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X-MEN pulls in $21.4 million on opening day !!!

Good news for the franchise by Danetheman98	Jul 15th, 2000 05:25:17 PM
Well this is great news for those of us who would like to see more comic book movie adaptions. There is great material out there, just waiting to make it to the silver screen. If only James Cameron was involved in Spiderman. Sigh, we can't have everything.
harry can now breath a sigh of relief by mr. mysterious	Jul 15th, 2000 05:28:26 PM

alright spidey, daredevil, FF4, Incredible Hulk... by skywalker8	Jul 15th, 2000 05:31:51 PM
... This is what they were waiting for, now they know for sure that there is an audience so they can put these projects into full gear!
now just give us the director's cut, o.k.? by mr. mysterious	Jul 15th, 2000 05:33:12 PM
for the dvd or something.
X-MEN! Go save Kitty from the cave!" by AMC DAVE	Jul 15th, 2000 05:42:48 PM
And since movies tend to make more money on Saturday than Friday (for a flick's opening weekend), X-Men will definitely pull in 55 million easily. ---Dave Honestly, though, FOX should just keep Singer and FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, don't turn into another WB and fuck up this franchise, PLEASE!!!!
If seeing it multiple times, go NEXT weekend!! by TheYoungLion	Jul 15th, 2000 05:45:07 PM
That's great news about the opening day numbers. The weekend box office will surely let Fox know that they have a goldmine franchise on their hands. But I think it's also important that this film has "legs". It used to be that a film with a big opening would go on to have a humongous final talley. But these days, with another summer blockbuster opening every weekend, it's not unusual for a big film to have a great opening, then have a huge drop-off in ticket sales the following weekend. So for those of you planning to see the film two or more times, try to save one or more of those viewings for NEXT weekend. If the film has a moderate drop-off next weekend, and shows it has legs, then that will be good news for the whole franchise and the amount of money allocated to it. (It would also be cool if X-Men THE movie hit of the summer, something not many people predicted).
X-Men blew by Entity1	Jul 15th, 2000 06:01:52 PM
Just because Cyclops and Wolverine didn't skateboard down a museum dinosaur's back, and disco balls didn't lower out of the ceilings during a big fight, everyone seems to think this movie was a success. God, has Shumacker made us that desperate? Look at this film again. It was horrendous. Even worse if you're a NON-FAN. All they had to do was follow the source material, competently cast, and load it down with FX. But no. "Character development"? Is that what you call it? Well, if this represents Hollywood's attempt at trading lights and explosions for characterization, I prefer they stick to lights and explosions.
This film ROCKS, sigh of relief by Gryphon68	Jul 15th, 2000 06:05:35 PM
I just got back from seeing X-Men, and it was a great experience. The way the director and actors pulled this off actually brought a tear of joy to my eye. I plan on seeing it quite a few more times. Bring on the DVD!!
That pretty much just kicks ass. by Prankster	Jul 15th, 2000 06:08:05 PM
Usually I don't like to focus on opening numbers and BO grosses, since that seems kind of like encouraging the bean counters and distracting from a movie's relative quality. Is it good? Who cares, it had a great first weekend! But in this case, this is significant and a good thing. X-Men is a good movie, and a faithful comic adaptation. It's success will pave the way for more comic adaptations, give Singer the respect he deserves, and heck, it just plain deserves it. I mean, it IS the best movie of the summer so far (except for Chicken Run), so why not let it be the biggest hit?
45 minutes of footage lost! by Crystallis	Jul 15th, 2000 06:15:21 PM
It just came to my attention that the movie was originally 2 hours and fifteen minutes but Fox shaved it down to 1 hour and 28 minutes! They felt that the general public wouldn't be interested in all the extra character development. Here's hoping that all that sweet extra footage will be included in the DVD. What does everyone else think? If interested, pick up the novel to read up on some of the scenes cut. Some include the young Rogue at a dance when she saps the strength from another boy, a backgroung of Cyclops when he was a young boy, and a lot more development in the Jean, Scott, and Logan triangle. Pretty interesting, aye boys and girls?
"all these moments...will be lost in time...like tears in the ra by PitchMaster	Jul 15th, 2000 06:18:12 PM

X-Men by Blok Narpin	Jul 15th, 2000 06:24:35 PM
Ive always said that there are 4 truely great comic book movies: Superman: The Movie, Superman II, Batman, and Batman Returns. They are the best hands down. Sure, Batman FOrever,Blade, Judge Dredd and The ROcketeer get honorable mention but they were not as good as the firsat two Superman and the first two Batman films by a LONG shot!. Well now there are FIVE. X-Men is the comic book movie we all knew they were capable of if only they put thier minds to it. Now if they just keep Goldsman and Shumacher away from the sequels this franchise should be in great shape.
"all these moments...will be lost in time...like tears in the ra by PitchMaster	Jul 15th, 2000 06:31:34 PM
Fan-foogle-tastic news on X-Men's mega first day opening. Congratz Stateside genre fans. Harry was right. Pack out the cinemas, show your support and finally the execs will get the message. YOU CAN MAKE QUALITY GENRE FILMS that don't suck huge fat dirty fartwads, and will make money... then again, I'm sure the money men concerned already knew that regardless of box office, they'd make their money back on numerous 'special edition' X-Men DVD re and re and re-releases over the next few years....ahh bliss. Will we finally be free from the insulting, poisonous, filth of Armageddon/Independence Day/Godzilla bloohfluffgrrrr forever? Let's pray! Imagine a world where movie versh's of SpiderMan, Hulk and Fantastic Four are done right and proud and true and quality, all the way from script to cast to screen? Off the subject and re: the subject line above. UK AICNers just finished watching Mark Kemode's glorious documentary on the making of BladeRuuner, screened after the diretor's cut, and what did we learn beside the very old news that Deckard was a BladeRunner? Check this shit out : Rutger Hauer (Roy Batty) sat down at dinner, on one of the last days of shooting and mulled over a few extra lines for his final pre-death speech, then 'suggested' to Ridley he might like to try the lines. He then ran the lines by co-writer David Peoples and then spoke them once, and there they are : "all these moments...will be lost...like tears in the rain." One of the most brilliant, beautiful poetic (semi) final lines of movie dialogue ever, and it came from the actor! Writers tremble in thy shambolic boots! Also, we were treated to actually seeing footage of PHILIP K DICK speaking, on camera. Old footage, but I never thought there was any around of him. Never thought old Phil did tv interviews....all actors and crew on the doco talked of how incredible it was that what they made was now coming to life in the streets of LA. Dick watched test footage of the street and flying scenes, only days before he had his fatal stroke, then turned to the visual effects guys responsible and said : "I don't understand. How can this be? This is exactly what I saw when I wrote the novel." Ahhh, bliss. How long do UKers like me have to wait to see X-Men? And is it true the film is like full-core gay fetishist? That'll stir up the infamous AICN homophobes! Hope you guys get to see the BladeRunner documentary soon, and as Harrison Ford was the only principal cast, and crew member, who did not allow himself to be interviewed for it...well, he made himself like a true Dick. Not a Philip K DICK, just a Dick. You mad fuck Ford, why can't you be proud of BladeRunner like everyone else is? IT MADE YOU!
UK, X-Men and Edge of Blade Runner by Gabba-UK	Jul 15th, 2000 07:02:11 PM
Well, seen as we in the UK have to wait till 18th Aug for this film, knowing now that you guys over the pond just rate this movie as one of the best if not the best Comic adaptions has really made the wait unbearable!!! Just once we'd like to get to review a film before you guys (if only). I also just watched the superb Channel Four documentry Edge of Blade Runner (at least us brits got to see that first), including a deleted scene from the film never before shown. It involved Deckerd visiting the shot up Holden in Hospital and telling Deckard that he doesnt think the machine worked on Leon and that these new replicants being build now are no different from him or Deckerd. (are ALL Blade Runners replicants and no-one has tod them??) Plus Ridley Scott admits that Deckerd is a replicant. Great piece of film TV! Incidently, te word round the campfire is that the programme might be included on the Deluxe Special Edition DVD of the film as Scott really enjoyed it. Mention is made on it too about Fords refusal to talk about the film, with Scott admiting that maybe that was his (Scott's) fault and something of a tacid apology for that. So who knows, Ford may relent and start to talk about the film now!
Blok Narpin - you're joking! by Mace	Jul 15th, 2000 07:04:57 PM
"Sure, Batman FOrever,Blade, Judge Dredd and The ROcketeer get honorable mention" Batman Forever and Judge Dredd get an honorable mention?!?!?! Have you ever read the comics that these films were based on? Batman Forever is a piece of Neon-lit shit that totally disregards a character set-up in the first film (Harvey Dent) and Judge Dredd could've been so much more without resorting to the tired old 'accused of a crme that he did not commit' cliche. "I knew you were going to say that". One of the worst catch phrases in movie history! Dredd had nearly 20 years of comic history behind him when the film was made and he NEVER said that line. The Angel Gang and Hammerstein were the only decent things about it, i at in agony as my beloved comic hero was turned into a Stallone-clone before my watering eyes. And what the hell happened at the end when everything starts to blow up for no apparent reason whatsoever? A film version of Hellblazer is what the British comic-reading public really wants, scripted by Garth Ennis. Screw spandex.
For the love of God bring back Toad! by GravyAkira	Jul 15th, 2000 07:10:46 PM
He was so awsome in this movie! He was by far the best villian in the film. He was funny and a badass. It was fun though to see Storm kick his ass.
Bring back Toad!!! by user id indeed!	Jul 15th, 2000 07:13:12 PM
Have I mentioned they should bring back Toad? Ok. This is great news! If only a couple thousand more had seen the movie! Soooo close to being second! I could care less about a Fantastic Four or Daredevil or whatever movie, really. JUST GIMMEE SOME MORE X-MEN! This pretty much sinches the sequel deal, no? As long as Singer and DeSanto (and Park) are back, I'm first in line! Speaking of all those other superhero movies that will no doubt follow... don't get to excited, ok folks? Did all those game shows that followed "Millionaire" get anywhere near the quality or ratings? Think of it that way. One last thing: thanks for introducing me to boxofficeguru! And to think I used to wait till Monday morning to find out box office whatnot! What a fool I've been! This has been a Moment w/User ID Indeed!
I am The Lizard King!!!!!!!!!!!!!! by The Lizard King	Jul 15th, 2000 07:14:28 PM
I am The Lizard King and all of you shall bow before my prowess!!! I recall my younger days quite fondly. Back then I was known as The Lizard Prince. I remember one time when I sent a drunken Forlin (large creatures quite similar in their features to humans except of course for their towering size and scaled green skin) to the small village of Whineshackel. It was a hilarious time had by all (well, except of course for the villagers)they were running around on fire, screaming like children at play. The day reached marvelous heights when my unholy lizard hordes and I decided to have our way with their livestock. Never have I seen such attractive goats as I did that midsummer afternoon. Well, I will not bore you with tales of old, I will just warn you to heed my commands or you will suffer the fates that I bestowed on those lovely goats so long ago.
Now let me get this straight, this Toad Guy has a 12-foot-tongue by Junior D-Girl	Jul 15th, 2000 07:16:51 PM
I could put him to Very Good Use!! Very Good Use indeed... OK 'nuff said about this hot topic, back to work I must go now...
Did anybody else get a free X-men comic? by Syd Mead	Jul 15th, 2000 07:19:03 PM
I thought that was a nice touch for opening day. It was total promo puff piece to get youngin's reading X-men again. You can be sure Toy Biz is hoping to unload a shit load of action figures out of it and Marvel is preying readership goes up too. But it was a cool reminder that THIS is what the movie looks like and THIS is what the comic looks like. --Syd.
Sequels by ManOfSteele	Jul 15th, 2000 07:19:04 PM
It's almost inevitable that there will be sequels now. I, like most of you, am pumped to see more X-Men. We need to pray to the cinema gods that a) Singer comes back for 2 and b) the franchise doesn't go the way of the Bat (or the Superman series for that matter). If the sequels recapture X-Men's tight balance of serious parable and humorous action spectacle, we've got ourselves a contender for the best comic book series adaptation.
For all the effort the media threw into trashing it... by Typhoon	Jul 15th, 2000 07:30:08 PM
I'm a little surprised. But then, I heard a talking head on NBC, I think, say that Xavier's power was the ability to change shape.
hey gubba-UK, by baff	Jul 15th, 2000 07:31:08 PM
if your ancestors had jumped on the first fleet, some 200 years ago you could have seen X-Men down here in australia 2 days before them Yanks. you must be really abusing your heritage NOW!hehehe.only funnin ya, my friend. baff
Yep, it's the same one by milkman_the_king	Jul 15th, 2000 07:31:20 PM
First of all, excellent movie. I never really cared for the Superman movies they just lacked the feeling I got from Batman and X-Men. Anywoo, has anyone stopped to consider that the characters in the movie (the kid who could teleport and the kid controlling fire etc.) weren't characters from the comic at all? I mean Pyro could only control fire, not summon it, or maybe they said his name and I just wasn't listening, whatever. And just because someone looks of a certain nationality/ethnicity doesn't make them Skin or Moonstar... maybe some of you were just looking too hard. Moving on, Bryan, YOU MAGNIFICENT BASTARD! You deserve to take half of the opening weekend net and buy as many whores as possible! This movie defied all of my expectations. That's all I have and I don't have a big finish so I'll... just fade... away.
I declare that "X-Men" sucked the balls of a goat. by The Lizard King	Jul 15th, 2000 07:37:01 PM
I, The Lizard King, could kill and rape any of the X-Men along with that sissy Bryan Singer. He'll be singing like a little girl when my unholy minions rape and murder him. Then we will feed his corpse to a Temrov Dragon. Beware User ID Indeed! you are next!!!!
Re: The Lizard King by crimsonrage	Jul 15th, 2000 07:40:55 PM
What a festering little turd you are! You should be kicked off AICN for not staying on topic. I don't go to talkbacks to hear some idiot trying to be Tolkien, telling some stupid stories about raping goats. Next time right something relevant, and no, raping Bryan Singer is NOT relevant. Bye.
I declare that Crimsonrage's skull will be the first to adorn M by The Lizard King	Jul 15th, 2000 07:45:41 PM
Beware Crimsonrage, for you will fall at the hands of my Unholy Warriors of the NetherRegion. And you will soon beg me to anally rape you, but I will do no such thing. Then I will throw you to my Temrov dragon to be consumed in his wet belly. There you will be forced to mine for gold until you die of exhaustion. Mark my words Crimsonrage, you will die.
SEQUELS: A MUST by freexter	Jul 15th, 2000 08:01:22 PM
because sequels are always bigger, more expensive, more action, etc. of course, it wouldn't be hard to make a x-men with more action than the first one, which, for a comic book movie, confusingly lacked a lot of comic book moments.
Judge Dredd = What could have been. by Melkur	Jul 15th, 2000 08:01:56 PM
A few years ago I got chatting via email with Aliens vs Predator writer Peter Briggs about his work on the Judge Dredd movie when it was a Tony Scott / Arnold Shwarznegger project. He had some intresting stuff to say in particular the studio reaction to the main foe Judge Death who they couldn't seem to 'get'. In particular one scene where the Judges enter the Cadet Academy only to find the young Judges in training slaughtered and piled high in a mound with Death sitting atop reading a book... Like another recent Scott family / Arnold project it got canned and ended up with the well designed but pretty flat Stallone / William Wisher version. Now someone should make a movie of Nemesis or the ABC Warriors (the big bad arse robot in the Dredd movie). Either that or Ridley being allowed to make I AM LEGEND. Preferably not with Mel Gibson playing Neville and INSERT-JOBBING-BRITISH-ACTOR playing Cortman.
Whoa! Hold on! There's an X-Men movie? by narf	Jul 15th, 2000 08:12:22 PM
I didn't hear anything about this! Were there any TV ads for it or anything? This sounds like a film that should have had at least a little hype behind it.
Hey, Milkman_the_king by Gryphon68	Jul 15th, 2000 08:19:54 PM
Just a polite FYI. The kid in the movie (maybe Pyro, maybe not, who knows) didn't "summon" fire. He had a cigarette lighter in his hand when he made the fire thingie in his hand. Hey did anyone catch Peter Rasputin (Colossus) in the film? There were gads and gads of rumors that he would be seen as an artist at the school, all I saw was a disembodied hand working on a sketchbook.
Yep. I know. But thanks Gryphon. by milkman_the_king	Jul 15th, 2000 08:25:15 PM
Almost right after I wrote it my friend told me about it. His exact words were "He had a lighter you idiot!"
ever the loyal servant... by IAmTheWalrus	Jul 15th, 2000 08:46:20 PM
Tomorrow I will pay $8.50 to see it again. And next weekend and the next, and so on. Anything I can contribute to a better sequel. And any of you who liked it, keep seeing it. 'Till your sick of it. Then you can stick to merchandise like action figures and trading cards. KEEP THE MONEY ROLLING PEOPLE, IF YOU WANT TO SEE MORE X-MEN BROUGHT TO LIFE!!!!
KICK ASS DUDE! by holidill	Jul 15th, 2000 08:59:25 PM
Way to go Mr. Singer and the X-men! Unfortunately I've been working my butt off weekend and probably won't see it until monday. I just got to say it again KICK ASS DUDE!
X-Thoughts by foxpuppy	Jul 15th, 2000 09:08:09 PM
I am SO very happy. Third best opening day of all time sounds about right. The buzz that this movie continues to carry sounds like it might eclipse the success of those others, and, though it might to be much to ask, Wolverine might just be clawing his way up the back of a certain sinking boat before we know it. The characters in this movie were great. The development was lacked a little, but considering the fact that the characters have been developed elsewhere for nearly 40 years, I felt it was okay for them to "meet us halfway" on the personalities. Quite frankly they acted in-persona to what I know about the X-men and that was what was important. As far as Toad is concerned, Ray Park was a TOTAL BREAKAWAY in this movie. He continues to take somewhat powerless roles and bringing life and spirit to them. Darth Maul was a double-ended lightsabre, face tattoos and horns. Park was what turned him into one of the things that saved Phantom Menace, and made it exciting. It wasn't just Martial Arts moves but BODY LANGUAGE that makes him great. He's a great physical actor, and from his lines in x-men, he's not too bad of a vocal actor. When, after pushing Storm down the elevator shaft, he grabbed that metal pole and did his signature "Darth Maul Lightsabre Spin" move, and smiled a knowing "YOU KNOW WHO THE FUCK I AM" smile, Park just grabbed my attention. He's going to start pulling in roles after this. Speaking of which, does anyone else see "Harrison Ford-Style" star potential in Hugh Jackman? I mean, even though he was a second choice guy, he took the role and made it his. He fought to BECOME the Wolverine/Logan that fans wanted to see, even to the point of ad-libbing and such. He's clearly a person who believes in the craft of acting and who believes in making the fans happy. If he plays his cards right, Logan could be the first in a LONG line of action/drama heroes. James Marsden was Cyclops. He was dull, soft-spoken, and again, the actor took the character and used subtlety to speak volumes with every word. Storywise, I thought it was a bit weak that he spent half the movie trying to locate his lost visor/glasses, but then, they do that in the comics, so at least it was True To Form. Jean Grey...Um, well...I liked the play between her and Wolverine. Personally, I think that Famke Jannsen could be easily replaced by another actress in the role, but, of course, that sort of personality is what makes something like getting replaced by an evil clone possible, so, again, true to form. Ian McKellan was a great Magneto. His screen-time was short and his helmet kinda sucked, but he was Magneto. That's important. Rebecca Romijn-Stamos took the role and did well with it. As a long-time fan of Raven Darkholme, I liked the character in the comic book as more of a cerebral character and less of a "sex-kitten" but, of course, that could improve in time and sequels. Tyler Mane was an okay Sabretooth. I would have preferred to see him a little more taunting and goading, though. His main pull was the fact that he was a bully who wasn't afraid to laugh and abuse anyone. The script just didn't have room for that, I suppose. All in all, I was happy and I can't wait for X-Men #2. (see next post)
X-Thoughts Part II by foxpuppy	Jul 15th, 2000 09:17:32 PM
Ideas for X-Men part II. Rumor has it that Sentinals are to be the bad-guys for part II. Ideas: Natural guys to bring in are Beast and Gambit. I wouldn't want to crowd the movie with a bunch of new x-men to confuse the story, but those would be the two I would choose. I would probably start the story with Rogue and a few of her friends making a trip to Louisiana to inform her parents of what happened. This part would be sort of "new-mutant-ish" with some of our favorite characters, like Jubilee, Bobby, St. John, and throw in a few others like Doug Ramsey, and such, and then have them be the first to discover the new Sentinals program when they're attacked and captured by them. Of course, being in Louisiana, sometime in the course of events, they run into a 20-something mutant thief named Remy LeBeau, who Rogue falls for in the process of their escape (whether it's before or after being capture, or people getting captured and some having to rescue them, I'm not sure. Meanwhile, Professor X recieves a visitor, a scientist named Henry McCoy who, after a mistake involving an attempt to discipher the cause of Mutantions, accidentally OVER-Mutates himself into a blue fuzzy mutant and now seeks Xaviers assistance in finding a cure. About this time the problem with the sentinals is discovered and whoop-ass ensues. I there would, of course, be sub-plots, cameos, and, maybe, just a little BAMF-age, but that would be the basics of it. What do you guys think?
Jim Morrison would be so pleased. by Zeno	Jul 15th, 2000 09:32:54 PM
Well, Lizard King's off to a good start, making friends right off the bat. I think honest disagreement is fine, but I personal attacks suck. (C'mon man.) And I don't mean to harsh anybody's mellow, but I didn't like X-Men too much either. I think you all deserved a better movie.
21 million?! That's pathetic! by Dextarin	Jul 15th, 2000 09:42:41 PM
It was either Moriarty or Harry who said that this movie was the most anticipated for...well...all time. I'm sure this was said mainly because X-men have been around for so long without a movie. But, it couldn't beat the power of SW:TPM nor even one of Spielberg's worst films!!! I must say that you X-men fans aren't very loyal.
Deserving Box Office vs MI:2 & Rosie O'Donnell by bobber	Jul 15th, 2000 09:49:17 PM
Although I probably over-hyped myself for this movie to the point where I was inevitably a little disappointed, I still think all the money and effort (every bit of sweat and tears) was up there on the screen. Singer & Co deserve kudos for making a good summer popcorn flick (and no apologies necessary for that). I doubt, though, it will be the box office champ this summer. That will probably be MI:2's crown. I would love to see it be the winner though if only because it didn't have Rosie O'Donnell selling it on her shows like some cheap whore like she did for MI:2.
Franchises.... by Willy_Wonka	Jul 15th, 2000 09:51:46 PM
Fox now has 2 possible franchises on their hand. I've heard they already greenlighted 2 sequels to X-men and if they are smart they could have Wolverine in his own movie. Hugh Jackman was terriffic as Logan. He took that role and made it his own. I could see him carrying a movie on his own. In those movies Sabretooth could be shown as more of a relevant character like in the comics than he was in the movie( which I understood cause of the amount of characters introduced, running time, etc). If you haven't seen X-men yet, see it again and again. I beleive this could be a great start of things to come....To the Future!!!
Singer will be back for the sequel........................ by Kurt Wagner	Jul 15th, 2000 09:55:45 PM
I was watching the Early Show friday morning and they interviewed Bryan Singer, and he told them that he would be back for the sequel, if Fox wanted him to come back....happy days, and he hinted that there would be two new mutants joining the X-Men, and he hinted who they would probably be all he would say is that one is from the south, and is a smooth talker(Gambit) and the other was abandoned as a child,and worked in the circus(Nightcrawler) I got goosebumps when I heard this.
I will capture Zeno and force him to mine for gold inside the be by The Lizard King	Jul 15th, 2000 09:57:19 PM
There you will work for years inside its veiny, pink bowels. And when the Temrov dragon gets a severe case of diarrhea you will be spat out into the River of Upinton and feasted upon by the water snakes that inhabit this region. Then your skull will be impaled on spire in my Hallowed Halls Of Sorrow, and it will rot with Crimsonrage's. Mark my words Zeno, you will die.
Good Lord, I've been threatened by someone called The Lizard Kin by user id indeed!	Jul 15th, 2000 10:01:22 PM
This is like one of those flashbacks where you don't think it's a flashback, but then other people like Zeno and Crimsonrage mention it and you think, "Maybe this is real!!", but then there's a sea lion barking in your bathtub and you wonder if Zeno or Crimsonrage are gonna bring that up too... I baked pigs n' blankets! Who's up for some? Not you, Lizard King! You are a meanie! This has been a Pigeon-Eaten' Moment w/User ID Indeed! "Why must you be so mean all the time?!?!"-Mihoshi, Ep.4
Hey Dex by milkman_the_king	Jul 15th, 2000 10:15:59 PM
It beat Spielberg's best films didn't it? Blah blah blah it was a joke...
