto."

She's been influential in hiring indie directors not used to helming action or dealing with extensive special effects sequences. "I like taking someone out of the indie world and bringing someone into the action world because it grounds the movie," she says. "It gives it a reality. It gives it an emotional core, and then you can have as much fun and action in it as you want."

Bryan Singer tackled the first two "X-Men" pics, with Brett Ratner handling the third. Gavin Hood ("Tsotsi" and "Rendition") helmed "Wolverine."