Holly Hunter's daughter? by Disaster	Jul 15th, 2000 10:18:24 PM
Has anyone mentioned how much the grown up Ana Paquin resembles her movie mother, Holly Hunter? It's unnerving! Or maybe it was just great casting back when The Piano was made.
I never knew by Cockatrice	Jul 15th, 2000 10:18:38 PM
In my teens most of the guys i hung around were x-men freaks. it seriously got on my nerves to always have to listen to them discuss x-men. My boyfriend at the time did a poor job of explaining it to me. I had no interest in ever learning for myself. well my boyfriend and i went to see it together, and i must say the movie was great, but not only that it has really sparked an interest in me to read the comics.Hugh Jackman was sexy as Wolverine.
FUCK YEAH by Captain Loft	Jul 15th, 2000 10:28:18 PM
Finally a movie making money that deserves it. Fuck MI2, this is the summer movie to beat. I hope it's THE movie of 2000. It will be well remembered for years to come. Please please please hurry with the DVD (45 minutes of extra stuff and all). Oh, and Toad stole nearly as many scenes as Logan. Ray Park is the master. Bring him the hell back!
Long-winded new kid by foxpuppy	Jul 15th, 2000 10:34:02 PM
Well, you DID have to admit that there wasn't an OUNCE of Jar-Jar-Ism in X-Men. I think that those who are being harsh on this movie are simply expecting too much. For the constraints of the Movie format, this was about as good as it could be. I certainly hope Bryan Singer comes back for X-Men II, though I hope he doesn't give psycho-drama like "The Usual Suspects" up completely. Oh, and Fox, if you want me to help write that script, just e-mail me...I'll be in my trailer. ;) FoxPuppy www.foxpuppy.com
To all the nay sayers... by Aquilian Ranger	Jul 15th, 2000 10:41:09 PM
To quote Wolverine, "Your a dick." This film was fan-total-tastic! It realy brought back all of those wonderful memories of the X-Men before Marvel ruined them by cloning the shit out of them, and turning everyone into mutants. I only ask one thing, please do not bring any of those lame-ass characters into the films which RUINED the X-Men, like Cable and that dufus Bishop. Stick to the classic characters; Collosus, Nightcrawler, Angel, Beast, Nightcat, Thunderbird...yes and even Gambit if you have too. Just don't get rid of Prof. X quite yet and do some Setinels or the Hellfire Club! Heres to all the true belivers out there. Excelsior as the Man says.
x-men pretty damn good..but coulda been awesome! by simongarth	Jul 15th, 2000 10:48:18 PM
bring on the sequel! but with luck, singer will fix the problems i had with x-men. 1- the terrible god-awful score. it failed to pull me into many scenes. ive read many posts on many sights....and this seems to come up again and again. 2- better action/fight scenes.....i wanted more action. the initial battle with sabretooth in the snow shoulda lasted a bit longer...it, like the whole movie, was paced way too fast. and was over before you knew it. 3- longer movie with more time for character development. 4- better ending......i, and many others felt the ending was anti-climatic....wasnt really as spectacular as it could have been. i want a sequel....sentinals....and how about juggernaut? introduce colosuss so him and wolverine can do a fastball special!! even with the problems...the first half of x-men was incredible......just keep that feeling for the sequel.........bigger budget.......enough time given to do it up right.........singer......a kick ass fight?stunt director.......and a killer bigger than life score.............damn!!!! hope it happens!!
Eat that bub! by MajorY2Kaos	Jul 15th, 2000 10:54:36 PM
I knew that the X-men would pull through, and apparently it has done way better than just pulling through! So HA to all you skeptics, thanks to the amazing success of this movie a lot of super hero movies will probably get the green light, and maybe, just maybe Batman will get back on track and give us something at least decent.
X-MEN DVD & WHY I'M MOVING TO SWEDEN (unrelated) by Roger U. Roundly	Jul 15th, 2000 10:57:11 PM
45 x-tra minutes. Unbelievable, is that unprecented? I don't know. You could have the theatrical cut, the directors cut and a cut with all of the original footage. Who had the final cut on the theatrical release?. Leave Singer on the case and get more characters in the next one.
Singer again by Grendal666	Jul 15th, 2000 11:16:17 PM
WOW!!! I just got back from an X-cellent movie, I know Singer reads Talkbacks, So if your reading!!! Take the series into your own hands, dont let Fox (Gods of any cool movie out there SW Aliens Terminator Titan AE) screw it all up ala B&R Great Flick!!!
The TalkDroid proclaims-DEATH TO ALL PC DICKS!!! by TalkDroid	Jul 15th, 2000 11:20:22 PM
Just wondering how long it will be before some femininazi P.C. dick whinges that "X-Men" is sexist and should be retitled "X-People"!?! Trust me folks IT WILL HAPPEN!!! The TalkDroid has communicated.
X-MEN II by swavill	Jul 15th, 2000 11:20:41 PM
I think that since the new CGI technology for showing dinosaurs is so good a trip to the SAVAGE LAND might be cool. Imagine the X-MEN and KAZAR & ZABU fighting SAURON. Or if they want to do a serious action flick JUGGERNAUT would make an excellent villian. They might want to get another one under their belts with some more character developement before they go for the Sentinals or even the Dark Pheonix saga. The HELLFIRE CLUB would also make good villians for an action movie. As for new X-MEN everybody has their favorites but I would love to see COLOSSUS and NIGHTCRAWLER mostly because these two always interacted with WOLVERINE best. Cant wait to see a "FASTBALL SPECIAL" on the big screen
Why I can't call this a great film. by NoNameNoSlogan	Jul 15th, 2000 11:24:12 PM
I came in with low expectations. I knew they were going to change things. I was prepared for that. The beginning of the film with Wolverine and Rogue was well done and enjoyable, but all the things I expected to be wrong were there. Many people seemed to be impressed with Toad, but that wasn't Toad. It was Darth Toad. If you don't know how to do any martial arts or haven't seen tons of Hong Kong movies, I can see how this stuff might impress you, but that's not the character. Turning Sabretooth into a Frankenstein's monster type growling and slowly lumbering around as a member of the Brotherhood of (Evil) Mutants completely removes all the things that made that character cool. His battles with Wolverine had NOTHING to do with Magneto. Killing off Senator Kelly is so stupid. It completely ruins any future possibility of Days of Future Past as a story. Does this mean the Mutant Apocalypse happens with the Sentinels now? No one will ever convince me that the story in the movie is better than what Claremont wrote. PERIOD. Rogue getting her streak the way she did was dumb and contrived. Halle Berry at one point actually tried to do the accent, but she really just wasn't quite right somehow. Worst of all, what in the HELL was Bobby doing in this movie as a KID? He was a kid in 1963! Why is Cyclops so much younger than Jean? Why the HELL is Jean a DOCTOR all of a sudden? There's just no reason for this movie to be so totally out of whack like this, and the wise crack about yellow spandex doesn't do anything but insult all the comic book fans. Fuck you very much, Bryan. Just because you have a fetish for black leather you think all the other colors in your gay flag aren't valid? Plus, if you knew that Hugh was too tall as Wolverine standing next to Cyclops, why did you have to make it so obvious? You can shoot things so it's not so obvious. Also, the claws look wrong in the movie. It looks like a guy has steak knives splayed out in all directions from in between his knuckles, just like people said on here before. Some of the actors did well with what they were handed in these roles, but all the previous gripes with this movie are still perfectly valid. Magneto doesn't look right. His costume is wrong. All of it was true. Someone said that I expect too much from Hollywood, but it's just the reverse. I always expect Hollywood to screw things up, and they always meet my expectations. There were some really great moments in the movie, but they certainly don't make up for all the needless corruption of the story. If you overlook those problems and love this movie, fine, but I'll categorize you with all the people who read X-Men after the comic got shitty, never knowing why it was cool in the first place. I'd like to know what Byrne, Austin, Claremont, Smith, Lee, et al. think about this movie. Maybe I'll go to San Diego and find out.
What to film next by Disaster	Jul 15th, 2000 11:33:43 PM
My dream next Xmen movie is to make a version of the 'Days of Future Past Arc' where we see what happens to the world if the Xmen aren't successful in defeating the anti-mutant forces. In growing up with the Xmen that was the one storyline that convinced me that comics could be literary (that an the Frank Miller Daredevil series). Bring on the Sentinels!
You know. . . I haven't read an X-Men comic in about 10 years. . by Narcoleptic	Jul 15th, 2000 11:42:54 PM
. . . and I was happy to see that the rest of crowd (packed house!) loved it too! On the way out everyone seemed to have positive things to say. I really admire Singer for being so respectful of the source material. Storm should have had more lines, but she did, at least, kick ass. I think all the characters in the movie were (rather deftly) written as relatively young versions of the comic characters. . . I didn't have any problem with the characterisation of Rogue at all. . . I thought it was a wonderful performance from Anna Paquin . . .but she was a very young, vulnerable (and pre-Carol Danvers) Rogue. Cyclops was played as a guy with a stick up his ass, but also as a responsible, caring true believer in Xavier's dream. Hugh Jackman's performance possessed the quiddity and essence of Wolverine in an almost religious way - he channeled the Wolverine numen, as it were. Jean Gray was beautiful and also very subtley played. The chemistry between her and Logan seemed playful and genuine. Stewart and McKellan were terrific (as expected). They MUST get Singer to direct the sequel. The man should be cannonized in the (admittedly slim) halls of superhero movies. I really hope they give Halle Berry a little more to do in the next movie (I can see why she was a little miffed about her role in this movie) and develop Storm into the stronger, more mature character she became in the early 80s. We also definitely need to see the Danger Room . . and maybe the beginnings of Pheonix. I really feel I came into the movie with a lot of expectations, but also a lot of hope. And I really thought the movie was an entertaining and sophisticated adaptation of the most interesting aspects of the comic. OK. . . that's it.
Okay....show of hands.... by mifan	Jul 15th, 2000 11:49:09 PM
Everyone who feels put out that Singer and no one at Fox consulted YOU about what should and should not have been done/shown/suggested in "X-Men," please signify by raising your right hand...in which you hold your pristine, read-only-once-and-then-put-in -a-protective-plastic-sleeve-w ith-a-backer-board copy of the very first X-Men comic book. Give me a break, people. Can't you just go to the movies and have a damn good time watching a film? And do you really think it's possible to make a perfect comic book movie? Be glad this one came so close and then drop it! Sheesh! Movies are meant to be for fun and enjoyment. Leave the obsessing to life, not comic book films. I don't mean to be nasty...but somebody had to say it.
Lizard King... who gives a shit? by moto	Jul 15th, 2000 11:51:43 PM
First off, if there is one thing that annoys me about the internet... it's people like you Lizard King. Not you personally, but you on the internet. What the HELL are you writing about? Let me guess, you actually think people are reading your shit saying, "that's one funny guy... clever too." Reality check... when you disconnect (you probably never do), people forget. I don't know why I bother, but it annoys me when I read these things looking for some good points about why they did or didn't like the film and then I see this shit. But hell, it's a free country and this is what you WAIT for.... people that talk about you so you can feel oh so good. Walk away from the D&D board, shave that wisker off of your face, and go interact outside of the computer. WOW, I'M AN ASSHOLE:) I can take one of those damn posts, but any more than that... AHH!
Good flick -- now check this out. by Mighty Taun Taun	Jul 15th, 2000 11:53:40 PM
Everyone involved: good job on the movie. Better than expected. Casting was great, direction was good - dropped the ball on that opening scene w/ the parents being torn away. Seemed like two or three shots of the actual seperation and the initial emotional responses were missing. When you do the sequel. Don't pour in a ton of action and WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT THROW IN TOO MANY CHARACTERS!!! You balanced the ten or so characters just about right, so don't dump in a half dozen more X-men and villians in the sequel, and don't make it an all-out fight movie like some people want. Take your time, do it right. Try to keep the sequel in tone w/ the first movie, shoot for a two hour film, and get a better composer. Keep the X-men casting young, don't lose H. Jackman, and look into the Hellfire Club. Sentinals are too big for the next X-film. They need to work up to that, develop the team, save the Sentinals for the 3rd flick.
In support of TheYoungLion's suggestion by mifan	Jul 16th, 2000 12:01:16 AM
Yes, spend money on X-Men next weekend. The next Pokemon movie opens on the 21st...good enough for movie-goers to do what they can to prevent another huge opening like the first one saw. Horrors....
Score? This is a complaint? And about the infamous Wolverine l by the_pissboy1	Jul 16th, 2000 12:02:18 AM
I am so sick of hearing/reading complaints from people about the blasted score. I'm sorry but the music was not the least bit intrusive...as it is in 99% of the movies I see from Hollywood. The music was quiet and in the background, precisely as it should be. It was there but NOT forcing emotions or any of the crap that movies like Spartacus, Titanic or Braveheart pull. ****I am even more bothered by the incredibly high number of illiterates posting regarding the "You'RE a dick" line. Learn English, please. "Your a dick" means NOTHING. It's nonsensical. Last thing: the fight scenes. While they were not especially well choreographed, they were not as bad as so many I have seen lately...such as the laughable crap in Matrix and Gladiator. Although the wire use in X-Men was FAR too much. How about ZERO wires. This is not some low-grade HK movie and it shouldn't look like one. Thankfully Singer knows to hold the camera some, so unlike Crapiator we get a sense of characters' fighting abilities. ** By the way, I am NOT an X-Men fan. I did enjoy this movie though. Singer had a tough chore and he brought the ridiculous to life and gave silly mutants some dignity. I commend him.
To X-MEN COMIC FANS THAT HATED THE FILM by moto	Jul 16th, 2000 12:05:12 AM
X-MEN COMIC FANS THAT ARE DISAPPOINTED???? Hey, I feel for ya. I read X-MEN throughout my whole life (not for the last four years or so...) and it was the ONLY comic I ever read because of the dynamic characters and the story. When I heard they would be making a film based on them, I was pumped. Nervous but pumped. However, I also knew that here in Hollywood, suits tend to fuck things up. Look, if you don't love films but are a comics fan. Be pissed. However, if you do love films as well, then you NEED to understand that NOT everything transfers from comic to screen perfectly. The suits they used were the only thing they could. The comic outfits would NOT transfer very well. Singer wanted to make X-Men look REAL. Also, di you actually expect Singer and company to follow EVERYTHING from the comics?? No, it's TOO BIG! They needed to pick a few characters out of many... some of which were luck of the draw. Nothing personal. They took certain aspects of the comics from different periods of time. So what. The comic and the films do not have to be exactly the same. Don't get yourselves so worked up. They didn't follow the comic perfectly...? So what, move on. At least they made a film. At least they did a good job. WAS IT PERFECT??? Hell no. WAS IT FUN?? Hell yeah. WAS IT BETTER THAN OTHER COMIC ADAPTIONS??? For sure! You can't have EVERYTHING. Fact of life. So please to judge the film with the lame debate of, "Oh, this was wrong... and that was wrong. And Iceman was this... and Rogue was this." It is an ADAPTION! Look the word up. I'm not ripping on you guys, I just want ya to like it. I feel for ya though.
X-Men was great, but... by Tin Snoman	Jul 16th, 2000 12:07:12 AM
...does anyone else have a problem with Magneto in this film? I mean, Ian McKellan [Sir Ian, if you please] did a GREAT job, but he looked so stupid and campy floating around (especially when he showed up on the train). And if he's going to wear the dumb helmet, give him some big-ass dumb gloves to wear too. Other than that, Magneto was total balls. And I think Ray Park was FREAKING AWESOME in this film, but he should have been Nightcrawler.(Guess because they already had a wall-climbing person and a blue person they felt Nightcrawler would have been redundant...maybe that kid playing basketball was supposed to be Nightcrawler- but he wasn't blue...)And I wanna see Beast and Gambit next time, too! That poster below was right, they shouldn't have killed Senator Kelly, although judging by the low IQ rating of the viewers in the theater last night (a large number of people noticed the "huge gaping plot discrepancy" of Senator Kelly appearing at the end of the film... idiots), they could probably bring him back. But that would be dumb. Man, for a film I absolutely loved, I'm being quite negative, aren't I? Where's my Snozac... The Lizard King has stolen my bottle of Snozac! Give it back, you fetid creature! That's perscription!
Prospects for X-Men II (some spoilers from movie) by PoRcH	Jul 16th, 2000 12:11:26 AM
One guy said that there is no possiblity for a Days of Future Past because Kelly is dead. You're thinking linearly. Mystique (while impersonating the Senator) can be publicly assasinated then that would be that. The dead mystique would turn right back to her true form right? Then what if she doesn't die right away and she is sent to the ER. She could die there and have the doctors cover it up, or she could escape or something. Either way, Homo Sapiens could accuse Homo Sapiens Superior if killing the senator and stealing and desecrating his body. Then there's also Graydon Creed. They could have him take over the Senator's agenda and he could be the one to be assasinated. Other stuff concerning X-MEn II: I don't know what the general-movie-going public would think of a MalcolmX/MLKJ-McCarthy-esque movie if there was a being that was the physical embodiment of psychic energy, passion, and emotion of sentient life in all the universe (i.e. Phoenix). Plus there would be aliens (Shi'ar, D'bari) and stuff that would probably be too much for the general public to take...or not. Singer and company could find a way for it to be plausible and interesting to the non-comicbook afficionados. I think most of us have the greatest confidence in them now, right? And Rebecca Romajn-Stamos is the one and only look-alike for THE WHITE QUEEN. She didn't have too many lines in the movie so I don't know if she's a good actress...
Way to go, Singer!!! by DarthSlater	Jul 16th, 2000 12:18:35 AM
The X-men talkback board is getting a little too crowded to scroll through, so I'll ramble here for a while. Okay, I've seen it a second time. I couldn't really put my thoughts into words after the first viewing, because the geeky comic-book fanboy side of me was too busy screaming "holy fucking shit, that was awesome!" Now that I've calmed down a little bit, however, I can say that I still really, really REALLY love this movie. This is easily the best movie I've seen since Toy Story 2. I understand some of the earlier quibbles that people had with costumes, continuity, etc., and I agree with a few of them. The detached, rational part of my brain is saying, "How the hell was Magneto able to make that machine? And what's up with Halle Berry's accent?" But the fanboy side of my brain just kept repeating, "It doesn't matter. This IS X-men. The minor details don't matter, because MARVEL FINALLY GOT IT RIGHT!!" In fact, in retrospect, I can't really think of anything I disliked about the film, which is really fucking rare. Personally, I liked that fact that the X-men was already an established team, that we were seeing it through the eyes of two newcomers. Was it accurate as far as Marvel continuity? No. Did it make sense for the film? Yes, I thought so. Assembling the team would have meant that we would have had eight or nine origin stories to be told, instead of one or two, and that wouldn't have worked. It also allowed for all of the X-gadgets to be in place (i.e. the Blackbird, Cerebro, etc.), which would have been kinda unrealistic if it had all "just happened" in the course of the movie. As far as everybody else's complaints, I didn't think that Kamen's score was that bad. I was prepared to hate it, just based on what reviewers said (and I think those early opinions are why EVERYBODY is trashing the score). The first time I saw it, I wasn't blown away by the score, but it was growing on me during the second viewing. I liked that fact that it was more orchastral, as opposed to trying to rip off the Matrix with a bunch of psuedo-techno tracks. Hey, I was humming the bastard on the way home, so it can't be ALL bad. And everyone complains about the wire work, but except for the two scenes where Wolverine is being thrown on top of the Statue of Liberty, all of the wire work is done with Mystique. The lady can change into any form, scale up the side of a wall upside-down, and do backflips effortlessly. I think it's pretty clear she's not operating with the same types of physics as the other fighters. I enjoyed her wire work, because those acrobatics allowed her to stand against Wolverine in what I thought was a very kickass fight (just the scene where the imposter Wolvie screamed in Rebecca's voice was worth the price of admission). For me, however, the real thrill of the movie was the little details. The metallic CLANG every time Wolverine was punched--I never thought of that before, but it makes perfect sense now, and I loved it. I loved the little reassuring smile that Cyclops gives to the kid in the train station. I loved the momentary look of panicked hesitation on Magneto's face when Wolverine calls him a hypocrite and a coward, that "Shit, am I really doing the right thing?" sense of self-doubt that was completely lacking from all other comic films. I loved the little cameos--Jubilee, Colossus, Pyro, Iceman, Henry Gyrich, Kitty Pride (and I really want to see Kitty added to the regular roster in the sequel, and for her to develop the comic book relationship she has with Wolvie. Imagine the jealous catfights between Kitty and Rogue--too cool.) I love the little ripple that Magneto's magnetic fields make--again, a little touch that I've never seen before but I'll never forget from now on, it just makes perfect sense. I love the fact that the villains survive, and that the film leaves the audience begging for a sequel. I love the fact that they don't try to give the answers to everybody's origins (especially Wolvie's) in the first flick. I love Toad's little dance jig, and his Darth Maul twirl of the broom. Man, I fucking love everything about this movie. Pass the word, tell everyone you know, let's help this flick make so much money that we get drowned in fucking sequels. DarthSlater out.
More X-Men Video Online by owillis	Jul 16th, 2000 12:28:45 AM
http://www.hitplay.com/go.HitP lay?file=e000712002&list=odub They've got a six minute behind the scenes video containing interviews with Patrick Stewart, Famke Janssen, Ray Park and more...
Just a thought... by BigBoy	Jul 16th, 2000 12:31:47 AM
If someone else mentioned this, sorry, but I don't have time to check every post. Is Kelly dead? Magneto said "Are you sure you saw what you saw?" to Storm when she saw says she saw him die. In fact, all she saw was him turn to water. He wouldn't be the first mutant / superguy who existed in a liquid state (I believe Hydroman (?) was a villain to Spidey). Anyway, just a thought in reference to "Is Kelly dead?" I mean come on, folks. No one ever dies permanently in X-Men. Why should this beautifully faithful movie be in different?
A Very Brief Negative Review. by Zeno	Jul 16th, 2000 12:44:19 AM
As you may have read way down below on this Talkback, I idin't like it. But before you guys launch a jihad on me, remember you've already won: this movie is doing boffo box office now. (Legs? I dunno.) For me, the movie lacked thrills. Neat powers, but I never felt the exhilaration of how much fun it must be to have those powers (despite the persecution). There were plenty of smaller, nagging problems (awkward dialog here and there, Sabretooth's Lost in Space make-up, and Storm's dissertation on the effects of lightening on amphibians, cheesey CGI, etc.), but overall, I felt the movie was pretty flat. That was the movie I saw, your mileage may vary. End of review. Tangent: just out of curiosity, will there ever be a balls-out, faithful-to-the-core adaption of the Marvel (or even DC) Universe? Wouldn't that be interesting for a change?
Respnoses and questions by dougmac	Jul 16th, 2000 12:46:17 AM
First, yes he had a lighter. Secodly, where was Colossus? I caught the others but missed him, before I see it again I'd like to know where to look. Also, does it bother anybody else that the give Rogue's name in this? It's a minor complaint, but the rest of the movie was so faithful and there was no reason her father could't have just yelled O My God or what happened instead of Marie. This kicked ass though and as long as the dvd shows some Cyclops background (my girlfriend couldn't understand why he had to close his eyes all the time)I'll be psyched. No letdowns, this was a great start for the new era of marvel films.
So what? by theprophet	Jul 16th, 2000 01:29:34 AM
Ok, so I'm not a big fan of the X-Men. Comic books were never really my thing. I mean I liked the X-Men, I think I might have had the video game at some point, but I'm no huge fan. But, here's what I'm thinking. Everyone who loves the X-Men went on Friday, if not Saturday. So, it might open big, but it will tail off quickly, unless it gets great word of mouth. I haven't seen it, but it sort of reminds me of The Matrix. All the fan boys go on opening night, but then it gets great word of mouth, and other, less informed people go, and then it hits 200 mil, and gets multiple sequels, and the former soft core dudes, what is up with the Wachoski's and "Bound" anyway, become instant sci-fi heros. What I'm trying to say is: If the X-Men is good, it deserves all that money, if not I hope all you fans got your money's worth
MISSING-IN-ACTION: Have you seen these AICN'ers? DARTH DELICIOUS by darthpsychotic	Jul 16th, 2000 01:33:00 AM
Okay, like I've been bragging about having a free CELEBRITY / PLAYMATE SOFTCORE and HARDCORE website with no JAVA POPUPS. I'm in the process of a getting a dot.com and thats not a problem. The probelm is storage space. Even though I have a cable modem and a pentium III and all that I have 20 GIGABYTES OF MPEG movie clips and NO REAL STORAGE! I fucked up and blew my tax return on a JAZ 2gb external drive for storage purposes. Well if you know about HUGE FLOPPY STORAGE well you get the picture. Now I plan to get a 60 gigabyte harddrive(friend works at compUSA will cut me a deal) and a CD/DVD ROM with a CDBURNER built in(DAMN I most be the only "techie" without a cdburner!). If all goes well liftoff should be in AUGUST. Now I have like 50mb of ANGELINA JOLIE and she will be the first STAR of the website(which will be text-based for speed and storage purposes). I will dedicate Ms Jolie to my pal X-GIRL(Rogue Scully) and my pal Di
How could you bastards have complaints! by milkman_the_king	Jul 16th, 2000 01:45:08 AM
NoNameNoSlogan and others like him/her/it. Please tell me you are joking. You can't really be that pathetisad (I like that word, I should use it more often). What do you want from Singer? His left testicle? He did his best to make an entertaining and (slightly) thought provoking movie. But instead of watching it in the mind set of being introduced to new characters and a new world, you're all pissed because of what? Scores? Sabretooth growling and not insulting people? Senator Kelly dying? You call yourselves fans of X-Men? You disgust me. True fans would appreciate seeing the X-Men in this new medium flawed or not. Instead you all piss on the idea! I'll see you bastards in Hell! ...from Heaven. By the way, you don't need Senator Kelly to bring about Days of the Future Past, just any mutant hating politician with influence (Graydon Creed for example) you nitpicking bastards. Bryan, you did a great job and comic fans are in your debt for opening the door to more comic movie adaptations (Preacher, Preacher, Preacher, Preacher). This has been a messege from your monarch, throughly disgusted with his people.
Proof of Success by MrKearns	Jul 16th, 2000 01:57:21 AM
You know your movie is a success when every single movie screening, from 12:00 noon to the 11:00 showing, is sold out. Like it was at my local theater... both of them. I asked one of the employees if he sees this often, and he said he'd never seen it before in his time working there. That put a smile on my face, knowing... X-men will be back.
Re: DarthSlater by MrKearns	Jul 16th, 2000 02:11:35 AM
One more thing I thought was ingenious, a little quirk I found while wathing the movie the second time around... The X-cars have handicapped license plates. Heh. Makes sense.
Hey Mr. Kearns by theprophet	Jul 16th, 2000 02:14:16 AM
Did it ever occur to you that the employee you talked to either hasn't a brain cell left, or just recently started working at the theatre you went to. I know for a fact that there was a movie about a year ago that I GUARENTEE was sold out in every theatre in every city all across this country, two weeks after it really opened. Blair Witch Project. It sold out, even after all the "fans" had already seen it the previous two weeks. And re: my last post "so what?" Worry about the quality of the movie, not the dollar intake. What are you a studio executive?
Senator Kelly by Dingo	Jul 16th, 2000 02:35:32 AM
I just assumed that Senator Kelly wasn't actually dead when Magneto said "Are you certain?" In fact, I heard that and was almost certain it was a cue for Kelly to waltz, laugh maniacally and say "Foolish mutant! Didn't you hear? I've been impeached from the Senate called Humanity... now Magneto's launching my re-election campaign, but not before I fillabust you up!" Thankfully that didn't happen. Thank god that movie turned out good. And hey, if you're bored and still craving just one more take on the movie, check out my review... http://www.gamepro.com/gpw/cha nnel/entertainment/article/0,1 484,6097,00.html
joy by X-Girls	Jul 16th, 2000 02:37:06 AM
The film took me back to where comics were 4 years ago, in the right place. I'm going to see it about 3 more times at least in theatres and I'll buy a lotta crap, like you guys should too! If you want them to be able to do everything they want with the movie like including gambit, nightcrawler, and danger room, iceman/boy?, and beast appearances plus more hinted characters. The second movie should end on the creation of sentinels. The ending of X-Men was awesome. Now, let's see the sequel and a ton of well made, comic features on the big screen. DVD in time for Christmas? ...ahhhhhhh
sold out by X-Girls	Jul 16th, 2000 02:44:52 AM
i had to go to a smaller theatre cuz all the showings at the cooler theatre were sold out. keep going back to this one, fans
Still not convinced box office wise... by JackBurton	Jul 16th, 2000 02:54:51 AM
I had a Hell of a fun time with this movie (my fave 'blockbuster' this year after Gladiator) and I always knew it would open big (these kind of films always do, I mean even shitfests like Spawn and Batman & Robin had huge opening weekends), but opening this big is still a very cool thing, simply because for once this film deserves it's success. I'm still worried about a second week drop off though as I'm still far from convinced that it'll be a big crossover hit and I think that it's real box office success will be judged next weekend after all the fanatics have seen the film and it's left to the 'regular' audience. Here's hoping that next weeks dropoff isn't too substantial.
Wow, someone missed me?!? Psychotic? by Darth Delicious	Jul 16th, 2000 02:55:14 AM
I've been away for too long, but I guess I just didn't really have anything to say. Having a post or two deleted really kills the desire to post again. Talk-back isn't fun anymore. I miss the Warrior. I miss Darth Psychotic (who is my inspiration). Talkback is so sterile and boring now. I always hated those who bashed the movies just to bash them, but I loved those who bashed each other and Harry. Now they've been censored, and deleted into ambivalence. I'm just sad that the younger generation will never know the joy or a 30 post tangent full of wit, profanity and insult. Oh well. By the way, I'm glad that most people aren't bashing this movie just to show how cool they are. I'll admit that I sat in the theater Friday night with the little Missus and had a full scale geekgasm. Luckily, we had some napkins handy.
Pretty damn good by nice guy eddie	Jul 16th, 2000 03:06:39 AM
Caught the 4:20 showing today at the local cineplex and was pleasantly surprised. Finally an action movie with some heart. A movie based on Nemesis would be cool but would cost about a billion dollars. The city of Temite, the fact that both the hero and the villian would have to be cgi rendered...ah well.
Magneto on Kelly (spoilers) by PoRcH	Jul 16th, 2000 03:29:44 AM
I thought the reason Magneto asked Storm if she was certain that Kelly was dead was that maybe Xavier was just playing tricks with Storm's mind. Make them doubt the teacher or something. Just my interpretation...very likely to be wrong...
non-X-Men-fan's thoughts by Duke Ray	Jul 16th, 2000 03:40:40 AM
Thought some of you fanboys might find it interesting to read the take of someone who used to read Marvel avidly, loves movies, but was never an X-Men reader. Well, I didn't dislike the movie, but I was pretty underwhelmed by it, to tell you the truth. I went in w/ no expectations -- lowered ones, in fact, from the negative review in Variety. X-MEN just didn't have a lot of story momentum at all to draw me in, and I felt like it never quite took off at any point. Many moments that seemed potentially cool just flew by, and some moments that were kinda ho-hum were lingered over (did we really need that whole stretched out scene w/ Kelly getting zapped?) I think that for viewers who are not X-Men fans, we don't have the same pre-existing affection for the characters as you fans do; as characters I was meeting in a movie for the first time, it was only Wolverine that really kicked ass for me. Jackman was excellent, and I dug that character. And his relationship w/ Rogue was the only place where I felt any real emotion. Otherwise, it felt kind of flat and muted as-is. In its defense, though, the movie created an interesting, movie-believable(!) world and potentially great relationships and visuals. I would like to see the sequel, which I think could be THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK of comic book movies if they learn their lessons from this one and reach for something more exciting and fun next time. For me, they need to work on four areas to get there: more story momentum, less talky exposition; more of the humor; more $ from Fox to milk the action scenes, which were WAY TOO SHORT; and someone like David Arnold to do the score (i've really liked some of Kamen's work, including Iron Giant, but this score just did NOTHING for the movie at all, whereas a great score could have really given it the kind of emotional boost i was looking for.) /// If they make that movie... well, I'll be joining all ya X-geeks in your orgy of praise on this here posting board. Duke Ray out.
WANTED: Written Reviews of the X-Men Movie by kenupstart	Jul 16th, 2000 03:59:17 AM
We're looking for some of you to voice your opinions in written reviews of the X-Men movie. Just go to www.upstartcomics.com and go to our X-Men review section. Click on the submit review link and go from there. We're really interested in all of your opinions and would like to post quite a few reviews on the site. Thanks.
sequal additions by sethfroggy	Jul 16th, 2000 04:00:40 AM
First of all, Great Movie! You noticed I said "Great Movie!" Ok, so it was a great comic book movie, a great sci/fy movie, but most important, it was a great movie... That's something you can't say too much from the movies this summer. Thank you Mr.Singer... I thought that everything was just fine. I would have loved to have seen a blast from Cyclops and a lightning bolt from Storm hitting Mags' (we're buddies, so he doesn't mind) Magnetic forcefield, but I can wait for that in the sequal. I thought that the whole cast was awsome, especially Jackman and Sir Ian... I even thought that Berry And Mane did excellent jobs for roles where they were not asked to do much. I would like to see them more in the sequal. As far as the sequal goes. I think from my previous comments as well as others that are in agreement: You have got to bring eveybody back... All the X-Men and all the Brotherhood. Oh yes, a must is Toad and Mystique. Hey, just check my handle. Ray Park is a sci/fy Icon now. Speaking of these two, naturally from the end of the movie's ending with Mags and Chuck talking about the war that is coming against Mutants, you got to have the Sentinals. So here is my plot twist. (Please listen Mr. Singer, I won't take credit.) How about have the war between the X-Men and Brotherhood continue. I'm in agreement with the others. Don't bring to many more characters. I would just like to see more cameos with some future X-men using their powers (perhaps in the Danger Room.) I would like to see two more members who go on X-Men missions. My choices would be Beast and Iceman. I would like to see the same kid who played Bobby come back. I thought he did a good job. I think Gambit is too rebelious and you already have that in Wolverine. I think that the interaction between Wolvie and Beast would be great. I could even see a line where Wolvie tells Beast that he has the rights on the hair due that Beast stole from him. Beast could be one of the fouding members whole returns to help Xavier in his crisos against mankind. Hey, Beast was the one who taught Jean eveything she knows about science. Now of course there would be no Ms. Marvel so Rouge could get her strength from a dieing X-men. How about Thunderbird... Now here is where it gets interesting. Lets say you add two members to the brotherhood as well. Avalanche and one who used to be a Xavier student-Pyro. He would be one student who finds that his attitudes more resemble Magneto's. And another neat cameo scene would come from the Brotherhood. A new little brother resulting from childbirth. Yes, everyone knows that Mystique is Nightcrawler's mother. So, who else could be the father but Toad. Didn't you see that interaction in the helicopter. Besides, where else would NC get that jumping ability from. He just genetically got a tail rather than a tounge Now lets just say that the two groups from Magneto and Xavier are forced in putting their differences aside and fight together in the final against Sentinals. Talk about awsome effects. The Nightcrawler cameo could turn into a partial storyline for X-Men III which would revole around the Dark Phoenix story Well, at least you got to give me some credit for some ideas. One last thing. The score was fine and underrated. That scene at the end with Wolverine attempting to pass his power to a dieing Rouge by possibly sacraficing his own life is touching and moving and it has a lot to do with the music. I still have goosebumps from it... Or maybe it's warts. Sethfroggy ribbiting out.
by Pat Buddha	Jul 16th, 2000 04:07:12 AM
I thought the movie did an okay job of translating the comic book into live action. I've read the comic books but haven't completely immersed myself in the details to worry whether the characters were true to comic books. Ultimately they took something that could have looked and sounded fairly cheesy and gave it a fair amount of credibility. It's a promising start providing there are ever any sequels, but I can't say that I was fully satisfied with this one. It is too passive in the way that it introduces the characters. Comic books are like mythology. The characters are supposed to be introduced through their actions. Here's the characters. Now let's take them on some adventures. The X-Men spend a lot of time hanging around the mansion, explaining their powers, fussing about being maligned. By the time they get through all of that it's time to go resolve the major conflict of the film. Part of the problem is that it is an ensemble piece and as such the focus has to be spread across several different viewpoints. I think the X-Men would be better served as a reasonably budgeted television series where more time could be spent on the individual characters. Given that at best there will probably only be one of these movies every two or three years, it's hard to say if the X-Men will ever be fully given its due.
Hopefully this will signal to the 'suits'... by JackBurton	Jul 16th, 2000 04:13:33 AM
That you can make a cool comic book flick and give it a plot and non campy characters, just like a 'real' movie and it will still make as much, if not more money at the box office, plus make most of the fans happy to boot. So you suits better pay attention, this means you Warner Brothers.
Saw it... thought it was okay... but there's always a BUT... by Commando Cody	Jul 16th, 2000 04:26:51 AM
Like many of you, I saw it tonight. No lines, no trouble getting in at all. In fact, the theater we attended was less than half full, which I wasn't too sure how to take since we attended the prime Saturday night show at 8:00. Overall it was good. Kudos to Singer, cast and crew for an admirable effort. Clearly the breakout star is Hugh Jackman. MGM should just start negotiating with him now to be the next BOND since he'd kick ass as the next 007 (well, once they shave and clean him up.) The movie was fun and I'd rank it third in comic-to-screen translations. I don't put it above the first SUPERMAN or BATMAN films, both of which I thought were still better productions overall (with SUPERMAN still keeping its crown for exuding the most "heart"). As for an X-MEN sequel I would really welcome it -- however I hate to be the one to throw ice water out, but it seems to me everyone is too quickly presuming that just because of today's news a sequel is a given. Well it's not. As fans we still need to cross our fingers, so let's not get TOO carried away and put the cart ahead of the horse. This TalkBack was quick to quote BoxOfficeGuru.com, but if you actually go to that site, AFTER the X-MEN write-up take note of what happened to SCARY MOVIE. A whopping $42 million dollar opening which had everyone singing praises...however this week it suffered an equally whopping 47% dropoff. That means it lost nearly HALF its audience in the second week. Will X-MEN have the same problem? I doubt the drop off will be THAT big, but those who have posted that the tale will be told in the COMING weeks are the ones who are speaking sanely and correct. Even if X-MEN does make $50 plus million this weekend, it still needs another 4-5 weeks of strong business to make it the TRUE hit Fox needs to justify a sequel. Remember the Hollywood rule: it takes 2 and a half times the budget to BREAK EVEN (ie. to cover the initial costs of filming the movie PLUS the hidden costs of marketing, advertising, striking prints, etc). So at a $75 million cost, X-MEN actually has to cross the $160-170 million mark for Fox to just BREAK EVEN. In other words even with the good news regarding this weekend's grosses, a sequel is still far from given. X-MEN still needs another $100 million just to break even. And for those who have posted that they've read 2 sequels are already "done deals" that was simply a tidbit picked up by newswires from a quote Stan Lee made at the premiere. And while he's a nice guy, anyone who's ever followed Stan's career KNOWS he's a master of hyperbole and self-promotion (to say the least). I'm sure HE'D love to see 2 sequels -- as fans we would too. And I'm sure Fox would love to make money off 2 sequels as well. The bottom line is we shouldn't get TOO carried away yet. The REAL test for X-MEN comes in the next month or so, and how well its "legs" are and how well it holds up. Personally, I liked it...but on the flip side, here's hoping that all of us racing out to see it opening weekend ISN'T the end of the story. It does us absolutely no good if X-MEN opens big but then implodes and literally crawls to the break even mark. Because if it performs THAT way, rest assured, Fox won't be racing on any X sequel any time soon. They'll just shrug their corporate shoulders and turn their full attention to preparing for SW: EPISODE II which in their minds is already a "given" at the box office.
"X-MEN 2:FROM THE ASHES!" by CortezImages	Jul 16th, 2000 05:19:42 AM
Let the countdown to the video,dvd and sequel (Praying for 2003) begin! Thank you to all the fanboys/ fangirls and new and old fans for making the "X-Men"truly a EVENT! Now could we have Colossus,Nightcrawler and the Beast! Marvel Comics Rules! Jr.Cortez 11/16/2000/Sunday
surprisingly good by BatVomit	Jul 16th, 2000 06:35:55 AM
I went to this movie with fairly low expectations, and I was quite pleasantly surprised with how good it was. It wasnt earth shatteringly wonderful, but I think Bryan Singer did a great job with this film. It did a great job of laying down a general introduction of the characters and the X-Men myth as a whole without focusing too much one one single character. People complain about there not being enough character development, and I agree that it probably could have used some more background on the characters, but I think this was meant to be an introductory film to lay the foundation for the inevitable sequels. Wolverine and Rogue were the most developed characters in the movie and I enjoyed them the most. The rest of the X-Men could have used a little more development I suppose, but the movie focused around Wolverine and Rogue joining the X-Men while Cyclops, Storm, and Jean Grey were already established members and going into too much of their origins and characters would have strayed too much off the events that the plot focused around. I was also very happy that they chose to include the School For Gifted Youngsters as much as they did. Seeing Iceman, Kitty Pryde, and Jubilee as students was great. Hopefully they will be in the sequels as new members of the X-Men. There were a few other students I saw who looked like they could have been members of the New Mutants as well.. The only real thing that bothered me about the movie was Magneto's diabolical little plan to turn everyone into mutants. It seemed like something that Dr. Evil or Pinky and the Brain would try to do. The whole thing with the giant machine was just a bit too campy and cliche to me. They should have just stuck with him doing some equally as evil but a little more realistic and conventional methods of terrorism than building some sort of silly giant mutant death machine. All in all it was still a good movie and I will definitely see it again and definitely buy it when it comes out on video/dvd. HURRY UP AND MAKE THE SEQUEL NOW!!!
X-MEN - useless movie by ChrisK	Jul 16th, 2000 08:57:57 AM
I went into this movie with very low expectations, and even they were too high for this tax write-off. Where was the most crucial part of a superhero MOVIE - the soundtrack? Go watch Superman, and you'll go out humming the soundtrack. This pile of garbage had nothing going for it. It set up a perfectly normal universe, and then tried convincing us that it's okay for people to have 2 names(this is so-and-so, also known as Cyclops). And what was with Magneto's helmet!?!? (yeah, I know it's from the comic books, but then why wasn't Wolverine sporting the yellow spandex they make fun of?) I suffered too many Batman & Robin flashbacks during this movie. And it's always a cheat when you think all the bad guys have been wiped out, only to see them come back to life in the last 5 minutes of the movie to set up a sequel...cheap shot!Worst action sequences ever! Storm, cowering away from Toad??? She's a bitch, she doesn't cower!!!! If it sounds like I'm whining and I somehow missed the point of the film, I apologize. I just think Hollywood (Sony and Fox in particular) are more concerned about merchandising and happy parents than actually DEVELOPING A STORY. I would love to have seen Wolverine and Professor X still unconscious at the end - HENCE A REASON TO MAKE A SEQUEL. No sacrifices, no stunning visual fx, no story, useless climax...Hopefully this country will be over the PC hype soon to enjoy a decent movie.
The score... by Fawst	Jul 16th, 2000 09:38:36 AM
sucked. It actually had promise right in the beginning when the main theme was brought up over the opening credits, but then it was just THERE later on. In fact, the only time I think I really enjoyed the music was when Wolverine was on the motorcycle and Fluke's "Atom Bomb" started playing.
I think Logan said it best... by br1mst0n3	Jul 16th, 2000 09:42:16 AM
when he said "you can take this mission and shove it up your A$$!" Almost every critic has agreed on one thing : This is a enjoyable film. Not one that I have read has flat out canned this movie. It's #3 in the biggest movie openings of all time. yet some people still feel the need to use words like "useless", "blew" , and even the occasional "suck" to describe this movie. Get over yourselves! You never was and will never be the ONLY moviegoer/comic fan that sees this movie. Singer had a huge hurdle to cross can he fooking pole vaulted over it! people complain about a lack of character development and then some more on the other end of the spectrum are miffed because they claim there was too much of it. That is when it's obvious that these people had NO intention of enjoying this film in the first place, most likely the same people who tried to come in here and dissuade everyone else from seeing it as well. It seems that some people just refuse to eat their words. As far as this "legs" theory goes. You can cross your fingers all you want but the fact is one way or another THERE WILL BE A SEQUEL. In my experience with watching film Bpx office returns only determine how quickly the sequel gets done. Look at the Movie Gremlins for instance...how many YEARS did it take for the sequel to come out? I lost count. The actors have already signed on for at LEAST one sequel. and judging by the fact that Pokemon is probably the biggest thing opening next week, I don't think X-men has anything to be afraid of, especially so since this movie has such great replay value, I've seen shows sold out until late evening in big and small theatres alike, so that right there is something to take notice of. If you didn't like it fine. but why take it personal? even the most egotistical critics had enough respect for what singer accomplished to flat out shut it down, and admit that although there were some things which were lacking (which I don't really consider as a valid complaint since the movie is missing a whole 45 minutes) it was an enjoyable film.PERIOD. I mean c'mon, you already put your foot in your mouth once when you tried to bash this movie before it came out, save yourself the embarrassment by keeping your mouths shut before it breaks another Box office record.
If a horse's ass could talk it might sound like me by AquaDoc	Jul 16th, 2000 09:52:27 AM
At some point during X-Men, I expected to have to examine my ticket stub for a warning from the surgeon general. I still shudder when I hear the immortal words, "Suit me up, Uncle Alfred!" from the false box office Gods that brought us "Batman & Robin". X-Men falls short of epic filmmaking but it's a 3 star film thats well worth seeing.
and just for the record. by br1mst0n3	Jul 16th, 2000 09:56:55 AM
I never EVER hummmed the theme to Superman. and secondly this film had a VERY tight budget, so think about it. After paying for all the cast, crew, FX, did you really think they could afford John Williams? Be reasonable. The soundtrack isn't the greatest, but it's good enough! You'd think that more respect would be shown to a film using only a little more than half of the budget of most films of it's kind, single-handedly sparked interest in a genre that was basically buried after the bloody outcry over B & R
soundtrack by simongarth	Jul 16th, 2000 11:02:21 AM
i agree with harry and alot of other people..........the soundtrack sucked. not many scores make me cringe........i found myself cringing in many key parts of the film......only because of the score......(blackbird on route to the statue particularly sticks out in my mind) i dont think you have to spend a hell of a lot to get a great score. theres dozens of independent, small named, composers out there who woulda jumped and delivered a killer score if given the chance......i think anything woulda been better than kamens..........the trailer had some stuff from dark city..it sounded great with the x-visuals.........but all this can and will be fixed in the sequel, since i read that singer and company werent happy with the score either....they just ran out of time and money. i still absolutely love all the initial logan scenes....up to the point where storm and cyclops arrive to save him in the snow......i was so fricken into the mood and dialogue of anna paquin and jackman, that i really didnt need the x-men to enter in.....it was sooooo awesome. i give the first half a 9.............i give the over all movie a 7. all in all....not a perfect film by any means....but a good start. bring on the sequel!!! and i hope to god it does good...so i can see my all time favorite comic to film dream....fantastic four, come to life!! damn!!
An Important Note About Michael Kamen's Score by Admiral Nelson	Jul 16th, 2000 11:50:11 AM
I posted this in the general Talkback for the film, but FYI... For those people who've attacked Michael Kamen's "X-Men" score as weak, and accused him of being a bad composer, listen up: according to several film music sources, Kamen's first approach to the film was to compose motifs (i.e., strong themes) for the majority of the characters, but the producers made him change this, and even made him rework a great deal of his score several times. A session player with various L.A. film music orchestras commented on the rec.movie.music newsgroup that Kamen's original cues were quite bombastic and thematic, but he ended up having to compose new cues for the film after the producers insisted on different approaches. Kamen is actually a very talented composer, so if you don't like "The X-men" score, then blame the producers. He gave them the score that they wanted, not that he originally started out to compose.
Whoda think it? Incredible returns!! by Liason	Jul 16th, 2000 12:24:28 PM
Whoopie! According to Boxofficereports.com, X-men has landed a cool 57.5 million weekend thus far! And Sunday matinees haven't even been figured in yet... Hooray Bryan, you hot-tempered little napoleon: you did it!
X-Men Movie by EdwinGene	Jul 16th, 2000 01:17:00 PM
Before I saw the movie, I thought Wolverine had been miscast. After seeing the movie I realized that they had picked a bad few seconds of Wolverine dialogue to put in the trailer. Hugh Jackman was great. To milkman_the_king. The kid who could summon fire was referred to as "John" by Storm. Could this be a homage to Johnny Storm of the Fantastic Four? Out of continuity, I agree, but the coincidence is just too close to ignore.
A few things... by xeeds	Jul 16th, 2000 01:30:17 PM
1. I really enjoyed the movie and will probably see it 1 or 2 more times. 2. My biggest complaint was that they never quite explained how Magneto knew where to look for Rogue and what her powers were before Professor X or Rogue even knew what her exact power was. 2. Minor complaint was that I think they should have squeezed more action into the opening scene between Wolverine and Sabertooth. Then again at the train station. 3. The score. There were a few points in the film that I thought it was actually fairly effective. Sometimes it was just there. Though at the end credits I think that is the only place it really failed. 4. Box office drop off thoughts. I hope it doesn't happen. Though any further shows I catch will be matinee showings. It cost my wife and I $15 to see the film on Friday night. If I had to pay that much to see it again, there would be no way. Even matinees will cost me $5 a pop, which reduces the amount of times I will see this film again. If the prices were what they were 3-4 years ago, $5 prime time, and $3 for matinees, I'd probably see this movie 4-6 times. Instead I'll just wait for the DVD.
Support this movie next weekend by Dahc-Tor	Jul 16th, 2000 01:32:37 PM
I suggest, if you have a little extra cash to blow, go see X-men next weekend to keep the box office receipts up. If you don't want to see it again, go buy a matinee ticket or two and give them to a friend or strangers in the mall. I saw X-men opening day, took my family Saturday and fully intend to see it at least one more time, maybe taking the kids again too. To quote one of the members of YES, money is paper applause - invest some money in this franchise to insure not just one or two sequels, but maybe a run as strong as Star Trek has seen (just pray the quality doesn't go down.) Hopefully the stars and director's salaries are a percentage of the profits - they'll deserve it.
Judge Dredd 2 please? by Choda Boy	Jul 16th, 2000 01:51:03 PM
I was so f'n happy after X Men. I swear almost all of the people in the theater were standing and cheering after it was over. This is going to be THE movie of the summer. The Pokemon fad is over and we will see that when the BO #'s come in and X Men is still on top. This should pave the way for the masterpiece that will be Spider-Man. Raimi knows what he's doing. Screw that bloated twit Cameron. Oh, and one more thing, this box office should show the suits that we need more super hero movies, like Judge Dredd 2 and Orgazmo 2. The people want it, I tell you!
up to 40.62 million... by keyserSOZE	Jul 16th, 2000 01:56:10 PM
for the weekend so far! it made over 19 million saturday, according to boxofficereport.com!!! HELLOOOOOOOOO SEQUEL!!!
Did anybody else notice these details? by SpaceJockey	Jul 16th, 2000 02:07:20 PM
I'm not going to give my review of the movie, the fact that I went to see it twice in the same day is evidence enough that I thought it was ok :). I dunno if seeing it twice in 12 hours made me notice more or not, but I did pick up things that I haven't seen mentioned here. lets see, where to start off.... Senator Kelly: Fact 1: after his mutation you see him come up out of the water (after rushing through it at an insane speed), then he comes up on the beach. If you watch closely you'll see in the rear shot of him that he is semi-transparent, and is "forming" his skin as he walks. Fact 2: When he's about to die he asks Storm why she hates "normal" people, then he says "here's one less you have to worry about", he was refering to a "normal" person, which he was obviously not. Fact 3: When he "died" he just turned into water, very interesting that Singer would chose to have that whole big expensive CG sequence of him turning to H20, when he could have just had him stop breathing or something. Fact 4: Magneto replies to Storm's testamony about seeing Kelly die, (in a very confident tone) "Are you sure you saw what you saw?". Quick Fact 5: The beach scene is introduced with a boy poking a transparent Jellyfish type thing, with his sister asking him to stop, then comes in Senator Kelly, foreshadowing anyone? My theory is that Senator Kelly's mutation is to change into basically "Abyss" man, making himself into a water based creature. Jean Grey said that his "his body is rejecting it, his cells are breaking down", that could be it, or it could just be her interpretation of his cells going through that radical mutation of turning into water or whatever his power is. Ah yes. Dark Phoenix will be in the sequal, wanna know why? Fact 1: Cyclops said that Cerebro was dangorous to Jean Grey, that's major foreshadowing because Singer could have simply had the explanation stop at "It takes a certain degree of control". Then of course when she uses it, the Dark Phoenix is triggered in her sub-conscious. Fact 2: Jean Grey tells Cyclops (with a determined look on her face) "wait! just wait" when he's about to shoot Magneto. There is no logical explanation for this. BUT, after the whole thing blows up, you see Jean Grey "snap out of it" blinking, shaking her head, with the "what the hell just happened" look on her face, not unlike what toad looked like after Prof. X stopped mind-controlling him (except to a larger degree, because Jean knew she said that and she didn't know why). Fact 3: In the online chat with Famke Jannson (spelling?), She is asked how hard it was to portal Jean Grey, and she answers along the lines of "not really, the character wasn't very difficult, but Dark Phoenix! She is a very complex character, wait for the sequel to see her". This is where I'm expecting the fox executive rush in (he was off camera) but I realize now it would have been pointless, "Hey! You weren't supposed to say that! Everybody disregard what she just said!". Also she was talking about the sequel, and the major concern was not giving anything important away about the movie (this interview takes place about 2 months ago). The very next question is "Did you research her character at all in the comics?" She answers "No, not at all". The only explanation how she knows about Dark Phoenix and how she is a "complex" character is if it was in the script at some point, or Singer told her why she would be acting that way in the end of the movie. Now here are a couple Theories I have about the cut scenes in the movie: Storm's story, I'm pretty sure that she had a back-story but they cut it out in order to focus on Magneto/Rogue/Wolvering, and more was to slow down the pace of the movie. In an interview Halle Barry says that Storm found out her powers when she was being teased as a child by other children at school about her hair turning wait, then she calls up a storm or something. I'm not really an X-men buff, can anybody confirm if this is true in the comic? If it is not (well, even it it is), then that means Singer had that sequence shot which is what Barry would be referring to. Here's an outtake I'm almost positive of: At the End prof. X comes to, and Jean Grey says "You made it", and Prof replies "Thanks to you for guiding me". Guiding? There must have been a scene where Jean mind-melds with Prof or something along those lines in order to get him back. Cyclop's little heart-to-heart with Prof. X was cut short also. His 2 sentences are along the lines of "When I first came here, you always knew what to do. Don't worry, I'll take care of them." What?? He jumps from introducing an example of what Prof. X knew what to do, to a conclusive statement based on....the introduction? There was obviously something before the last sentence, but I geuss it got cut out. Oh, and there was a cut scene with Jean Grey and Cyclops in bed (talking of course :), because when Famke is asked if she and Cyclops ever had an on-screen kiss, she answers "no, but there is a scene with us in bed and his arm around me". Also, does Xmen buff know what mutant walks on water (as in the boy who did in Prof X's monolouge about the school). You're comments/replies are welcome.
X-MEN 2: APOCALYPSE NOW! by Superman2K	Jul 16th, 2000 02:20:25 PM
that would be a great name for the next x movie. If you saw the casting call that Wizard did in the last issue then you can see who the enemies should be. The Hellfires and Apocalypse. We could see that famous scene of Wolvie in the sewers. It would be great. Then they could have one crazy ass fight with Apocalypse at the end. What might be good is seeing Cable come back in time to stop Apocalypse and tell Scott that he has a son. Then just throw in Gambit, Collosus, Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, Iceman, Angel, Beast, and Psylocke to the team. Then they could have two teams like in the comics, one lead by Cyclops and one lead by Storm (blaahhh). Maybe we will Angel become the Angel of Death in it because the movies major villain will be Apocalypse. and how bought part 3 can we say X-MEN 3: THE RISE OF PHOENIX. here's hoping.
Here's a pointless little plot hole I realized by user id indeed!	Jul 16th, 2000 02:31:06 PM
When they're all trapped in the head of the Statue, Storm can't call down lightning and save them all because she'd electrocute everybody, right? Indeed, that would be a dilemma..................... IF THAT WAS ALL SHE COULD DO. I mean, she controls WEATHER!! Be creative, woman! Create a McKellan-sized Tornado and fly him to Cuba! Create a huge, Perfect Storm-esque wave and drown the mofo, producing air bubbles for you and your allies to avoid drowning! Hell, just make a magnetic Storm and confuse the guy to death! Make some thunder and spook him! Anything! Of course, I didn't think of that until about five hours after I saw the movie, so it didn't take anything away from the scene. In fact, I doubt it would've if I DID realize it. I'm just proud of myself for thinking of that. Also, I think it's fun how everybody's analyzing every little line of dialogue ala Star Wars. Indeed, this movie was good. This has been a Proud Moment w/User ID Indeed!
To Brian Singer: by keneta	Jul 16th, 2000 02:53:41 PM
Very, very nice work. The character interaction was dead on, the somber tone of the film was perfect. Wolverine and Rogues dramatic and quiet moments together were dead on. Just about perfect. If the effects and fights were a bit more tight I would have absolutely nothing to complain about, and even those things are minor. Brian Singer, you made a great film, Ive seen it twice and am seeing it again this week.
Nearly $58 million by 2GOLD	Jul 16th, 2000 03:03:27 PM
You know, that's a great weekend if you ask me. I guess we only have to worry if it will draw next week or will Pokemon 2000 sink it. Life is good And to User ID indeed: Storm didn't have control of her powers enough yet. She tells you that when she says she'd hurl Cyclops over the Statue if she wanted to lift him up with wind. She could barely summon lighting.
no plot holes user indeed. by br1mst0n3	Jul 16th, 2000 03:06:48 PM
That scene with storm was no plot hole, the reason she didn't call down a tornado, or any other wicked move that you see in the cartoon or comics because this movie is set when for the most part, the X-men are rookies.Listen carefully in that same scene where later Cyclops asks storm to "air lift" his to the torch to which she responds "I can't control it like that." Like jean grey, she hasn't gotten a total hold on her powers yet. As to the individual who saw in an interview about dark pheonix in the sequel, good looking out... It seems legit enough, though i hope that they keep the same ensemble cast for this sequel, addnig too many characters would only illicit more complaints about poor character development (though i found none in this movie) I mean there was enough literature and marketing for all of these "holes" to be filled, IF you took advantage of them. As for the other points about the whole senator kelly mutation ideas.. I was skeptical at first but now that I think about it , YOU MAKE SENSE..consider yourself a part of the minority. Good thinking man! X-men up to over 50M this weekend and I'm gonna see it again tonight and tomorrow...keep tabs on the numbers...heh, wanna talk about legs, this baby's got em' like carl lewis!
Make that $57 million!!!! by sprocket-bot	Jul 16th, 2000 03:08:06 PM
I too wish I could make San Diego Comic Con next weekend, I absolutely LOVED last years con.
Some cool stuff... by XTheCrovvX	Jul 16th, 2000 03:12:05 PM
Hey there...well, the first of the cool stuff, somebody already broke, early box office reports say that the movie grossed 57 mil, not factoring in all of sunday, mind you, meaning it'll break 60 million by monday, most likely...hello children...can you say "sequel"? second, just for anyone who's a kevin smith fan, and knows how much of a comics fanatic he is, he gave his little two cents on the film on his web site, viewaskew.com on the message boards...to keep it short, he liked it a lot, and is definitely lobbying for the "Days of Future Past" saga to be the next film...im hearing a lot of people go for that...if Bryan Singer's listening, chances are, there could be Sentinels in our future after all(even if Gyrich IS dead...). and finally, after having read around to find out, it should behoov everyone to know this: about half the cast (McKellen, Jackman, and Stewart, i believe) has a clause in their contracts for the movie, where if any sequel gets made, they're in...no ifs ands or buts..thats for anyone wondering if same cast will be back. Revolution is my...oh, wait, last thing...to User ID Indeed....dude, good point..BUT! what i noticed in this movie is that it seems like with the exception of Jean Grey, Xavier(duh), and to a degree, cyclops, storm is not all that proficient with her skills yet...it basically all comes out when she's really in danger...all magneto did was lock her up against a wall....at least thats what i saw...BUT!! one minor, fanboy plot hole....when Toad threw Storm down the elevator shaft in the first place, am i the only one who remembers that storm is CLAUSTROPHOBIC?! That situation would've panicked the shit out of her...but, like i said, thats fanboy retard BS...like the guy i met who said the movie sucked because Jean Grey had bigger boobs in the comic. Now, THAT's my nomination for Dumbass of the Week. Revolution is my name.
br1mst0n3 and 2Gold by user id indeed!	Jul 16th, 2000 03:56:10 PM
OIC, said me. Must've missed that. Thanks for the heads-up. Why must everyone always piss on my parade?!?! This has been an Apology, But Not Really from User ID Indeed!
Other little comments by SpaceJockey	Jul 16th, 2000 03:59:11 PM
br1mst0n3: Thanks for the reply man, I knew my idea about Kelly would seem kinda stupid at first, but I couldn't ignore all those facts that I posted earlier. thecrovv: I completely agree, in fact I think it would have done wonders for the character development of Storm if they simply had a little sequence showing her Claustrophobia (spelling?), and then when she gets thrown in the elevator shaft, it shows her looking around, her breath quickens, her eyes dart around, then BOOM! Oh, I just found out from coming attractions, that Singer confirmed via e-mail that Cyclop's and Storm's background stories were part of the cuts made. Oh, and does anybody know who that little teleporting boy is in the movie? Cuz I did a little researching and it turns out Nightcrawler is Mystique's son! (explaining the skin tone hehe), kinda weird eh? Yea, and the earlier post about the Pyro kid being called "Johnny", as in Fantastic Four human torch, I think that is also a coincidence that can't be ignored, I mean, they got "Kitty" right, they got "Bobby" for iceman, there's no way they would just pull "Johnny" out of their a$$ so to speak :). Only thing is, didn't the human torch just simply "flame on", but the kid in the movie used a lighter to start the little fireball, does anybody know if this also applies to Pyro? hmmmmm... Also, there's a couple scenes in the 3 teasers that weren't included in the film... Prof. X saying that the Human race isn't "evil, just uniformed", and....The sketchy wolverine swinging back onto the statue of liberty scene, glad it got cut out. Also, the people who did the trailers should be shot, especially the 1st one, it makes it look like the matrix type techno fighting, which it is not. Also, in the third trailer, this is hilarious, if you actually listen what the ominous voice dude says and piece it together, it goes "In every human being there exists the genetic code for mutation", WHAT?? Genetic Code for mutation?? Mutation is what alters your genetic code, you can't have genetic code FOR mutation!! hehe, also, whats this every human being stuff, i thought mutants were special :).
Storm's wolverine launcher by SpaceJockey	Jul 16th, 2000 04:03:27 PM
Does else besides me see a little sketchy detail here? I mean, Jean Grey stopped Toad in his tracks when he jumped at her, and levitated him, kept him in the air until he loogied on her. Is it so far fetched to think that she could have lifted Wolverine up to the spinning gyro thingy? Why did they choose to use Storm's wolverine launcher, oh well, just a minor detail.
More things by 2GOLD	Jul 16th, 2000 04:23:46 PM
#1: Storm and the elevator. I'm not sure if that would have effected her, after all an elevator shaft is pretty big. It makes a good agruement though but I'm not too sure. #2: Jean Grey's powers: Someone said it best earlier, the X-men are rookies. Jean could only hold Toad in mid-air but she didn't toss him. Her powers just weren't under her control enough yet, if they were Toad would have been in the river. So that can explain why she just didn't lift Wolvie. #3: Cyclops: I saw him as a young leader but a little cocky. Perfect enough for me. #4: Cyke/Wolvie: Did you hear some of the comments Wolverine made towards him. "Keep your eye open" "I'm not the one who gave the train station a new sunroof" and of course "Your a dick." I get the feeling I'm really going to like the rivalry between them, it looks like fun Also it seems that the $57.7 million didn't include Sunday totals so that's impressive(whoever said this earlier, nice heads up). But what is really surprising is Scary Movie still pulled in 26 million. Does anyone remember what the biggest opening for a weekend was ever? I'm not to sure
Re: the prophet by MrKearns	Jul 16th, 2000 04:27:09 PM
No, I just have the ability to take my head out of my ass once in while and realize what makes a movie successful; money. It's the real world, pal, and yeah, lots of movies are great but aren't money makers... which means they fail to bring in crowds, no matter how high their quality is. I love indie movies. And I actually take joy in the fact that I've discovered something that not many other filmgoers see. Now, the difference between Blair Witch and X-men, is that when people saw the teaser for BW 2, everyone in the theater laughed their ass off. When people see X-men 2's trailer, they're going to have a smile on their face. Kearns out.
Waiting patiently for the sequel by spark1701	Jul 16th, 2000 04:28:44 PM
I swear that some people who are posting negatives about the X-Men movie are cut and pasting their comments from their Phantom Menace opinions. Makes me very happy that these same people will never have the chance to touch these properties and mess them up. I LOVED THE MOVIE! It was a great movie. What was wrong with the music? Are you crazy? The music? The score fit perfect into this movie. I was just so upset that Prince or what ever symbol he is using these days didn
The quality of a film can't be measured in dollar signs by NoNameNoSlogan	Jul 16th, 2000 05:01:10 PM
Posting about how much money this film made is meaningless. Clerks was made on a shoestring budget and probably didn't make that much money, but it was an excellent film for the most part. Jim Jarmusch has made several films on the cheap and probably not made millions off them, but he's a fantastic director. I wish he had made The Crow. It wouldn't have made as much money, surely, but would have been a better film. Some of you, simply because you disagree with my opinion of this movie, have made some clumsy personal attacks on me in this forum. Is this supposed to make my argument less valid, or yours more so? It doesn't. Home Alone made a lot of money, if you remember. If you enjoyed this film, whether you're a hardcore fan of the comic books or not, then enjoy it, but don't pretend there are no flaws. Overlooking the flaws in the film is obviously crucial to your enjoyment of it, but it's not for me. I enjoyed the beginning of it very much. Although not canon, the scenes with Rogue and Wolverine in the beginning were fun to watch. The scene in 1944 with Magneto was good, too. I don't even have a problem with them changing his name to Eric. Despite any good moments in the film, there were problems and it does make it less likely that some of the better stories will ever work in future attempts. In the end some of the problems were just too hard to get past for me, and if that's not true for you, then yuck it up with your two-litre cola (where did that come from?) and laugh your head clean off with joy. I don't care. However, no matter what you say on this forum you're not going to change the way fans feel about this film, whether it met, exceeded, or failed to meet their expectations or dreams, and the latter is more important. As I said before the film came out, this is going to be a big hit, but it won't have anything to do with whether it was a faithful adaption or not. It's because people want to see attractive people and special effects and they'll settle for almost anything you give them. If you weren't thinking that you could have fixed a lot of the problems in this film while you were watching it, then you belong in the audience and not behind the camera, so your opinions really aren't valid to me.
Score was spot on, okay? by Amen_break!	Jul 16th, 2000 05:24:54 PM
It was clear cut, high quality and very fitting to whatever was going on screen. Okay so maybe it wasnt the epic over the top score you expect from every hollywood film these days, but precisely because of that the movie was so much more enjoyable not hindered by some overblown unnessesary loud anthem. Great choice for the use of Flukes atom bomb also, havent heard it in a while.
Two sequels-- actors signed! by Liason	Jul 16th, 2000 05:27:57 PM
Reuters published today that the cast is signed for two sequels, though work hasn't begun yet. Rumors around Fox are for a holiday 2002 and summer 2004 release, but no word from Singer yet as to whether he's on the project. Expect to see Nightcrawler and Gambit in the next one (yippie!) So far, there's no sign of Joel Schumaker, but a few murmurs about his ears perking up are going around. Let's hope not, folks!
The Sequel by Bialas	Jul 16th, 2000 05:40:29 PM
They shouldn't put too many characters in the next one. Unless of course they do the Days of Future Past where they can simply have the good guys and the bad guys get together to stop the Sentinals. Lots of cameos there. Some ones I'd really like to see though are Gambit, Stryfe, Sauron, and Pyro. Cable is another, but he deserves his own movie because his character is so cool.
Poster! by Sceleratos	Jul 16th, 2000 06:10:30 PM
ON EBAY (in the movie memoribilia section) there is a guy with all 6 promotional posters for sale. These Banners are the 6 feet long vinal(?) ones onf Wolverine, Cyclops etc...that hang in some theaters. Another Auctioner only has the Wolverine, and it was like 50-75..this guy has all 6...for not much more. They are COOL!
What about Jean Grey's Codename??? by Bluestorm30	Jul 16th, 2000 08:05:11 PM
Okay, just saw the movie, I thought it was great. I think the Comics to Movie genre has just been granted a stay of execution for a while. But in several reviews, I kept reading that an explanation was given as to why Jean Grey does not have a code name. Did anybody see it? Maybe it was part of the cut footage, or maybe I just missed it. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised. It was loads of FUN...
Was that pyro? by nite owl	Jul 16th, 2000 08:08:51 PM
I was distracted during part of the scene where Ororo is teaching -was that a young Pyro heating things up? Also, my wife and I met in a comics store- we have been married 12 years- and we both loved this movie as long time comics fans who have seen far too many filmic screw ups over the years (Batman and Robin, for example.) Everyone is saying Halle Berry was dismal, but you have to consider that she really did not have a whole lot to work with here. Storm is a pivotal character in the comics but in the film she is a a second banana which was the only bad note this film struck with us. Let's hope despite the haters and nay-sayers we are treated to several quality sequels as I very much enjoyed seeing the characters I have known and love on the Big Screen.
I want Husk and Domino and Chamber by user id indeed!	Jul 16th, 2000 08:18:33 PM
Is that so wrong?!?! I guess I must wait for another two or three movies before a Generation X movie. Well, I can get used to that idea...this has been One Last Pointless Opinion from User ID Indeed!
"John" is PYRO!! NOT JOHNY STORM!! THANK YOU!!! by Steepdog	Jul 16th, 2000 08:46:02 PM
In the comics, the character Pyro (who is a bad guy, I think) is named John Alistar or something like that. He controls fire. He does not "flame on." He is a mutant. Johnny Storm is not. Actually, I saw a cast list somewhere that had him listed as Pyro. Also they had a Colossus listed, who I can only assume was the big beefy kid with dark hair. Also, in the comics, beast used to look normal right? then the kid who teleports on the b-ball court could have been nightcrawler before he changes. He looked pretty young, like Jr. high age, so maybe his mutation hasn't gone the whole nine yards yet and we'll see him in the sequil.
Overlooked Fact #23: Wolverine has an adamantium skeleton. Magn by Niiiice	Jul 16th, 2000 09:11:16 PM
I guess I should post my feelings on this movie. Most people have seen the film so I'm going to throw in a few spoilers. The first thing that surprised was arriving at the theater and finding that the shows had been sold out for the next three hours. Luckily, I had reserved a large order online the previous day. As for the film itself, I left the theater with feelings of mediocrity, thinking "Not bad." Now before you write this off as a negative review keep in mind that any comic-to-film adaptation has a 75% chance of sucking harder than a steam-powered Hoover handheld. The fact that the film managed not to piss fans off puts it in the upper echelon of comic book adaptations already. Singer really knows how to please the fans, throwing in all those cameo winks to the audience in Iceman, Jubilee and "Johnny." The only problems I had with the film is that we didn't have enough time to really get to know or care about the characters besides Wolverine and Rogue (plus the fact that Cyclops looked about ten years younger than Jean Grey.) The only detail that really bugged me was with Magneto's mutant ray machine. He had to overexert his own magnetism powers to mutate Senator Kelly; now the X-gang commented that the mutant ray had no effect on mutants...but what about Wolverine, who has adamantium grafted onto his bones? Rogue was outputing a great deal of magnetic power, shouldn't that have had some effect on Wolverine? More than anything though, this was a movie made for the fans and despite all my past issues with the development of this movie, I have to respect Singer for that.
Nightcrawler by SpaceJockey	Jul 16th, 2000 09:11:31 PM
Actually, night crawler had blue skin etc. since birth. But then again who else could a teleporting mutant be? Anybody who knows night crawler knows that when he teleports he leaves puffs of smoke (something to do with him switching dimensions), and this kid was blurry, which could, now that I think about it, mean he was just going really fast, but then again why would he pass to himself, oh well, too much thinking. I'm gonna read the novelization now, gonna find out why Jean Grey doesn't have a code name. Also, in the bookstore I skimmed through the comic book version of the movie, pretty good art, but more interestingly is that it also contains "important comics on each character", and Jean Grey's comic was centered on Phoenix, hmmm....
Bryan Singer - I was wrong by KrautLA	Jul 16th, 2000 09:12:09 PM
It's funny. Seven years ago I had dinner with Bryan in Santa Monica and he said that the big blockbuster movies should be directed by peolple like David Cronenberg and himself. I supressed my laughter back then - "The usual Suspects" script was not even written. Now the only laughable thing about his comment is that Cronenberg would not even be considered for "X-Men" 2, 3, or 4... Just thought I'd share this with you.
To Niiice by 2GOLD	Jul 16th, 2000 09:23:26 PM
The machine fed off Magneto's power but it wasn't a giant magnet. The machine had no magnet powers whatsoever. Still it makes an interesting arguement but from what I could tell only Magneto's power could operate the machine. Rogue was just a battery but if Magnetic properties had been involved then the machine would have absorbed everything
Either I'm hearing things, or I found a major gaffe... by ZakChase	Jul 16th, 2000 09:27:12 PM
I swear, in this brilliant film's last scene, Prof. X calls Magneto "Ian." If anyone else heard this, speak up. If not, perhaps I'm going crazy. Either way, kudos to Bryan Singer for making a fantastic movies for fanboys and non-fanboys alike.
To all of those who didn't like X-Men... by milkman_the_king	Jul 16th, 2000 09:43:05 PM
I am now excepting and expecting all of your scripts for what would have been a better X-Men movie. Due to me by the end of the week. Come on people get cracking!
X-MEN Sequel by NobleCrayfish	Jul 16th, 2000 09:49:26 PM
I would first like to say that I ReALLY liked the movie, and with all the talk of the obviously inevitable(?) sequel on the way I wanted to throw my two cents in. No matter what the story they use I think that the opening scene should be some sort of movie adaptation of wolverine #50. With the way the first one ended and the simplicity of this issue it would be pretty easy to make it an opening scene. For those of you who don't know this issue has wolverine find some sereous info on his past and why he has memory problems. This issue was adapted for an episode of the cartoon for those of you who were fans. I don't know if anybody else has pitched this out but I just wanted to get in. I really like some of the ideas floating around and I REALLY hope FOX doesn't try to take the sequel in a different direction than the first(like so many sequels are). -EXCELSIOR!
xmen movie by DOGSOUP	Jul 16th, 2000 09:57:52 PM
1.the movie ruled.i would be MORE than willing to sit through a 2 hour sequal. 2.nightcrawler was mentioned in Premier by singer for the sequal.the kid on the court WAS NOT Kurt Wagner(i think given the characters background,if he does get into the movie singer would have/will eventually touch on the fact that he grew up christian but chastized for looking like a demon.bamf. 3.someone mentioned a generation x movie.it's been done.i remember a TV movie years ago featuring Banshee,White Queen,Jubilee,Husk,Skin,Mon,an d the gang.would have blown ass if released in theatres but not a bad tv movie.anyone remember or am i on crack? 4.for all the people who are STILL nit picking over blah blah blah wasnt in it or this and this and this wasnt like the comics,get over yourself!you'll never be happy with anything anybody ever puts out.this was a SUPER HERO SUMMER MOVIE that actuall had heart over style.if you cant respect that then you must be just a mindless drone complete with tidbits of knowledge you have to disect everything with rather than enjoy it and i pity you. 5.for all of you who enjoyed this movie,let's go see it a few more times to ensure a sequal and see some new mutants get thier share of the limelight!
Yes, Colossus was in the movie by DarthSlater	Jul 16th, 2000 10:02:26 PM
. . . but not in metallic form. Unless it was all of the crack that I was smoking before the show, I'm pretty sure I saw Pioter Rasputin sitting on the grounds of the X-mansion, painting something. It's the scene when the kid is running across the water, just before the camera pans right. And if I'm not mistaken, he's sketching a nude portrait of Professor X. Deadly grisly stuff, eh? Oh well, back to the crack.
The teleporting kid is NOBODY by user id indeed!	Jul 16th, 2000 10:17:14 PM
C'mon, 6 billion people on Earth and you think the only mutants were showcased in the comics? C'mon. There were a lot of kids in that school. Just because there were some in-joke cameos doesn't mean they ALL were. The teleporting kid just happens to be some mutant we've never seen. A quick sight gag. The same goes for the kid running on the fountain, and the fire guy named "Johnny". They weren't mutants we've seen in the comics,they were just eye candy. Most entertaining, just not to be taken this seriously. This has been an OK, Last Pointless Comment,I SWEAR Moment w/User ID Indeed!
Doofii by Darth Brooks	Jul 16th, 2000 10:29:01 PM
Never EVER go to the movies with pimply-faced Fanboys who can't STAND it if someone enjoys X-MEN as a film and hasn't memorized whether Classic X-Men #2381 explained why Jean Grey wears octagonal glasses. This was a great film on its own merits and I hope Bryan Singer adds significant non-comic-canon anomalies to secondary characters in the sequel just to piss off the basement-dwelling mama's boys in row 2. Can't you enjoy a narrative on its own terms? ----- oh and my favorite opening day moment? The wadded-up X-Men prequel comics stuffed into butter-slathered popcorn buckets after the movie ended. Not quite mint-in-box, eh?
A comment on Magneto and Kelly by mbeemer	Jul 16th, 2000 10:37:51 PM
There have been a couple of comments about the meaning of Magneto's reply to Storm's statement that Kelly was dead. "Did you see what you saw?" There have been suggestions that Magneto was hinting that he knew Kelly was alive in a liquified state, or that he suspected that Xavier had implanted a false memory in Storm. I have a simpler suggestion - Magneto doesn't believe Storm and Jean when they tell him Kelly is dead. He can't even conceive that his brilliant machine didn't work as he intended (by extension, he can't conceive that he could be wrong/in the wrong on any point). (He just presumes that they're telling him the only thing that could hopefully pursuade him to abort the operation. If he'd believed the machine didn't work, he wouldn't bother firing it up - he didn't want to kill those people, he wanted to "convert" them to his cause.) It's an understated demonstration of his arrogance.
X-Men - Magneto isnt stupid by Jack9C	Jul 16th, 2000 10:45:39 PM
His machine probably didnt kill the senator (as per the line "are you sure you saw what you saw?") - I hear proteus makes an appearance in the next movie...perhaps they are going to make Senator Kelly proteus? Proteus cant control his powers which would have explained why kelly turned into water and could have subsequently survived. It was a 9 out of ten. My grandfather gave it a 6.5
I don't think Sen. Kelly is dead... by Cyko	Jul 16th, 2000 10:47:01 PM
I believe he is still alive. There is no conclusive proof that he is dead, because he simply changed into water. At the beginning, Sen. Kelly had very limited control of his ability, and I feel that his lack of control is what changed him into water at the end. That doesn't mean that the senator died, it means that he's still coming to grips with his new-found power. He'll probably make an appearance in the next X-men movie. Remember, in the comics, no one truly dies, especially in X-Men!
I think the sequel should add an extra dimension to Xavier... by Cyko	Jul 16th, 2000 11:05:12 PM
Seeing that Xavier has one of the most powerful powers of all the X-men (he can control people without them being aware of it), I think it should be exploited more in the next film. They should make him a very enigmatic character whose ulterior motives are clouded to those that are around him (namely the X-Men). This has happened before in the comics, and it truly makes the professor a more three-dimensional character. I think the most important question shall be 'Is Xavier's personal vendeta against Magneto more powerful than the protection of his X-Men?' Making the professor a noble but flawed character will show that he is an ordinary human with extraordinary abilities.
X-Men II: The Morlocks by Mr. Anderson	Jul 16th, 2000 11:14:10 PM
As I was watching the movie for the second time (and loving the hell out of it) a thought came to me. As Magneto's wave of mutation radiation (ha!) makes it's way towards Ellis Island, we see just a little bit of it hit the mainland before dissappearing. My thought was that it would be cool if just enough of this radiation hit the city to "infect" a certain number of people, creating a society of Morlocks. If Senator Kelly did indeed survive his mutation, they could say that regular homosapiens manifest strange, worthless in a battle powers, similar to the Morlocks in the comics. Just a thought. Also, I think the kid who makes the fireball in his hand in Pyro. We see him flick on a lighter just before the fireball appears, and Pyro had tubes shooting flames near his fists. It makes sense if you think about it. God, Rogue was HOT!
Great movie by Kikstad	Jul 16th, 2000 11:19:23 PM
This movie was fantastic. Not since the first two Superman films have I felt like the heroes I read growing up were finally alive, in the flesh, up there on the big screen. Brian Singer has done it, and other directors planning comicbook adaptations should look at this film and take notes. I can't wait to see it again.
wouldn't be surprised if... by br1mst0n3	Jul 16th, 2000 11:53:05 PM
the movie was over 100M by the end of the week. I just came back from seeing it my 3rd time (it gets better every time i see it) and the place was packed...people CLAPPED at the end of the movie in obvious satisfaction. For those who would say that people who enjoyed the film would sooner accept anything Hollywood throws at them, they are WRONG. The difference between people who enjoy the movie and people who overly criticize it is the fact that we don't watch a movie LOOKING for flaws. If they are painfully obvious, that's one thing, but if you have to sit and actually formulate a thought about what you felt was wrong with the film, then you are just looking for X-cuses. People who enjoyed the film went into the theatre wanting to be entertained, and thats what they got. People who didnt (for the most part) wanted a "perfect" comic to movie adaptation of a comic book, which not only is unreasonable, but pointless. Don't give me the ol' Magneto's mutant making device is corny because there have been times in the comic when ELVES have shown up!!, so please spare me the idiocincracies (ie: boobs too big, boobs too small, not tall enough, not short enough, not old enough, too old, hair not right) I mean Jesus, do you realize you sound like old nagging house wives?! It's like watching an old lady picking fruit at a supermarket, she looks for that perfect one, feeling and smelling numerous kinds, but eventually she realizes that she's just gonna have to settle for the best there is to offer, and frankly, as far as X-men is concerned, Singer and crew ARE the best there is to offer. Also to those who claim that just because I watch the film more than once I can be called a "over fanatical geek", has it ever occurred to you that maybe the reason the film has such great replay value is similar to that of EP1. Just as everyone went back 2 or even 3 times to catch the cameos of wookies or even E.T., cameos from Collossus, Mr. Fantastic, and Stan lee are just as exciting. If it helps the film grab more box office dough, fine. but it isn't exactly like I'm not getting something back in return, namely great entertainment!
Thanks for the lecture, br1mston3 by Niiiice	Jul 17th, 2000 12:11:22 AM
Why do some people have to condemn or lecture others just for the sake of being a whiny bitch? Haven't you seen that there are very few negative posts? Is it really necessary to play mommy? Don't you just hate it when people capitalize words to emphasize words where they don't need emphasizing? I.e., "people CLAPPED at the end of the movie." Is this some strange phenomenon that should strike people as odd? Oh, and according to br1mston3's definition of a film's value based on the audience's reaction, Scary Movie deserves to win Best Picture next year.
nonamenoslogan by br1mst0n3	Jul 17th, 2000 12:14:31 AM
and you know what you can always wonder when a film makes 100M or more in total box office reciepts and argue whether it was a enjoyable film or not, but when it gets to a point when it starts breaking box office records, thats when you pretty much stop arguing and realize that THE NUMBERS DO COUNT FOR SOMETHING! Sure there were attractive people in this film, but there pretty much almost ALWAYS attractive people in film, and there is more to being attrctive than just physical appearance anyway, so what are YOU getting at. No one is trying to pretend that there arent any "flaws" in this movie, because guess what? if you look real hard, you can find flaws IN EVERY MOVIE, the thing that sets people apart from one another and the moviegoing experience is when one individual chooses to FOCUS/CONCENTRATE/ on these "flaws". Like I alluded to before, it would be pointless for Singer to waste a perfect opportunity to bring these characters to "life" by duplicating something that's already been done before. true he kept the theme of the comic in tact and some of the story has remnants of adventures the X-men have had in the comics, there is just no need to duplicate it EXACTLY. I mean what if the sequel turns out to be Days of future pasts, and what if he followed all aspects of that comic to the letter. Sure Comic fans who prefer that it would be done that way would be happy, but think about all the rest of us who have READ that comic? It would get real dull, real fast. First you go into the theatre ALREADY knowing what to expect.there are no surprises. now you have the same story told to you twice. not only is it uninspiring, but also unoriginal. rest assures, if Singer does choose this story for the sequel, it wont be the same exact story, rather it will be simply taken from, or "based" on that story, but the similarities end there, theres room for surprises and all the other stuff that make watching a movie fun. I can read just fine and would not care for a film where the only difference between the actual comic and the movie was the fact that the pictures moved.
niiice by br1mst0n3	Jul 17th, 2000 12:21:46 AM
first off there is a reason for the few negative posts. THERE IS NO FOUNDED REASON TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE MOVIE. If it seems that I am playing mommy, maybe it's because your didn't do a great job to begin with. Also if you want to talk about being a whiny bitch, then answer me why people even bother posting negative. comments about a movie they obviously don't care for, and if you call 3 minutes worth of reading a lecture, then your lack of an adult attention span is not something for which I am at fault. Take my posts as you will, comdemning or otherwise, fact is I disagree and am annoyed at those who blantantly dismiss this film, and I'm simplystaing that I DISAGREE and at least my reasons for doing so are a bit more valid than yours. get your parents permission before posting here again kid.
People, people... by rungedog	Jul 17th, 2000 12:30:51 AM
Bryan Singer has snuck in many characters into X-Men as students. Shadowcat, Pyro, Colossus, Jubillee, Cannonball, and of COURSE, Iceman we're all in this movie. Go back and see it. Or, just cruise on over to www.imdb.com, people. Sheesh... As a side note... where the hell was Juggernaut? He's my fave!
Br1mston3, you must be new here, so I'll go easy on you... by Niiiice	Jul 17th, 2000 12:50:41 AM
Finally, just what I was waiting for. An easy target to get me back into the Talkback fray after a nice sabattical. First, I feel that the rest of talkback is owed an apology for your incomprehensible post. However, I managed to piece together enough sentence fragments to get the general emotional-laden tone of your post. Secondly, you metioned that you were "simplystating" (exact quote) that you were disagreeing with me and I did a bad job. You lost me there, friend. What exactly did I do a bad job of? Bashing the film? I never bashed the film, I only bashed your childish post. You asked me to tell you why people would bother posting negative comments. Here's the answer: They didn't like it. Shocking, isn't it? Fact is, you and many other people liked the film, including me. Some people did not like it. But they have a God-given right to not like a film, so you can just stop your incessant whining about it.
"niiiice"..and his awe inspired wisdom by spooks	Jul 17th, 2000 01:21:40 AM
gosh!!i just read "niiice"s gripes about there bieng too many characters,and what a shame it was that only wolverines and rogue were "developed".. wellllll ,maybe thats because this is xaviers,magneato's,wolverine and rogues film--- everyone else had just enough to define there personalities and therfore leave the further developement till the next films. you had just enough so that you leave feeling that you got the jist of there personality. truth is--i've never seen it done as successfully as it was done here.if they had spent as much time developing EVERYONE to the extent that rogue wolvie and magneato were---you'd need three times the time and three times the budget. as for your comment on magneatos machine :"wouldnt it have had an effect on wolverine"? it WAS having a reation to him. but not as fast as it would on other metal things due to his skeleton being made of the type of steele its made of. (read much?) but thanks for your wonderful insight into the mind of a bitchy fanboy---what next?not enough hair on wolverines back for ya? dork. and i mean that in all of the niiiice ways. -------spooks
X-Men/ESPN SportsCenter Believe it or not. by Redbeard911	Jul 17th, 2000 01:51:04 AM
I was watching the late edition of SportsCenter and saw something truly unique. (Fanboys: SportsCenter is where they show scores and highlights of baseball, soccer, and other sports.) They ran the plays of the week intermixed with X-men highlights. I could not believe it! The music they ran was better than the movie. I was very happy with the movie. The posters that need 100% parallels with the comic need to back off. I don't need to have every character the exact age, height, eye color, COSTUME. For this movie to have mainstream credibility, we have to have some semblence of real-world dynamics. That's the main difference between the DC/Marvel world. This movie would be a joke if Storm wore a costume that was basically a leather thong bathing suit. Singer has made a great start. Let him continue. X2 starts shooting Aug 1...I wish. BTW Great Harry/Fat-ique GIF.
The best superhero ensemble movie since Mystery Men by Hammer & Pickle	Jul 17th, 2000 02:02:59 AM
Just kidding. X-Men rocked! What I want to see now is The Mighty Avengers with Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, etc. and all the other Marvel heroes that aren't famous enough to get their own solo movies. We have momentum here. Let's take advantage of it.
OK Listen up, Here's the scoop on the Fire Mutie and the truth a by Vicious	Jul 17th, 2000 02:06:36 AM
First of all i've been a dedicated Xmen reader for close to 15 years, so i know what the hell i'm talking about. And no i'm not another lifeless fanboy with nothing better to do. The fire MANIPULATING Mutant in Xmen the movie was Pyro, whose real name in the comic is: John Allerdyce (before his death due to the Legacy Virus that is...) So don't tell me it's just coincidence. ANd to Entity1 there was Plenty of character development in the movie but it was only focused upon Wolverine and Rogue! DUH! Yeah, i'm sure you've even seen the Flick...Dick.
More shouts of disagreement by NoNameNoSlogan	Jul 17th, 2000 02:26:00 AM
For some reason no one on this forum seems to understand that a person can enjoy something and still see the flaws in it. Perhaps their minds are not complex enough to do that, but mine is. I don't have any zits, I'm not a minor, and I'm not short or grossly overweight or any of the other random shots in the dark you might throw at me to add some pep to your weak defiance. I didn't go into X-Men with the intention in mind that I was going to like or dislike it. Several friends had offered different reviews, some loving it and some not really liking it. My intention was not to pick out every flaw in the film, and in the beginning I was fully ready to forgive the changes made. Rogue being in the film early in Jubilee's role didn't bother me once I saw that it was done well. Wolverine impressed me right away. That first scene in 1944 worked well. Scenes of the mansion in Westchester impressed me, too, and Kitty seemed the best bit of casting in the whole film. I only wish we had seen more of her. Throughout the early part of the film I was really enjoying it and letting go of preconceived notions, and appreciating the thorough treatment they gave of the whole anti-mutant campaign. There were obviously things for a fan to like about the film, but as it went on there were more and more things that happened that seemed out of character. Wolverine never openly hit on Jean. That was fucked up. He kept his feelings secret for a long time in the comics, knowing full well that she was aware of them and that she loved Scott. Still, I let that slide, but the inconsistencies and stuff kept piling up higher and higher, and the ending was right out of a Batman movie with that stupid mutant-making machine. Too many of the actors were themselves instead of their characters because they're too well-known. Professor X is Patrick Stewart (they could have at least accentuated his eyebrows or something) and Magneto just wasn't Magneto, despite being a good performance overall. It also felt like a movie that wasn't really quite finished. Something was missing, and in the end thinking about it I just can't really see it completely as an X-Men movie because they didn't have their costumes. Those costumes don't have to be spandex. Look at Batman. A friend of mine pointed out that some kind of body armor makes sense more than spandex for any superhero. Designers can make variations on the original costumes that work. Again, I forgave a lot at the time, but when just tons and tons of stuff is changed and a lot of it seems to be for no reason I'm left with a bad taste in my mouth. You can call it whining, which you will simply because you disagree with it and can't accept that other people can perceive things differently than you and still have valid opinions, but you can't change the fact that there were issues with this film. Love it all you want, but accept that it's flawed instead of waving an ignorant flag of mindless worship. You know you're loving it despite the flaws. You know those flaws are in the movie. Just accept that both sides of this argument are valid. I don't care if you're a teenager using this forum, or whether you're a massive, hideous beast or some other form of real-world mutant. What you perceive about a movie is entirely personal and valid, so stop trying to take that away from other people. If someone hangs a picture in front of you, let them cry at the beauty of it or shout at the ugliness or laugh at the ridiculousness of it. If you can, learn something from their reaction instead of trying so hard to challenge it.
The thing about Storm... by hanlomba	Jul 17th, 2000 02:53:21 AM
I know everyone has talked about how Halle Berry didn't have much to work with as Storm...But now that I think about it, I don't think the whole "wrongess" of her character really has much to do with how much she says...it's what she's saying. In the comics, Storm was always one "bad-ass bitch" I mean, sure she had the comic book heart of gold, but she was a fearless, no-nonsense woman. It's no wonder that she was the leader of the team for a time. I think that's why when her claustraphobia kicks in, it's all the more important because it's such a stark contrast to how she usually acts. However, in the movie, she's very weak. I mean, when Kelly turns into water she turns and runs like a little girl with a skinned knee. Very un-Storm like. Don't get me wrong, I loved the movie...It's my favorite so far this summer. But I think that maybe the Fanboy problems with Storm (myself included) have a little more to do with direction as opposed to talent. Just a thought. Sorry for the novella
Rebecca Romajn-Stamos as White Queen. by PoRcH	Jul 17th, 2000 03:30:35 AM
Like I said before, I don't know if she can act but if she's cast as White Queen in any of the sequels, she and that white-royal-leather-lingerie-o utfit thingie could be our generation's Princess Lea (w/ golden bikini). Think about it!! Plus she wouldn't have to go through 8 hours of gruelling make-up.
using Rogue as opposed to Kitty or Jubilee by PoRcH	Jul 17th, 2000 03:36:46 AM
Rogue is the quintessential mutant loner--and not by choice (whereas Wolvie is a loner by choice). Her powers gives her that sense of tragedy and isolation that Kitty's or Jubilee's can't. Like that fake bobby said, even she is an outcast among mutants.
Want To Review the X-Men Movie? by kenupstart	Jul 17th, 2000 04:49:47 AM
We are accepting written reviews of the X-Men movie! Simply go to www.upstartcomics.com and submit your review. We've had an overwhelming response but are always looking for more well-written reviews... good or bad!
With the enormous box office take of X-men hopefully the studios by Napolean Solo	Jul 17th, 2000 05:37:40 AM
Nuff Said
With the enormous box office take of X-men hopefully the studios by Napolean Solo	Jul 17th, 2000 05:39:02 AM
Nuff Said
Free Comic by P-SAK	Jul 17th, 2000 06:11:32 AM
Had a really good time at the movie. One main gripe though. If the free comic was supposed to get new readers, shouldn't Marvel gotten Kubert or Leinil Yu (regular series artist) to do the art on the book. The art just didn't impress me at all. Just a thought to you Marvel marketeers. Also, does anyone else realize that all off the people shown on screen, when Prof. X uses Cerebro, were mutants.....find some cameos there!
Spooks...idiot in disguise? by Niiiice	Jul 17th, 2000 08:24:23 AM
Gosh, don't you just hate people who overreact to everything you say? Almost reminds of me of the Phantom Menace devotees who claimed "a true fan is one who will stick to the film to the bitter end." As with Br1mston3, I'm assuming you're relatively new here so I wont rip you to shreds (other talkbackers may think I'm going soft). I said I liked the movie. I said a few details bugged me. And then you come along and label me a "bitchy fanboy" for saying I had a few problems with the film? So anyone who doesn't think the film is perfect in every way is automatically a bitchy fanboy? As for character development, exactly how much do you know about film? I didn't say we had to know everything about the damned characters, I said the was no emotive connection with the audience. It doesn't take hours and hours to create empathy for a character, it takes moments. Moments like Cyclops' vigil over Professor X. "Fanboy" is such an easy term for talkbackers to throw out when they can't come up with any reasonable, sound arguments. My problems were not with the inconsistencies between the comic book and the film (the very definition of "fanboy"), they were with inconcistencies within the film itself. But its alright, Spooks, you learn from your mistakes. And thanks for the wonderful insight into the mind of a fucking idiot. And I mean that in all the niiiiiice ways.
niiice stop trying to save talkback by Overfiend	Jul 17th, 2000 08:42:03 AM
Your generation is long gone now, why have you come back? You relics of aint-it-cool-news history are no longer the kings of talkback. I still remember the times where you or Eternal or Jimmy Ryalto or SSZero or TheWarrior would wait for a hapless victim to wander into talkback then show him exactly why he was such an idiot. What about those endless debates over countless of films? The rivalry with JJ Gittes and later, to a lesser extent, user_id_indeed? You won't find them anymore. The new mentality of talkback is "love it unconditionally" or you're a fanboy idiot. Your last few posts were a valiant yet ultimately futile effort to restore talkback to its former glory. Your style of posting won't work in the new Talkback: in the past, most posters were witty, rational, and intelligent; now they are whining fanboys who either love or hate a movie. I think its time you respectfully fade away again and join the ghosts of talkback past.
OK, completely off topic but.... by Andymation	Jul 17th, 2000 09:09:53 AM
.....Stop censoring yourself. Instead of writing fking, b*h, mothers, sht and f*ck write fucking, bitch, motherfuckers, shit and fuck. If you're gonna' swear than do it. The comic book-solution is also welcome (#"%
Cameos by PoxyVonSinister	Jul 17th, 2000 09:13:12 AM
Can't be positive, but the scene where the students watch the Blackbird take off, it sure looks like Sunspot and the new Warpath behind the kid with the glasses. And did anybody notice Jean Grey's reaction when the "harmless to mutants" wave washed over them? Dark Phoenix, anyone?
COOL MOVIE!!!! by DA' GUY	Jul 17th, 2000 09:38:12 AM
I GUESS THIS PROBABLY MEANS WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A FRANCHISE!!!!! COOL!!! GREAT MOVIE! BUT I WAS HOPING FOR A BIT MORE ACTION!! I'M OUT! IT IS A MUST SEE MOVIE!!!
A Fangirl's take on the movie....and other stuff by Usagisama	Jul 17th, 2000 10:05:25 AM
Well, let me say first off.. THIS MOVIE ROCKS!!! Everything was completely dead on, whoever worked with Singer on getting right down to the nails on accuracy was straight to the point! As for the action, I do admit that it was a "Wolvie" movie, with giving a few scenes to the rest of the cast. Personally, I would have loved to see Rouge in a not so "damsel in distress" role. But, we all have to remember here that this movie was made for us & as well as the non-comic book reader. This I assure you will increase comic sales and gather more intrest in the books. And for the record, the movie grossed $57.5 million for the opening weekend, towering over MI:2 & Eps 1. both! One thing I did notice in my viewing in the film, the people in my theater were well informed by there kids or who have you about the film. Now all we have to worry about is the casting for the sequel, and you know there's gonna be one! And what setting should it be in? My vote is for more with the kids. If you remember, Fox did a somewhat ok TV movie called, "Generation X", based off the comic. If Singer could be talked into doing the next one, they would be the perfect group to work with.
Bring on more of 'em Marvel critters now..... by Smugbug	Jul 17th, 2000 10:31:22 AM
Hey, folks - not only does this mean more X-Men, this means more Marvel on the big screen! The Hulk, Silver Surfer, The Avengers, Fantastic Four. Not forgetting Blade 2 and Spiderman, already in the works. As for DC Comics - Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and maybe Animal Man? That would be cool. Or they should just say, hell, go for Kingdom Come. Awesome, if they would. Saw X-Men on Friday, ooooh, the shivers as the theater went black. Seeing the characters I've been reading since 1977 appearing in the flesh was very cool. Mr. Singer and company did a fantastic job despite the hell that the studio put them through in making this movie. I betcha the studio execs are saying "geez, now if we had given him the extra $20 mil...I wonder....." Ya, there were holes, there were some things in this movie I had issues with. But, you see, I ain't a "10 - 15 year fan of the comic book" I'm a TWENTY-THREE year fan of the comic book. (okay...I'm 34 years old...)And I still have those books. And all through 1996. Seriously. But I understand that this is a movie, and things must be presented in the movies differently. Same as such flicks as Misery, LA Confidential, English Patient. Were they faithful to the novels as well? No. But, they were very good still. This movie stands up on its own. Oh ya, I believe Senator Kelly is still alive. And I believe the sequal should be about Dark Phoenix. Give Marsden (Cyclops) a chance to do some acting..... And, in the comics, Wolverine always called Jean Grey (aka Marvel Girl, aka Phoenix), "Jeanie" - that would have been nice in the movie....
X-MEN Cool, Money Cool, X-MEN 2 Cooler by Barney	Jul 17th, 2000 10:31:38 AM
I liked it. I really liked it. But, to nit-pick anyway, when Storm came out of the elevator, she held this goofy pose for about 5 seconds. It was one of those goofy poses that looks good when drawn in the frame of a CB. In real life, people REALLY don't hold a pose so long (event when they are flying out of elevators) It looked like she was a plastic model on a string. Lesson: Translating this pose into a pose followed by a cool motion and then maybe into another pose (like they did with the Mystique/Wolverine fight) would be a minor improvement to a great movie.
Comments/Questions re: film from X-Men newbie by DOLSTEIN	Jul 17th, 2000 10:33:19 AM
I've never read any of the X-men comics, but I enjoyed the film. I didn't think it was brilliant, but I thought it was well above the standard for comic book adaptations. And I'm relieved that nobody seems to have listened to the critics, who I thought were pretty off base. A few comments/nitpicks: While I'm not a big fan of exposition in film, I thought a little more could have been done with the senate hearings (like having Xavier testify) and Wolverine's introduction to the X-men. I think there should have been more time spent on the history between Xavier and Mageneto. The nicknames -- was there any need for them? I can understand why Logan would be called Wolverine, since it's a fighter's nickname (like in pro wrestling), but why would Marie simply start calling herself Rogue? I do give the film some credit for acknowledging how silly the nicknames were. The costumes -- Black leather my look stylish, but it's terribly impracticable -- it must get incredibly hot, and it can't be easy to move around in. And leather isn't bulletproof -- Wolverine, with his incredible healing power, and Jean Grey, with her telekenesis, may not have to worry, but for the others, this could be a big problem. Some kind of lightweight body armour would have made more sense. The stupid line about toads and lightening -- ok, there was only one bad line in the film, but it was a real howler. I feel bad for Halle Berry -- not only was her character the most underwritten, but she gets the worst line in the film too. Questions: 1. Why wouldn't Xavier use his power to control minds to influence the outcome of the vote on mutant registration? 2. It was made clear later in the film that in the initial confrontation between Sabretooth and Wolverine, Rogue was the real target. But how would Magneto have even known where to look for Rogue? Xavier, with his cerebro deliver, might have been keeping tabs on her, but Magneto?
NO JOEL SCHUMACHER....... by Smugbug	Jul 17th, 2000 10:36:46 AM
X-Men fans we must unite NOW. And send word to Fox that we want Singer to continue on with ALL future sequals of the X-Men! And not to allow Joel Schumacher withing breathing distance to anything marked with a X! Joel Schumacher is the devil. He is evil. He has no talent. He must be stopped.
Sexual tension between Rogue and Logan? by Kitnwithawhip	Jul 17th, 2000 11:03:02 AM
At first I thought I was just transfering my lust for those oddly arousing mutton chops to "Rogue" as she and Logan shared several intimate moments but NO! It's there! Chemistry baby! Paquin and Jackman had some serious sparks in the train station, and again when Wolverine tries to revive her at the end of the film. And let's TRY to keep the subtext out of her going into his bedroom at night while he's having his night terrors. (Side note: Those grunts and groans didn't sound like a BAD dream at first, did they?) While this is thrilling in a possibly-unscripted sort of way, it's a little disturbing from a Chicken-hawk POV, even thought I know Paquin is at least LEGAL. All I know is, if it had been MY head in his lap....
"to whiny Bitches" by br1mst0n3	Jul 17th, 2000 11:11:21 AM
Gee if you call that going easy, don't hold back next time...give me something to get upset about, i actually laughed more at that pathetic attempt at an insult than anything else. And as for your assumption that "anyone who didnt find the movie perfectin every way is a bitchy fanboy" isn't entirely accurate. You are a bitch fanboy is you overly dwell on these "flaws" and not simply admit that the good really outweighed the bad in this film. And as for your pathetic answer to why people who find SO many problems with the film would even bother comment about a movie they overall didn't enjoy, stick it up your ass. I know they didnt like the film, it's obvious from the post, but even though everyone is entitled to their opinion, when you go to a forum where 99% of the people there enjoyed the film which you found fault with, what does being negatively critical about it accomplish? Does that mean that those of us who enjoyed the movie are brainless morons who accept anything Hollywood throws at us. FUCK NO! It simply means that we aren't overly critical. maybe we did notice some of these "flaws" while watching the movie, but for the most part they are so little and unimportant that it doesn't affect the movie much at all. If the movie left a bad taste in your mouth, fine, but don't tell me that you werent intrigued by it because obviously YOU CAN'T STOP TALKING ABOUT IT. And niiice if the best you have to offer is to point out my typos, then don't bother responding, a person fluent in the english language can read right through them. Apparently you aren't one of them. If you and other like you can't help but complain until you get an exact comic book translation of a film, then I pity you. Nobody is interested in making or watching a comic movie where the only difference between that and the actual COMIC BOOK is that the pictures move, so don't hold your breath.We enojyed the film , some of you didn't, we know that now and there's no reason to take it any further than that, no need to keep reminding us WHY you didnt like it because we heard you the first time and in my honest opinion those arguments arent strong enough to drag out for more than two or three sentences.
Apology accepted, Br1mston3...and please try not to be such a fa by Niiiice	Jul 17th, 2000 11:58:36 AM
Since you obviously read at a middle school level, I feel it is necessary for me to spell it out one more time. My post was about YOU and not the movie! Idiot! Man, can't you read instead of getting angry? Take a deep breath, and say "it's just the internet....it's just the internet..." You know I laughed out loud at how easy you were to get all riled up. Come on, guy, its just a discussion board...do you really have so little a life that you can get upset over some anonymous posting on the web? You are quite sad, my friend. Yet you STILL lash out at me for being a basher of the film when I've stated before that I've LIKED it. I was mentioning details that others might have seen. Did I say they kept from making the film good or enjoyable? No! Please read next time, I can't waste my time explaining things over and over to people who just don't get it. My review of the film was completely objective. Stop being such a hypocrite.
br1mston3 is a fucking moron by HellishCat	Jul 17th, 2000 12:10:37 PM
i read br1mston3's post replying to niiice and had to find niiice's original post...now all i have to say is WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? Every question or argument niiice comes up with, all you have to reply with is an insult or a name like "whiny bitch". Thats just fucking pathetic man. it's like admitting you have no logical arguments to back yourself up. Stop fuckin embarassing yourself. Do what he (assuming hes a guy) says, READ HIS POST. He isn't being overly negatively critical! he pointed out the good and bad things. 90% of the things you said he said, I couldn't find in his post! WHen did he say he wasn't intrigued? WHEn did he say he DIDN"T enjoy the film? See if you can answer those two questions. It might save any little bit of dignity you still have.
if anyone here is acting like a fanboy, its you, brimstone by Overfiend	Jul 17th, 2000 12:21:28 PM
Out of the time I've spent perusing the talkbacks here, I've come to realize that there are two kinds of fanboys (and neither consider themselves fanboys). The two species of fanboys became evident during the months of discussion following the release of Star Wars episode 1. The first type of fanboy is the one who complains and bitches about every minor detail and the fact that it "doesn't live up to the original". The other type of fanboy is the one who mindlessly worships the film and attacks any perceived threat against its greatness. Which one are we seeing more of here? You mentioned in your response to Niiice that it was pointless to be critical in a message board where 99% of the feedback was positive. Now even if Niiice was being critical (IF), everyone has the right to voice their opinions. That's what talkback is for. Its not just for those who loved it, its for those who hated it and those who loved it with reservations. If you can't get that narrow minded exclusive view of the world out of your head then at least stop trying to prevent others from voicing their opinions.
Be careful, DOLSTEIN, making intelligent comments on this board by Niiiice	Jul 17th, 2000 12:42:45 PM
If you have anything but blind, unquestioning praise for this film, you'll be labeled a cynical old bastard fanboy. Trust me, I went through it already. Intelligence is NOT tolerated here. Please limit your future posts to witty one liners such as "this film rocked!" or "wolverine gave me joygasms!!!" If you are unsure if the intelligence level of your post is low enough, just run them by Br1mston3 or Spooks, presidents of the AICN Association for the Continued Degradation of Talkback. If they respond with confused looks or start yelling "Fanboy bastard!" at you, your post is too intelligent. A good rule of thumb I use is to not use words with more than 3 syllables, that way br1mston3 can understand the posts better.
One day away from Talkback, and all sorts of shit's flowing thro by XTheCrovvX	Jul 17th, 2000 12:52:20 PM
Aaaaalll righty, let's get started here. To all you guys, please, this is calld Talkback...all opinions should be welcomed, and discussed civilly(the occassional "fuck you, rectal wart!" not withstanding). Meaning, as long as they put up good reasons for their opinions, we shouldnt just toss out the first insult that comes to mind...if somebody gives out a bullshit review, with no real reasons, set your cannons and flame away. Second, the whole "who did they sneak in for a cameo" thing...ok, im gonna settle all of this, once and for all...here's the people who were definites: Kitty Pryde(duh), Jubilee(Asian girl in the yellow, the classroom scene), Iceman. Flame kid, YES people, thats John Allerdyce a.k.a. Pyro....chances are, he gets turned over to "the dark side" later in life...the basketball kid, NO THATS NOT NIGHTCRAWLER! He was blue from birth, plus his teleportation leaves a stink so bad, the other kids on the court would've passed the hell out. So ace that out....now!! That kid's bsically there for a nice sight gag. ("Hey! We said no powers!" i love that line :-) ).....Colossus, chances are, yes, that is him painting during the "run through the pool of water" scene. Look, guys, the fact is, Singer made the ones we would recognize easy to recognize, anyone else could be anybody...i've heard all sorts of stuff in the last few days, high on the list being the one about the fat kid who burst into the room when Logan stabbed Rogue being the Blob...but, guys, go see it again...anybody Singer gave a cameo to either uses their powers, or is specifically given a nice scene of their own to give us qualities to watch for...anybody else is an extra. Lastly, just as a sorta off-topic comics note....theres this news story going around about theSpiderman movie...good news, too...rumor is that they're still casting Peter Parker...but Raimi said, and i quote "If it was up to me, Freddie Prinze Jr. wouldnt even be able t SEE this movie, let alone star in it"...good move, bub. Revolution is my name.
kicked ass, kicked ass, kicked ass, kicked ass, kicked ass.... by ThereIsNoSpoon	Jul 17th, 2000 01:38:54 PM
Did I mention that this movie kicked ass? Left me drooling for more. EW says part II will be Sentinels and part III will be phoenix saga. I would love to see Days of Future past. Of course, it can't be the assassination of Senator Kelly that sparks it, but they'll think of something. Rogue figured so prominently in this, I wonder if they'll bother to get her Ms. Marvel's powers and how they'll handle it. I almost feel like there should be a Rogue movie and a Wolverine movie before there is another X-men film. Perhaps Carol Danvers was an old X-man or a graduate or something that comes back for a visit. During some battle scene, at a pivotal moment, Carol voluntarilly gives Rogue her powers in order to save everyone, but holds on just a bit too long. Then we have an oscar winning actress with a whole new set of issues (OK, so I can't touch anyone and now I have multiple personality syndrome?) It's a lot to stuff into storylines that both occurred before Rogue was ever introduced in the comics, but I think the phenomenally talented Ms Paquin is a resource that should used as much as possible. Mabye they could substitute Rogue for Kitty. (Which they sort of already did, and I understand why, and it breaks my heart to suggest this because I always liked Kitty, but, hey, I understand the challenges these guys faced - Make it work, whatever you have to do!) Phoenix saga - Helfire Club AND The Imperial guard? That's going to be one crowded movie. Introducing the idea of alien races at all will be a hefty task. Much as I love the hellfire club, I think if the whole movie concentrates on the X-men in space, it would be more cohesive. Whatever they have to change is cool, but I will cry if I don't get to see the X-men fight the Imperial Guard on the moon and Jean's final, heartwrenching words with Scott. Please guys, whatever you have to do to make it all fit. Two action set pieces I've always wanted to see on film - #1 - Wolverine and Sabertooth throw down - we got that and I'm happy with it - and #2 Collosus and Juggernaut! I want to see a big budget FX crew handle a scene where two ludicrously strong guys hurl cars at each other, uproot streetlights, and just generally cause natural disaster level property damage. Think of the scene in Superman II done with today's techniques. Show me that and keep everything else at the same level of quality and intelligence and I will be a completely fulfilled X-fan. Oh and will somebody quit hiding Lizard King's medication? That's not very nice. He's still aclimating to the outside world and it would be a shame if they had to lock him up again.
WOLVERINE IS GOD by Ultraviolence	Jul 17th, 2000 02:15:09 PM
Hugh Jackman is going to be the biggest fucking star. He is by far the breakout star of the summer and Bryan Singer should be deified for not fucking this up, no matter how many times he was kneecapped by the studio. Anyone complaining that this was too much of a Wolverine vehicle needs to read the comics. Who is the ONLY character to have his own fucking book every month? Everyone else gets limited series FOR A REASON!!! I agree that Storm was way too passive/chickenshit for the character. Ororo Munroe is a total badass, for chrissakes she was a fucking GOD!!! She did have the single worst line in the movie (the sofia coppola/GIII award), but she didn't suck as much as I had feared. I hope to god this outperforms MI-2 which should be spanked and it's budget given to Bryan Singer and the X-Men, who with a quarter of the budget kicked their mutherfucking ass. Now add Psylocke,Gambit, Colossus and Nightcrawler and lets rock and fucking roll!
snicker by TheFool	Jul 17th, 2000 02:38:10 PM
I came to AICN to find some decent reviews of X-Men so i could decide whether or not to go see it...i found a bunch of off-topic arguments about "fanboys" and "whiny bitches." how sad. i feel your pain, niiice. also, if the talkback section is going to be so petty, i say we encourage the lizard king. his comments made me smile, even if they had nothing to do with the movie. i won't bother writing my review once i see the movie, as i'm afraid that it will be a waste of time, seeing as it will have to do with the movie.
For everyone complaining about.... by ManInBlack	Jul 17th, 2000 02:43:36 PM
the x-men not being very good with their powers...Can you say DANGER ROOM is definitely going to be in the sequel? It should be anyway. Also, you have my vote for Days of Future Past/Sentinels storyline in the sequel. Dark Phoenix can be the finale in the third installment.
Okay, lets get serious about this now. by Dobbythehouseelf	Jul 17th, 2000 02:48:32 PM
I spent an earlier post explaining how the judgement of movies is subjective and everyone is going to have a different take. Well, since people are asking for reviews, here is my take. First of all let me qualify my remarks by telling you who I am. I have been reading Comics for about 20 years now, and be far my favorites are the X-Men and related series. In fact that's about all I read anymore. I would call myself a fan and one of those who have been waiting a very long time for X-Men to make its way to the big screen and hoping beyond hope that it would live up to the source material. This has not been the sole obsession in my life, however, and I don't role play or dress as the characters or anything like that. My take is that they did a great job. The film is true the mythology of the X-Men in spirit if not entirely in fact and the characters were done justice. I think one of the best things about this movie is that it is a great starting point. I read one review where it was compared to a TV Pilot. If only all TV pilots could be this good. There is plenty of room for the characters to grow, there are plenty of waiting in the wings characters and there is a good basic mythology established. Now a good reviewer always looks at both sides, so here are some negatives: Storm's character was a bit too timid and even understated (although when Storm had her big hurricane deal at the Statue of Liberty, there was much applause in the theatre), the action could have been better (I think this had to do with the schedule being a bit rushed and Singer's determination to make this a character driven piece), and of course it was too short. I for the sequels (which will most assuradly come), those of you who are throwing out all this wild stuff from the comic books that you would like to see.....don't bet on it. Look for the next one to explore Wolverine's origins, delve more into the relationship between Jean Grey and Cyclops, intro some new charaters (or develop some that already popped up) and probably include the Sentinals in some way shape or form. Magneto will be back of course....bet on it. Wow, this is getting long....anyway, to sum up, great job to Singer and the cast and I can't wait for the next one. Ciao.
nightcrawler by BatVomit	Jul 17th, 2000 02:52:28 PM
The kid one the basketball court was NOT Nightcrawler. Nightcrawler was born with the blue skin and demon/elf appearance. He was abandoned at birth (it was later found out that Mystique is his mother) and was raised in a circus. Someone earlier mentioned Nightcrawler being religious, which was an invention of the Fox cartoon series NOT the comic book. Professor X rescued Nightcrawler from being persecuted by angry Bavarian villagers who accussed him of being a demon and recruited him to join the X-Men. If the rumors are true Nightcrawler will be in the sequel, which makes me insanely happy since he has always been my favorite. It will be interesting to see if Bryan Singer sticks with Nightcrawlers comic book origin or if he goes with the cartoon origin where he was staying with monks or if he invents a new origin alltogether.
I hope Bryan Singer reads this . . . by ThereIsNoSpoon	Jul 17th, 2000 03:27:18 PM
For those of us raised on comics, movies, games, cartoons, and have loved superheroes and everything they represent, I just want to say this - A hero is someone who fights incredible odds and never gives up no matter how hopeless the situation seems because people are counting on him. Bryan, you are the newest hero to an entire generation of hero fans. Congratulations to your cast and crew. May your career be long and prolific and may every work you produce stand as a testement to the courage required to remain true to an artistic vision in an industry reluctant to bet large sums of money on such intangible values.
Storm's Line by SpaceJockey	Jul 17th, 2000 03:33:01 PM
I think Storm's line would have been much better if (and this was confirmed in the novelization which I read last night), if she said the first part, then Zapped the hell outta Toad's tongue sending him flying, then her eyes go back to normal, winds die down etc, she says snidely "The same thing that happens to anything else". Also, David Hayter, the writer of the Xmen movie script, made a Cameo as a museum cop. Interestingly enough, David Hayter is also the voice of Solid Snake, pretty cool eh? one last thing, about that freaky red headed girl in mutant high, I've heard rumors that she is Skids, but I have no idea who Skids is, and right now I'm looking at a picture of her...she's got blonde hair, who knows how these rumors start.
"Teleporting" mutant is Quicksilver by Mallerick	Jul 17th, 2000 03:33:36 PM
Hey, X-Dudes The teleporting mutant playing basketball (and thoughtlessy breaking the rules by using his powers) is NOT teleporting. I believe that he's using a burst of his "super-speed" ability and only SEEMS to teleport. I think that this guy is Quicksilver - and hence the silvery "trail" when he uses his powers. Now I'm heading back to see the movie again... Adios!
Another vote for Nightcrawler by Krynshaw	Jul 17th, 2000 04:12:57 PM
I have been a fan of the X-Men since 1984. After seeing the movie I have to say that in my opinion the characters were done far better than I was expecting. Sure there were many things that could be seen as wrong, but the movie did get to the heart of the X-men. In fact there were only two things that did bug me about the movie. First they gave Rogue a name. I might have blanked on my X-Men history, but I don't believe she was ever given a name. If I'm wrong about that and someone can point me to the issue where it was revieled i'll dig through my collection and appologies. The other thing I wanted in the movie was NIGHTCRAWLER! I'm hoping that he will be in the next one. I've seen the rumors but not any official word. Nightcrawler is the character that made me want to start collecting the X-Men. He is one that is the most hated and misunderstood from a normal human perspective. He is a person who, even though he looks like a demon, has a heart of gold, the courage of a true hero, and has a strong faith in God even after seeing things that would be considered miricles to everyone else. Sorry to correct you BatVomit, but Nightcrawler has always been Catholic and has always had a strong faith in God. (and yes he did grow up in the circus and you were right about how he was saved by Professor X) Long before the cartoon was ever aired there was an issue of the X-Men where Nightcrawler was left behind during one of the Secret Wars. Part of the issue was him dealing with the fact that the being who chose the heros to go might have been God. he wondered why he wasn't chosen and worried that he had failed in his faith. (currently in the book Nightcrawler is becoming a priest for the Catholic church) These are the reasons why the X-Men are so popular. Sure they are heros, but first they are human beings. On a final note, I loved the movie and saw it 3 times before midnight on the opening day. I can't wait for the DvD and the sequal to come out. And if there are any other Nightcrawler fans out there start making yourselves heard.
Marie? by Krynshaw	Jul 17th, 2000 04:35:53 PM
I only said it bugged me. Nothing more than that. I understand that for the movie they had to make some changes. If it pissed me off or I was one of the rabbid fanboys out there I doubt I would have seen it 3 times before the end of the opening day. As for Rogue and her powers, I am currious as to how they might give her the strength and flight powers. In the comic she got them from Ms. Marvel before Rogue became a good guy. Rogue was sent to kill Ms. Marvel. (Ms. Marvel became Binary and is now Warbird who is a current member of the Avengers)
The $75 Million figure INCLUDES marketing by the_pissboy1	Jul 17th, 2000 06:02:06 PM
According to Singer, in several interviews, that the $75 million budget includes all marketing. That's what the man has said several times. A $150 million take at the box office is pretty safe. Add in at least $150 million in international. Then figure out the video/DVD rentals and sales. Also you've got pay-per-view profits and HBO and finally you get a 15-20% payment from a network that is based on the movie's domestic gross. When all is said and done this thing should easily rake in at LEAST $400 million. That's a VERY conservative number.
Singer is a Very Good Director by Barron34	Jul 17th, 2000 06:22:09 PM
Anyone who knows anything about film understood that Singer was a very good director from "The Usual Suspects", et al, but there was uncertainty about whether he could maintain his skills with a large budget movie. With "X-Men", Singer proves that he can, and then some. I was a fan of the comics as a youth (in the Claremont/Byrne/Austin prime), but gave up comics as an adult, revisting them occasionally just to check on their state. I am also a student of film from the perspective of a writer. I will say this to those who point out this or that flaw in the movie: You must understand the incredible pressure Singer was under to make this film. He had substantially less money and studio support than he should have had. He had a killing, crushing timetable and release schedule. He had a Mongol Horde of rabid X-Men fans holding his feet to the flames everyday on the Internet. Lastly, he had decades of X-Men comic book mythology, (some good, some bad, some great) to distill into a coherent and dramtically effective movie. He has done this, quite well, in fact, and has risen above his critics, in my opinion. Was this a four star movie? No, it was not perfect, but it WAS great, at least fo ran old fan and for someone who rarely gets a kick out of ANY new movies. Damned if I wasn't thrilled to sit and watch this film, and I am one jaded son-of-a-bitch, believe you me. Singer essentially nailed the X-Men and tapped into what is (or was) exciting about them, AND he created a dramatically effective and fun movie, all great feats. He got it up on screen, despite great odds, and THAT is quite an accomplishment. To point out little errors is EXTREMELY petty, in my book. As someone who, in his day, was a hardcore fan of the'classic' Claremont/Byrne/Austin era of the X-Men comics, I must say that Singer himself has a better grasp of the characters than many latter-day X-Men fans. He understands that Wolverine is the most appealing character, and places him at the center of the movie, as the chief hero. That is the first and most important of many correct choices Singer makes with this film. Younger fans are not as familiar with classic X-Men like old hound-dogs such as myself, and don't understand that characters like Gambit, Cable, etctera, while good characters, are second-tier compared to the Byrne-Claremont line-ups. And that is not merely in regards to characters, but also in regards to story, art, etctera. Singer and his writer(s?) obviously know what the most important characters and relationships amongst the X-Men are, and have made the film accordingly, and quite well. To nitpick at this accomplishment by complaining about costumes or the tinit of Jean Grey's hair misses the point entirely, not to mention the fact that it demonstrates an ignorance of the practical and logistical matters of creating a live-action film. Singer is a proven expert at such matters, AND is very good not simply with technical aspects, but also dramtic aspects, story, character, setting, etctera, ALL of which are true to the X-Men characters in this film, from [spoiler alert] smartly introducing Wolverine expertly in his native setting of the rough-and-tumble dives and great white snows of Canada, to Magneto's origins in Nazi Germany, to the symbolic and dramatic (and very 'comic-book') use of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island as settings for the climactic final conflict. Any limitations of the movie are minor, and can be attributed to the fact of all the aforementioned pressures that Singer was. This is a good film, stylish, with good action, wit, verve, intelligence, and heart. For comic fans, it is well-nigh a great film, despite what nit-pickers might say. If Singer had more time and more money, I believe that even he would have topped himself. This film is a a very welcome accomplishment in the area of the superhero genre, and for a jaded guy who had all but forgotten what a kick the X-Men were, and what a fun and smart movie is suppossed to be like, I have to applaud Singer, his cast, crew, technicians, and writers. I went into the movie with low expectations but highhopes, and left the theatre throughly entertained. Kudos to the movie-makers.
Senator Kelly "alive"? by Petros000	Jul 17th, 2000 06:33:39 PM
Was I the only one who caught this -- during the scene in the Statue of Liberty head when Storm or Jean tells Magneto she saw Senator Kelly die on the operating table (by turning into water), Magneto says, "Don't believe everything you see" -- or something like that. Hmmm...perhaps he's set to return in the sequel as some protoplasmic mutant villain (a la Proteus), gone insane from Magneto's machine? In Storm's classroom scene, doesn't she call the fire-kid "Johnny?" Now, what would Johnny Storm be doing at Prof. X's school? Hmm... Also, I wonder how Rogue happened to run into Wolverine in the wild north of Alberta. Was she looking for him? Maybe this was part of the 45 min. cut out. It just struck me as weird. Anyway, it was a great flick. Right up there with the first Batman and the first Superman. I'd love to see Toad back in the sequel, maybe with somebody like Mastermind (the possibility of Matrix-like illusions is neat). It'd also be cool to get some more of Wolvy's mysterious background revealed in the sequel.
I caught it also, Petros by SpaceJockey	Jul 17th, 2000 07:28:04 PM
Look at my HUGE post down the page, Petros00, I think you'll agree :).
Loved the movie by JScott	Jul 17th, 2000 07:35:29 PM
I just saw the movie Sunday night after getting in from a trip. Loved the movie for what it was. The one and only major complaint I can think of is the fact that the two main human protagonists from the comic were killed off. To not have Henry Gyrich and Senator Kelly around if they do a Sentinel story in the sequel(s) will be a bit odd. Other than that, I loved the movie. It genuinely stayed true to the spirit of the X-Men if not the exact history.
Ebert's Weird Review by Buzz Maverik	Jul 17th, 2000 08:02:47 PM
Did y'all catch Ebair's weird review of X-Men last night? He liked the movie, he's hoping for a sequel, but he gave it a thumbs down. Wha's up with that? It makes no sense. The weirdest thing was when Ebair and the little lap dog guy who is only fit to sit below Gene Siskel's seat started talking about how Storm should tell people to leave mutants alone or she'd use her powers to destroy them! Uh, I thought that's what Magneto and his gang were doing, dumbasses, but maybe I didn't see the same movie. Also, when I see a movie as good as X-Men, and I'm hoping for a sequel, I'd give it thumbs up, but that's just me.
Fanboy & proud of it!! by rc2	Jul 17th, 2000 08:05:46 PM
Hey all. Being a fanboy (in moderation, if there is any such thing) is ok. I, a moderate fanboy, was quite pleased with the movie. I have read the multitudinous gripes in this forum, and while some I agree with, others are jst a tad 'nit-picky'. Some faults I didn't even notice during my 1st of 2 viewings this weekend. Overall though, the flavor, the soul, the mix of light and dark moments, all were so true to the X-men I grew up with, it made my heart full to bursting. I suppose it's like being in love... you see the faults in your lover, but choose to ignore them for the greater good of the relationship; and hopefully they do the same for you. The same is true of this wonderful snikt (I mean 'flick') for me :-)
Some Notes On X-Men by Barron34	Jul 17th, 2000 08:29:34 PM
I liked this movie a lot, and think Singer and crew deserve their success, and that those that who are sour on the movie for this or that reason are being petty. If you are, or were, a fan of the X-Men comic books, Singer has obviously succeeded with this film. That said, I would like to make some notes that are not so-much critcisms of a very good film, but are points that are intended to be viewed as constructive ways to make a very good film even better. Obviously, the film is complete, but these notes are intended to point out areas that could be strengthened in any possible sequels, which seem likely, given the box-office performance of the film thus far. Furthermore, it is my understanding that the studio had Singer cut quite a lot from the movie quite late in the editing process, based not on the film-maker's desires, but on some screenings of the movie. My suscpicion is that with this additional footage, some of the points I make would have been addressed by Singer and company. My only real dissatisfaction with the movie was that it seemed a bit brief. I wanted to see more. My first point is this: Singer did a good job by selecting the best characters from the X-Men mythology and focusing on Wolverine as the chief hero. My advice is to maintain the same core group of characters and relationships for any sequels. As viewers, we want to get to know these characters better onscreen. Any changes to the cast and characters should not be subtractions from what is established by this movie, but maybe a few additions. My point is, it would be better to see a deepening of the relationships established by this movie rather than suddenly departing from characters that we have just met. Conflict can arise from these existing relationships by complicating them to varying degrees, but those conflicts will mean much more if we know and care about these characters. We need to see more development of the established relationships, thus when the characters are threatened, we will have more invested in them, and thus the dramatic stakes will be higher. This is especially true for newcomers to the X-Men, who would probably be confused by radical cast changes from movie to movie. With that said, I can understand the fan desire to see other characters not already seen. As an old Byrne/Claremont era fan, I would very much like to see Colossus, Kitty Pryde, and Nightcrawler, as well as the character relationships surrounding those characters. Others clearly want to see the Beast, the popular later era character Gambit, and others (the Angel, Cable, etc). My feeling is that a few more characters could be introduced as long as they do not overshadow the primary characters established thus far. Colossus, Kitty Pryde, and Nightcrawler might work if they functioned in the story similarly to the way Storm, Jean Grey, and Cyclops functioned in the first film. Wolverine was the obvious favorite character from the original books, and Singer was wise to choose him as the center of his film. Further, Singer did not only use wolverien as his chief hero, he used him well, and in the spirit of the best of the comic character. He was further assisted by the fact of Hugh Jackman's obvious charisma and acting ability. As an old Wolverine fanatic, I was very surprised and happy to see the character embodied so well onscreen. I really felt that I was watching 'the real' Wolverine. The effect was frankly amazing. It is rare for fans of fiction to see 'true' depictions of their favorite characters onscreen. The danger inherent in the success of Wolverine onscreen is also the same one that was inherent in the comics: the character might have the tendency to overwhelm all the other characters. This would be unfortunate. While Wolverine rightly should stand at the center of these movies, it would be a loss if the films stopped being X-Men movies and became Wolverine movies. This is a real danger, based upon what I saw in the first film. The key to preventing this possibility is, in my opinion, strengthening certain other characters and putting them in proper balance with Wolverine so that Wolvie' doesn't run away with the pic. The most essential version of this balance lies, I think, in the triangle between Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Logan, and in the rivalry between Wolverine and Cyclops. If these films are to be ensemble movies, I think they would do well to focus on a few core characters, as I have said. Wolverien will obviously remain. Jean Grey and Cyclops too. The triangle will be central to their relationships, and thus it is critical for the drama of any future movies that this aspect be executed well. In the movie, I was happily surprised by James Marsden's performance of Cyclops. In the comics, Cyclops was so deadly dull that he was in danger of dissappearing into the background. This was a problem in the comic, and could be reflected in the movies, as I have indicated. Thankfully, Marsden's performance actually ADDS something to the movie version of Cyclops that was not so readily apparent in the comics: a slyness and a hint of superiority and humor. The best dispaly of this was when Marsden, as Cyclops, goes to Wolverine's room where Jean Grey is essentially being hit on by Wolverine. Jean, presumably embarrassed, leaves, and Cyclops has an exchange which shows Cyclops as confident of his relatinship with Jean, but not stupid about Wolverine's possible appeal to her. Cyclops' dialogue here shows him as verbally in command of the situation over Logan, portrays a smiling non-chalance that works well and covers what amounts to a veiled threat towards Wolverine. Cyclops needs more moments like this, and the character needs to be strengthened in regards to Wolverine in any future movie, otherwise there is going to be trouble dramatically. In the latter part of the movie, Cyclops (along with Storm and Jean Grey) become very secondary to Wolverien in terms of the action. Furthermore, Cyclops becomes the target of a very funny, point-blank one-liner from the Wolverine character. This is fine, to a point. In a movie, you must focus on certain characters. In an ensemble movie, it is important not to overwhelm the other characters to the point of diminishment. If the sequels follow the trend of the second half of the movie rather than the first, Cyclops is going to be reduced to being the butt of Wolverine's jokes. That can't happen. The reason it can't happen is that the triangle between Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Wolverine has to work. Singer was smart to include, as love triangles are good, classic fodder for drama and character conflict. It should be explored in any comnsequent movies, but it needs to be done right. [spoiler alert] In the comics, Jean Grey is in love with Cyclops/Scott Summers, and she doesn't fall in love with Wolverine, who loves her. Instead, she grows to love Wolverine as a loyal friend and ally, and the inital conflict between Wolverine and Cyclops eventually becomes agrudging respect between two very capable allies. If the love triangle is to be ised, it has to follow this approximate pattern in the movies. Cyclops needs to be strengthened as a character in the movies if this triangle is going to work properly. He needs to be shown as an independently capable hero, much as Wolverine was in the first movie. He needs to be shown as tough, smart, and capable, as well as a great leader, his chief character trait in the comics. For the triangle to work, we must believe that Jean Grey would not only love this guy, but would be SO into this guy that she wouldn't even begin to develop feelings for Wolverine. We bought this in th ecomic book because Wolverine frankly came across as older in the comics, and a realtionship with Jean Grey seemed somewhhat unlikely and awkward, whereas Cyclops seemed her natural choice. The movie relationships do not match this, and have their own dynamic. I am an old Wolverine fan and got a big kick out of seeing him come to life onscreen. My suspicion is that those viewers not familiar with the X-Men (and many that ARE familiar with them) are going to focus on Wolverine, and in fact favor him in the love triangle, especially women viewers. If Wolverine is regularly shown in battle, kicking ass, taking names, and Cyclops is always offscreen or off on the side being peripheral to the action, [spoiler alert] as he was in the finale of the film, no one will buy that Jean Grey will go with Cyclops over Wolverine. Hugh Jackman has too much screen presence, combined with the central nature of Wolverine in the movie, for this to ring true. Fortunately, the solution is not to reduce Wolverine, but to simply boost Cyclops. Luckily, my suscpicion is that Marsden is enough of an actor to stand up to Jackman's obvious screen presence and make us believe that this Cyclops is one heck of a guy and that Jeannie should go for him and not give Wolverine a second glance. The main thing that convinced me of this was how Marsden played Cyclops in the aforementioned Cyclops/Wolverine exchange, and how he responded as Cyclops when Wolverine was meeting Professor X and the other chief X-Men in Xavier's office. When Wolverine turned to the door, grabbed Cyclops' jacket and growled something to the effect of '"get outta my way", Marsden had the look of a man who knew a secret: that all he had to do was look at Wolverine the wrong way, and our favorite Canuck would be turned into burnt ziti. This effective protrayal of Cyclops needs to be maintained and expanded upon, otherwise Wolverine will walk all over him, and no one will believe it when Jean Grey goes with Scott Summers/Cyclops over poor ole' Wolverine. A mainstream viewer might be dumb-founded that Jean wouldn't go for the very charismatic Jackman/Wolverine, and there might even be pressure and expectation from some viewers that it go this way, and a bad reaction if it doesn't. On the other hand, if there is pressure (studio or otherwise) that Wolverine be turned into Jean Grey's lover, I would expect that there would be a howl going up from the X-Men fanbase in protest of this extremely non-canonical move, and I would be amongst that group, I suppose. In sum, Wolverine is obviously the star, but should not be allowed to be the runaway star, lest any future movies becoem The Wolverien Show instead of the X-Men. The solution to this potential problem is to put a leash on Wolvie in regards to the dramatically critical love triangle. The way to do that is to strengthen the Cyclops character, show the love between him and Jean Grey, show the reasons for that love, make us believe it. That way, when Jean turns Logan down, the general audience will buy it, and the fans will be happy to see the basic canon remain intact. Importantly, I think that Marsden has shown a few flashes of potential greatness inhis portrayal of Scott Summers/Cyclops that can be expanded upon and put up against Jackman's feral portrayal of Wolverine. To fail to do this, to relegate Cyclops to a peripheral role and the butt of Wolverine The Hero's jokes would crack the soundness of the drama. I suspect that some of the missing footage from X-Men shows Cyclops and Jean Grey intimately. An example of a touch that could have been added to strengthened the Cyclops character in regards to Wolverine could have been something as simple as having Cyclops standing outside next to the motorcylce at the end of the movie as Wolverine goes off to steal it as he exits The School For Gifted Youngsters. There could have been a charged moment when we think that they might break into a fight, but then Scott/Cyclops grudgingly tells Wolverine to take the bike, it's his, he earned it, showing Cyclops grudging respect for Wolverine and providing his tacit acceptance of Wolverine into the X-Men, of which Summers is, after Proffessor X, the Leader. This aspect of Summers must be built up, otherwise he is in dange r of becoming a joke, and the movies will devolve into showcases that are exclusively for the popular characters like Wolverine, and that would be unfortunate. In great ensemble pieces, great characters are often revealed in relief, by their interactions with other characters. For Wolverine's character to work dramatically and not turn into an action movie caricature, a la Stallone, Willis, and Schwartzenegger, he has to be grounded by effectively drawn supporting characters such as Cyclops. I beleive that Singer showed Cyclops well in the first half of the movie, but the character turned into nothing but a second banana in the second half. Hopefully, Singer will pick up on this possibility, and strengthen Cyclops in regards to Wolverine, and ensure nbalance in that area of the dramatization. Similarly, Professor X's relationship as a mentor to Wolverine could be played up. Smartly, in the comic books, Xavier acted as a restraint on Wolverine, keeping him under control to a degree. Of course the fun of Wolverien is that, ultimately, he won't be controlled, but being uncontrolled means nothing if there is no opposing force trying to control him. If Wolvie is always flying off the handle, it will eventually get tired. But, to get the most dramatic milage out of Wolverine, attempts by Xavier (and Cyclops, and Jean, et al) to keep Wolvie from constantly blowing up will add to the suspense and dramatic tension. First, this gives something meaningful and important for the other characters to do, and second, it makes the moments when Wolverien does cut loose THAT much more exciting. You know it Logan has blown his top when he tells the Proff to go to hell and ignores even Jeannie's pleas not cut loose, take revnege, kill someone, etctera. Of course, to make Cyclops, Jean, Professor X more three-dimensional, I would suggest that they certainly have a role other than their relationship to the ever-popular Wolverine. Cyclops needs to be cast in the hero/leader role more often, lets see more psychic stuff from Jean Grey and Professor X, etctera... So, in sum, Cyclops must be strengthened for the critical Jean Grey-Cyclops-Wolvie triangle to work. There are a number of other aspects of the film and any future films that I could comment on, from the handling of Storm as a character, to Rogue. Rogue was Singer's greatest dramatic innovation in the movie, in my opinion, making Rogue younger and basically using her as a stand-in for Kitty Pryde from the comics. Wolverine's relationship with Kitty showed how even a man as alienated, tough, and violent as Logan was had a soft-spot for kids and the weak, and it humanized him and made him very sympathetic when he protected the vulnerable Kitty, now Rogue. Further topics: possible use of other characters in future movies (as much as Gambit is wanted by fans, I a would be concerned Gambit and Wolverine would both be competing to be the center of attention. Hold off on Gambit for X-Men IV, when Jackman has moved on and you can bring in another rebellious chief hero). I would go for Colossus and Nightcrawler, with Kitty Pryde as a peripheral, much younger teen who can be referred to, but kept outsdie of most of the action so as not to conflict with the movie Rogue. If the franchise continues past two more movies, Kitty Pryde can step up to either replace Rogue as the new, young thing, or by then Rogue will be substantially adult, and the two characters can co-exist on screen. Again, I would suggest Collossu and Nightcrawler, as they do not conflict with existing characters, and provide lots of extraordinary special effects and action possibilities, in addition ot being fan faves and part of the Byrne/Claremont line-up that included Jean Grey, Cyclops, Storm, Wolverine, et al, ie the ones we already have on film. Again, this line-up works, and we should see these characterts again, develop them more, and put them into new situations and complications. Lastly, a point that I might refer to in later posts in addition to the ones made in the prior paragraph: while the Dark Phoenix sequence is enticing as a storyline, I stringly believe that the next film would be too soon for it. I think the next film should show our current heros develop from their first, less experienced stage, to a middle level of experience, while perhaps adding a flashy new character or two (ie, Nightcrawler, Colossu, etc). My one real complaint about the X-Men movie was that it was too rushed, and that Storm , Jean Grey, and Cyclops got a bit short-shrifted. We need to see their characters developed more and matured abit in the next film. If the next film is Dark Phoenix, we go from just meeting Jean Grey and barely knowing her to her becoming radically transformed. We need to really know the character well before she undergoes such a radical transformation, otherwise it will render the change meaningless, hollow, and even confusing, especially to mainsstrema audiences who do not have a deep feeling for the characters. Again, if the first movie could have been improved, in my opinion, it could have been improved by beefing up the Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Storem roles. We really have very little insight into the characters thus far, and they are in danger of becoming second-tier characters based upon the latter half of the movie. I realize it is hard to get character development on all characters in an ensemble like this, but if there are sequels, they should use the opportunity to do so, rather than going slap-dash from not really knowing Jean Grey at all in the movie, to having her radically transformed in the next. Viewers won't understand what's happening because they do not yet reeally know the character like they know say, Rogue or Wolverine from the first. If they do no know who she is to start with, and are not invested in Jean Grey, they will have no understanding of her transformation, and it will be too slap=-dash. The second film should be a rousing action adventurre piece, but it should focus on developing Cyclops, Jean, and Storm, and cementing their relationships with Wolverine, Rogue, and Professor X. This movie could introduce a few new characters, show Cyclops as a leader and hero who can stand up to Wolverine, give us more insight into Storm and Professor X, and really show us who Jean Grey is, probably along with increasing tensions between her, Cyclops and Wolverien as the love triangle gets intense. To include the Dark Phoenix transfromation in this movie would be too quick and half-done. If this mvoie deepens our understanding of the characters, the imapct of Jean's transfromation will have a much greater dramatic impact in th ethird movie. Key in the Dark Phoenix saga is that Wolverine and Cyclops have to work together and put aside their differences. I belive it is too much to fit in a second movie, and would sacrafice real character development and dramatic impact. If it were put off to a third movie,it would really hit home, and would allow a lot of breathing room for the seconfd movie, in which Wolverien could (deservedly) remain the main attraction, while the other characters get their due, new characters get introduced, and whatever villains, enemies, and conflicts are introduced also get their proper respect (Sentinels anyone). Anyway, that is my rap. Sorry for the lenght, thanks for hanging in if you read the whole thing. Lastly, it would be an ironic twist if Sen. Kelly were to become Proteus. Note, as a shape-shcnger, he could return to his place in the Senate, and in fatc turn out to be the driving force behind the Sentinals (and his own mad drive for World Domination?). Just a thought. Barron out.
Storm in the lift shaft (two bits) by rc2	Jul 17th, 2000 08:31:08 PM
After my last post about nit-picking, ironically, here is a nit-picky question: Shouldn't Storm have been a jibbering mass of fright while 'trapped' in the elevator shaft? Just wondering :-)
X-Men - The Extinction Agenda by Niiiice	Jul 17th, 2000 08:38:22 PM
This was a truly epic storyline towards the end of the Claremont/Lee run of "Uncanny." I think it would make excellent source material for the sequel. The Genoshans serve as a perfect and extreme parallel to the prejudiced Americans of the first film. And what villain could be more sinister than the mutie-hating Cameron Hodge? Plus, it would be a great way to chock it full of even more mutant cameos, when the Genoshans come to kidnap all the mutants from the mansion. Just a thought.
Now boys a girls what did we learn from this X - Perience? Don't by Et.SaiyanEmpress	Jul 17th, 2000 09:47:30 PM
I'll be the first to admit that in the beginning I really didn't think this movie didn't stand a chance when I saw those first protional pics of the X - Men characters in costume in this very site. But through the process of making the movie I warmed up to the project. I admit too that by judging it earlier on I made an egregious mistake for labling it the worst concept of changing my fave mutants. If Bryan Singer or anyone else connected with this film reads this I humbly apologize for my shortsightedness. For the budget they had they pulled out a very entertaining movie indeed. I do agree with other posters who's names escape me that some of the fight scenes like the one in Canada between Wolverine and Sabretooth could have been extended but there's always sequels or a Wolverine spin off movie that could capitalize on the history of Logan and Victor Creed. But I have to admit to see their fight on Lady Liberty at the end of the movie gave me chills. I had read many of their big knockdown drag out skirmishes with each other in the comics but to see it as it might have happened in real time was just awesome. THat and they finally were able to make Toad a very interesting character. I think we all should credit Ray Park for doing a nice job. His Toad was not the short pudgey mutant in the comics but a very potent villain with martial arts expertise as well. As for Hugh Jackman he seized the role of Wolverine and seemed to suck in the old Canuklehead's essence. I loved it that he snuck in Wolvie's catchphrase at the end when he addressed Sabretooth. "I'm not done with you yet bub." or something close to it. I also loved the chemistry between Sir Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewert. They really made you believe that they were once friends but split due to differebces in how Homo Sapiens view Homo Superiors. The chess scene in the end really set up how they feel about the problem of prejudice against their kind. It was also a nice promise of another sequel that may pit Magneto's Brotherhood against the X - Men. Hopefully Magneto will have a better helmet next time around. But I guess that I've learned that to see all these spoilers and exclusive contrband images really don't make a movie great. It's the final project that matters. Now all I have to hope for is a director's cut of this movie. I thinkBryan Singer showed that you could have a character driven movie that showcases incredible powers and larger than life characters. Just like some of the posters here have said. We don't want this franchise to sink into the realm of the unbelievably campiness Batman and Robin was. And I don't want this to be a merchandise driven thing as much as the rest of them. The X- Men comics were all aboutr power and responsibility as well as tolerance for others even though they are diferent from you or I. Even with all the battle scenes there was still the notion of character depth to villans and heroes alike. I just hope that anyone from Fox and the production team responsible for this movie never forgets the core of the X - Men comics. I think Hollywood is littered with too many over the to comic book adaptions. I'm just glad that a movie with a small budget compared to others that have followed did so well opening weekend. I think this movie derserved its 57.5 million weekend gross. And next time (This goes for myself as well.) don't judge a movie until it's been released.
3rd Fanboy by Le Messor	Jul 17th, 2000 10:07:10 PM
There's a third type of fanboy. I've seen the X-Men three times, love it to death, and nit-pick all the details. (Spoiler heavy) Love the cameos; I agree, it's Pyro not Torch (who else can manipulate fire, but not generate it?) Colossus is the sketcher, Jubilee, etc... but a lot are just there as background. Basketball guy is, I think, a speedster not a teleporter, but I can't be sure. I don't think he's been seen before. Nitpicks? How can both Rogue and Magneto use his powers at the same time? Since when is Storm willing to kill? (Toad. I'm not saying she did kill him, I'm saying it was a risk she's unwilling to take.) Since when is Mystique a better fighter than Wolverine? Why'd they kill off Gyrich and Kelly? The powers were, mostly, all very well portrayed but very badly explained. But... who cares? Excellent movie. I hope there's a sequel that's as good. I hope they use Nightcrawler. I hope I can see the full-length version of this one someday! I hope they don't use Magneto in a sequel - not because he there was anything wrong with him in this one, but because there're so many others out there waiting to be used. (Juggernaut has potential.) Oh, and it takes more than a few seconds in an elevator shaft to set off Storm's claustrophobia, and I thought Magneto was just fooling himself when he said "Are you sure you saw what you saw?".
Sequel needs surprises... by Petros000	Jul 17th, 2000 10:15:25 PM
...I hope! Some people are saying they want to see this that and the other thing in the sequel according to comic book issue A, B, C, and so on and so forth in exact detail...but really, what's the point if a movie is going to copy the storyline of a comic so precisely that you're going to know what's coming a year before the film even comes out??! Personally I wouldn't mind a few creative departures from the X-Men "gospel" if it makes the movie more interesting. It might be interesting to see some weird twists in terms of powers or even origins. I also predict that the sequel will have more colorful and individual costumes on the characters. I think the filmmakers didn't want to scare off the general public too much in the first film (remember how crew uniforms improved between Star Trek 1 and Star Trek 2?)...however, it IS scary to realize that every single comic-based movie series gets campier with every sequel. I'm hoping the X-Men will be the exception to the rule. BTW, the preview reel was awesome! The Cell, Blair Witch 2 (audience clapped!), Highlander...
dumb, dumber, and dumbest... by br1mst0n3	Jul 17th, 2000 10:23:13 PM
Hellishcat, overfiend AND niice, need to read MY first ORIGINAL post. The only fucking morons here are the ones who only listen to one side of the story. See in my original post the only time I alluded to niiice's argument was when i stated this: "Don't give me the ol' Magneto's mutant making device is corny because there have been times in the comic when ELVES have shown up!!" the rest of my post was referring to all the other ridiculous complaints about people's hair, size etc.If niice chose to reason that the rest of my post was directed at him , thats his fault, maybe he has a guilty conscience, in either case I don't care. ", so please spare me the idiocincracies (ie: boobs too big, boobs too small, not tall enough, not short enough, not old enough, too old, hair not right) I mean Jesus, do you realize you sound like old nagging house wives?!"(that wasthe only REAL insult in my original post and it wasn't even DIRECTED at niice, it's called reading in context, notice the examples before it mentioned nothing about complaining about magneto's device.) It's like watching an old lady picking fruit at a supermarket, she looks for that perfect one, feeling and smelling numerous kinds, but eventually she realizes that she's just gonna have to settle for the best there is to offer, and frankly, as far as X-men is concerned, Singer and crew ARE the best there is to offer. " So niice then responds claiming I am condemning/lecturing him and saying that he is overcritical in all his paranoia, while all I was saying to HIM was that I IMHO do NOT feel that Magnetos device is worth complainig about, simply because sillier things have happened in the comics. What is comdemning about that? I have no idea. So if niice & company want to take cheap shots and point fingers and talk about middle school reading levels, point the finger at yourselves, because truth be told after all the bullshit I've heard from you 3 you seriously need to. Did i say someone could not acknowledge these faults? No , Did I even say it was wrong? Nope. What i said is that when a movie like X-men comes along with everything going against it and it manages to overcome those obstacles, is it neccesary to POINT OUT EVERY LITTLE THING that could've(or in some cases couldn't) been done better(which a good number of the people who post negative comments do, hence the generalism of that statement.), given the consideration of budget, time, etc? Not really, but wrong ? By no means, if it makes you feel good then DO IT. but don't add the infamous " if you blindly love this film you're a (fill in the blank)" because that IS CONDEMNING those who choose not to focus or even state on any of the "flaws" this movie might, or might have not had.And for that matter that part of my statement that i alluded to in my origial post wasn't even DIRECTED at niice. Kinda sad that I had to spell it out like this but apparently there was no alternative.Maybe you should ask niice at what point did I say....."Oh, and according to br1mston3's definition of a film's value based on the audience's reaction, Scary Movie deserves to win Best Picture next year."-niice.....for the record Br1mst0n3 noticed a few flaws in X-men, none of which compared to the amount of hard work that was obviously put into the film are worthy of attention.
Flame Wars by swavill	Jul 17th, 2000 10:32:39 PM
I love it this talkback has had more action than the movie did. Its even better than the "It will suck - No it won't" talkbacks before the movie was released.
Bobby, Rogue's friend , is Iceman by MC Superphunk	Jul 17th, 2000 11:51:16 PM
yes its true but that actor seems really young to be iceman if hes in the sequel
Why did it happen this way? by Liason	Jul 18th, 2000 12:11:03 AM
It totally ruled. It sucked rocks. It jammed. It blew chunks. Why? Why are we seeing so many conflicting viewpoints? Well, in support of comics, fans, and directors that attempt to do them justice, I'll toss my hat in the ring. Even touching the idea of a comic book adaptation is anathema to most big film producers: face it, comics (in the media's eye) are trite pulp to sate the masses. There, in four-color splash is the degredation of their integrity, the basest manifestation of their "art". Yet nobody in Hollywood has really read Dr. Zhivago-- it's all Cliffs Notes and intern synopses that make them sound so sage at parties. But you'd better believe they've pored over "Red Dragon" and keep a copy of something by Danielle Steele in the night stand drawer. They're betting you're the same way, and a good deal of the time, they're right. So when a young guy (or gal) comes along with a visionary notion to "culture" the vultures, his/her idealism usually ends up as a light aperatif before the main course of contract shirkers. And Hollywood sits back with a refreshing sigh and throws us the intellectual mousse dessert that passes for entertainment these days. Gripping stories? That means you see at least one sex scene with someone in tears later on. Compelling drama? The guy gets the gal. Heartwrenching story? Someone gets pasted in an accident and the lead becomes an alcoholic, only to discover that he needed another crutch to achieve pure happiness. Fresh, clean outlook? Same schlock, with nearly-underage winners of the Sperm Pool (kids of stars) wearing vinyl and comparing navel piercings. And we buy it. We convince ourselves that this is the best we can expect. We gloss over motivation, characterization, theme, and intricacies of plot, and embrace the idea that we are too stupid for discernment. Orwellian? Yes. But then again, Orwell was a pretty sharp guy. Then along comes Bryan Singer. He's young, motivated, and a pissant when it comes to getting it right. He's handed a movie, one based on the very genre he's heard derided from the start, and given zip for resources. Okay, they're telling him. Here's a plate of bullcrap. Work it in to the dirt out there, and make stuff grow in it. To his credit, he does so. Everyone will know what the X-men will be: ink and paper and 26 pages long. Characters happen when the plot needs them, action is reduced to onomotopoeia and spiky lines, and characters speak in narrative ("Wolverine, use your Adamantium skeleton as a brace while I set the building on its foundation!"). And if all else fails, you can just look at the pretty pictures. There are no pretty pictures in this movie, no little dialog boxes to tell us that "Things are worse back at Xavier's" or "*X-Men #156-- Ken!". No folks, there is one thing never before presented in a comic adaptation: subtlety. Singer does us an honor by permitting us the use of imagination, to fill in the blanks, make our own decisions on good, bad, or indifferent. We are told what happens in comics, in freeze-frame stopgap blips: in this movie, our paradigm is shifted into the rows and columns between the pretty pictures. We must exercise our eyes to catch subtle reactions, telling movements, gentle caresses. There is no girl in a swimsuit that parades a placard advertising the beginning of Logan's fondness for Jean. Nobody stands up at the dinner table and announces the next important plot twist. It simply happens the way our lives happen. We aren't privy to a script in real life-- we can't be standing still one instant and impacting a wall with an "oomph!" the next, and blowing it off because we know we're immortal as long as the fans keep buying. In short, folks, this film has subtleties. No four-color glare, no heavy black ink lines to keep our attention. The colors run and the lines blur, and we either make the shift from being spoon-fed farina to grabbing at the pate ourselves. It's out there. We just have to relax and think-- something Hollywood hopes we'll never do, and something Bryan Singer thought we'd have the brains to accomplish. And that's that.
The guy with the claws is Wolverine by SpaceJockey	Jul 18th, 2000 12:18:29 AM
hehe, you mean the guy who made ice stuff was ice man??? hehe, just joshin ya (love that word) -SpaceJockey
Finally- My thoughts on X-Men! by scenestealer	Jul 18th, 2000 12:50:11 AM
Overall a very good presentation considering the physical and temporal restraints put on the production. Thought some of the dialogue between the charaters was too rehearsed and lacking spontenaiety(sp). My favorite character was Toad. Ray Park is the kind of actor that you really want to steal the show because he has a lovable roguish charm which endears him to the audience. To me he seemed the only actor who actually improvised whereas the others seemed stuck in a mold. For the sequel I am really looking forward to Colossus (sp) who is my favorite character and also Gambit. I really hope Fox stays with Singer and Schuller-Donner. Best of luck!
Sequel That Would Make Sense by Buzz Maverik	Jul 18th, 2000 03:19:46 AM
At the end of the movie, Wolverine sets out to find out about his past, right? The Prof has said that people have experimented on mutants, right? I need to quit saying right, right? Okay. Anyway, who originally wanted mutants to experiment on? Sebastian Shaw and his Hellfire Club! We scrap the Weapon X program, or have it ran by a grant from Shaw Industries, the builders of Sentinels! Wolverine gets captured by Sentinels, but carves his way out. He learns that Shaw's gang is coming after the X-Men and heads off to warn them. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we learn that Rogue's parents (because Rogue will be Kitty Pryde in the movies, in case you haven't already figured that out)have decided to transfer her to a school for mutants that doesn't go in for the sort of insanity that Xavier's bunch does ... The Frost Academy, run by Sebastian Shaw's lover and associate, Emma Frost, the White Queen. I see Gwyneth Paltrow as Emma, Timothy Dalton as Shaw, David Spade as Leland and Harry Knowles as Pierce. Just kidding. Oliver Platt as Pierce.
Same species or different species...which one is it? by PoRcH	Jul 18th, 2000 04:11:40 AM
In the comic books, mutants are sometimes referred to as (1) "Homo sapiens superior," sometimes just (2) "Homo superior." The first indicates that mutants are not a different species from normal humans (Homo sapiens sapiens)--but both are subspecies of "Homo sapiens." The second indicates that they are different species. So which one is it?? thanx
Pretty solid call, Buzz. by Dave_F	Jul 18th, 2000 06:06:46 AM
I like your sequel ideas quite a bit. Prior to Singer coming through big time on "X-Men", I'd have said that the films should mirror the comic very closely, but I'm up for some liberal adapting now. In fact, while the "X-Men" movie obviously wouldn't exist without its comic source material, I'm thinking the films are going to be superior to anything in the comic for the last, oh, decade or so. I really equate Singer's success with Paul Dini and Bruce Timm's success with animating Batman and Superman. The Batman cartoon was so good that to me it's become the definitive take on the character. The X-Men films have that same opportunity - to streamline the good stuff and drop the weak elements and confusion altogether. It'll be a tougher battle than Dini and Timm faced in guiding the various animated series, but I do think the opportunity is there - the chance to elevate the X-Men from their current comic book mire. ***** As for your Hellfire club picks, Buzz, not bad! You mixed up the names of Pierce and Leland though. Pierce is the cyborg, Leland the big guy. The key with the Hellfire Club casting is that the actors must be able to convey real nastiness. I've always considered the Hellfire Club to be the X-Men's scariest foes, and I want audiences to fear them too. These are some ruthless bastards, more so than Magneto's Brotherhood (which theoretically has good intentions). Paltrow as the White Queen seems a good choice. She can act, she's pretty without falling into cheesy supermodel looks, and I've a good feeling she could play icy evil. Platt as Leland? Yup, slap a wig on that guy. David Spade as Pierce won't work though, at least not in my vision of the character. How about the similarly-named James Spader, a guy who can pull off ruthlessness? Timothy Dalton...not sure on that one either. He can be an excellent villain, but he's not fierce enough for Shaw. Shaw needs to exude power as Ricardo Montalban did as Khan, or Terrence Stamp as General Zod. I gotta think on that one...
Read the Script - Early Draft - Caution Major Spoilers by Fan-Freak	Jul 18th, 2000 06:46:23 AM
Hey all, the X-men script is up at: http://members.fortunecity.com /scifiandfantasy/scripts/xmens cript.txt Different from the movie, tho. But cool to read!
Sequel by ripper t. jones	Jul 18th, 2000 08:24:41 AM
3 Words: Dark Phoenix Saga!!!
Ambush Bug's long delayed X-Men review by Ambush Bug	Jul 18th, 2000 08:46:55 AM
Okay, I saw the X-Men on opening night last weekend. For the last few weeks and especially last week, I have been biting my lip, forcing myself to stay quiet about this film until I saw it. This bug had said enough on the subject in the talkbacks in the last few months. The time had come to sit back and see this film.***It was interesting to watch the evolution of the talkbacks within the last year. They went from screams of downright blasphemy, to murmurs of despair, to twinklings of hope. Every fan went nuts as the information slowly eeked out from casting, to costumes, to trailers. In the end, the talkbackers even defended the film when some "phony" reviews were posted and gave sighs of relief as the positive reviews on this site and others flowed in. And then Friday came and I saw X-Men. And then I went out of town for the weekend. Come Monday night, I was chomping at the bit to get to the talkbacks with my two cents.*All I can say is, me likey, me likey a lot. Well, that's not all I can say. The fanboy in me was overjoyed to see my favorite characters come alive. I finally saw Wolverine pop his claws. I saw Cyclops blast away. Hell, I saw Toad jump and Kitty phase. These were images I pictured in my head as I read the comics and thought I would never see.*The cool thing about this film is that it is not just a comic book film, but a film by itself. The actors aren't winking at the camera and saying one liners. The director and the actors are taking this stuff seriously.*There was determination and pain clearly shown in all of the characters. Rogue's isolation was tangible in the film. No other character represented what it was like to be an outcast better than her. Paquin really showed us that it wasn't a fluke that she won that Oscar. The scene where she first uses her powers is haunting and heartbreaking.*Hugh Jackman was too, too cool. Not only did he have the look, he had just the right attitude. To me, Logan is at his best in the comics when his fatherly/caring side comes out. Sure I like balls to the wall action just as much as the next guy, but it is the fact that under the hairy exterior, below the berserker rage and gruff attitude, there is a person who cares almost too much. Jackman pulls this off with flying colors. There is a scene in Prof.X's office, where Charles says he can help Logan piece his memory together. Jackman's face subtly goes through a change from cracking wise to a glimmer of hope to an immediate attempt to cover this feeling up in front of the others. This is done in a matter of seconds and shows how good an actor Jackman really is.*The rest of the cast did equally as good. James Mardsen's Cyclops was dead on. He really suprised me. The scene where he vows to Charles that he will carry on leading the X-Men if he should not survive was touching and really conveyed his dedication to the cause. Famke Jansen=hot. Her scenes with Logan were great. The love triangle between Scott, Jean, and Logan may have died down in the comics, but it is on fire on screen. Hell, I didn't even mind Halle Berry, even though the line about lightning striking a toad was terrible. Her revelation to Senator Kelly that she hates and fears humans at times was great. McKlellan and Stewart were phenominal in roles that seemed to be made for them. Even the Brotherhood was cool. Yes, even Toad.*The cool thing is that the script allowed these characters to be real. It gave them depth in just a few lines. Sabretooth's "You owe me a scream." Mystique's "It's people like you who made me afraid to go to school." Cyclops speech to the Professor. All of these lines give history and power to the character.*This film does not show us a world that began in the first reel. It's been around for a while. There has been a lot of pain and this film plops us right in the middle of it. Singer proved himself as a great director who not only can handle drama, but great action. Every fight scene, albeit brief as they were, was detailed and cool. There were little things that I will enjoy going through when I get this film on DVD that I can't wait to see. It was so cool when Wolverine cut through the steel fence to get to Mystique. The little details like these show a genuine interest in not only the big picture, but the little things. I hope Singer decides to stay on for a sequel.*The bad. Halle Berry's line about the toad. Very bad. The only other thing that bothered me was the climax. No Magneto's mutant machine isn't it. It is never referred to as a mutant machine in the film and Magneto's plot made sense in a way. It was Magneto's way of giving the leaders of the world a taste of their own medicine. What bothered me is that there was little for the rest of the X-Men to do in the final battle between Magneto, Logan and Rogue. They were just sort of standing around watching the whole thing go down. I would have liked to have seen more for them to do. Why did they have to wipe out the Brotherhood so fast? Why not have the rest of the X-Men fight them while Mags and Wolvie went at it? That's what happens in ensemble films. In the end, everyone is watching the star do his thing. We get a lot of reaction shots, but basically they are just standing there.*But, this is just a minor quibble. My main problem with with the endng was that there was one. I didn't want this film to end. It had all the right performnces and the right feel. I could have easily sat in the theatre another 45 minutes (the rumored amount of time cut from the original reel, c'mon director's cut DVD!!).***I liked Superman and Batman. I think this film ranks up there as one of the best comic book adaptations. Distancing myself away from fanboy status for a second, this film was a little less than perfect. A lot was left unexplained. Although the two non-comic collectors I saw the film with could follow the film, I don't think they appreciated the details as much. This was definately a film that recognized and respected it's fans. I think Singer has done the impossible. He made a film that can please audiences and fanboys alike. Hopefully, taking the material seriously will be the new trend in comic adaptations. Now on to Spider-Man. Let's keep our fingers crossed that the Marvel curse is over.
sentinel sequel? by INCUBUS	Jul 18th, 2000 08:56:53 AM
Saw the movie and it rocked! I'm from Toronto and I recognized all those locations. After the movie I immediately started thinking about storylines for the sequel. If they plan on using the sentinel saga they may have shot themselves in the arse since an integral character of that story was killed off in the movie. Unless, Mystique....
Various Issues by Kronos	Jul 18th, 2000 09:01:23 AM
Wow, you guys are really getting heated up about a lot of insignificant BS regarding this movie. I haven't read a comic in 10 years, but I was a big x-man fan in my youth. Despite all of your little gripes about this and that, they did a great job bringing this movie to the screen on a minimal budget. I also thought a few things had been cut out (and would love to see a directors cut someday) but I can understand the need to keep this movie going and not get bogged down in five different origin sub-stories. There will probably be future films that will let the creators expound on the other characters. One thing I have consistently been reading in this talk back is about the flame ball of "Johnny". Geez, even I know Johhny Storm was no mutant (remember the space ship and the cosmic rays?) Pyro's real name was John - what is the big mystery. Go look at the whole cast list, and you will even see "pyro" listed. Secondly, people are complainig about magnetos's Helmet. Didn't the hear Xavier say that the helmet was blocking his attempts to take control of Magneto's mind? Third, the Senator is probably not dead, just mutated. The tip off was Magneto's statement "Did you really see what you thought you saw?" Good filmakers don't throw in that sort of line without a reason. Fourth,the kid on the basketball court. He was not teleporting, hew was runing really fast (hence the blur lines). Now, anybody know a mutant who is really fast? Was Quicksilver before everyones time? Sure, he was older in the comics but they are not slavishly recreating the marvel universe. The other option is cannonball (who is credited) but his blasting aroung was never very precise. Now when it comes to a sequel, I for one, hope they get some good writers to cook up something that will surprise and entertain me, not recreate some 15 year old comic book storyline that was banged out on a deadline. Sure, some sort of Sentinel/Trask based storyline would be great. As would a Hellfire Club story, or most anything from the John Byrne era. But please, not the Moorlocks!!!!
Bug on sequel ideas by Ambush Bug	Jul 18th, 2000 09:09:00 AM
Mutant Massacre all the way. But a Dark Phoenix Saga would be great as long as they don't take it into space. Keep it on earth with the Hellfire Club. My picks for the old Hellfire Club. White Queen- Natasha Henstrige. Sebastian Shaw/Black King- Gabrielle Byrne. Donald Pierce/White Bishop- James Spader (good pick Cormorant). Leland was a throwaway character, he doesn't need to be in it. Have Magneto/Ian McKlellan as the White King in the shadows. Mastermind has to be in there as well. This would be a good way to introduce Warren Worthington III/Angel into the film. Actually, Spader would be a better Angel than Pierce.
Cormorant, You Are 100% Right About Stamp & Spader.... by Buzz Maverik	Jul 18th, 2000 09:19:12 AM
...for Shaw and Pierce (I did mix up Leland and Pierce). Thanks for the kind words about my idea. Of course, I'm sure a lot of fans are thinking similar things. I see two great scenes. Cyclops blasting at Shaw with those amazing special effects (his blasts exceeded anything any comic book artist has ever tried to do) and Shaw (played by Stamp) giving him a little smile of contempt as he walks full on into them, growing stronger each time he's struck. Another: I see Wolverine broken out of his Larry Trask style containment tube in the Sentinel's Canadian headquarters. He looks up and sees Mystique, Sabertooth and Toad in tubes of their own. He sees experimental apparatus around, designed for them. Like Bruce Willis in PULP FICTION, he considers leaving his mortal enemies to this fate, but he can't. He claws open their tubes and releases them. They all kind of look at each other, like "Thanks, but this doesn't mean we're friends and I'm still going to kill you next time I see you" but nobody says a word. Wolverine and the Brotherhood go their separate ways.
Leland's gotta be in the Hellfire Club! by Dave_F	Jul 18th, 2000 09:43:07 AM
Throwaway character, Ambush Bug? Well, yeah, but that fat man is the guy that nearly killed Wolverine! The fact that Wolverine, toughest hairball in the world, gets trounced by a snide fat man...it makes his later revenge so much the sweeter! Do you recall it? Wolverine springs at Leland from a balcony, and the big man instinctively hits him with his mass-increasing power. Big mistake - Wolverine still crashes into him, only he's probably about a dozen times heavier when he does. Ouch. In the comics, they foolishly brought Leland back. In the movie, though, I'd be happy to see him die, impaled by adamantium claws driven by about 1500 lbs. of pissed-off mutant.
how to make other characters cool. by grammarcop	Jul 18th, 2000 09:50:13 AM
ask yourselves this: wouldn't it be great to have super powers, to be able to use them in everyday existence? now ask: wouldn't it be great to run around in superhero costumes? (if you're not 4 years old, the answers should be "yes" and "no," respectively.) knowing this, wouldn't it have been more cool to see the team showing off its powers while in plain clothes? wasn't that why wolverine and rogue were so popular? wasn't that the allure of the matrix? hell, it was more relatable watching the students flirt using their powers than it was watching cyclops and storm parade around in their rubber suits. as further proof, wasn't wolverine much cooler in his leather jacket than in his rubber suit? just an observation or two.
Dark Phoenix saga...can it be kept earthbound? by Dave_F	Jul 18th, 2000 10:08:56 AM
Sure, in theory they could doctor the story up so it doesn't involve the Shi'ar or Phoenix absorbing the energy from a star and wiping out a planet. For me though, those elements are pretty important. The X-Men's do-or-die showdown against the Shi'ar for the sake of Jean's life...it's one of comicdom's all-time great moments. That battle, at least, couldn't possibly be recreated by any Earth-based storyline. Plus, I'm dying to see the might of Hollywood F/X put to the scene where Phoenix knocks out that Shi'ar battlecruiser. However...yes, of course it seems goofy to have the X-Men going into space for what will basically be their second adventure. I do think that space-faring adventures is enough of a staple of the comic that it should eventually appear in the films, but the second one is just too early. Buzz's idea of amalgamating the Hellfire Club and the Sentinel storylines is a better suggestion. The growth of Jean's power might be a background element of the story, though, setting up the Dark Phoenix saga as the major focus of the third film (Shi'ar and all). ******* Not so sure about the Mutant Massacre storyline, Ambush Bug. I liked it at the time - dark and action-packed - but there really wasn't much story to it if memory serves. Lots of running, lots of fighting, not much depth. Actually, deserved or not, it also marks the time I think the title started really going downhill. Too many artists coming and going, too many new characters added at the expense of the core members, too many subsidiary titles, etc, etc. Call me cranky, but "X-Men's" peak run was basically issues 100-200. After that, chaos.
Leland by Ambush Bug	Jul 18th, 2000 10:10:44 AM
It's pretty sad that Leland is only known for one thing. Pissing off Logan in one issue and then getting killed by him in the next. Maybe that's two things. Cormorant, it would be cool to see Wolverine slice and dice him, but there are other characters I would rather see. If they are going for a big fat guy, why not Blob? Personally, Mister Sinister and the MArauders would be great. I think Terrence Stamp would make a better Mister Sinester than Sabastian Shaw. Have Blob, Pyro, Sabretooth, Gambit, Scalphunter, HArpoon, Juggernaut, and maybe Tower from the old X-Factor series make up the Marauders, storming the Morlock tunnels and slaughtering them. The X-Men could come in for the rescue. Gambit could betray Sinister for the love of Rogue. Ooooo the drama, oooo the intrigue, oooo the coolness.
100-200 were great, but the Mutant Massacre was on the cusp of g by Ambush Bug	Jul 18th, 2000 10:25:21 AM
I gotta disagree Cormorant. The X-Men's inital reaction to the Morlocks was a pretty good commentary on hypocracy. Because they were ugly and deformed, the undergraound society was automatically looked at as evil. The X-Men were forced to realize that they themselves had acted just like the humans who hate and fear them. I think this would be a great moral dilemma for a film. The X-Men could redeem themselves by saving the society form the Marauders:a group even worse because they are killing their own kind. Plus, there are talks about introducing Gambit in the sequel. I would much rather see him introduced this story than have them meet up in an adventure and have him tag along like the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz.
Barron34 - Wolverine and the bike by mbeemer	Jul 18th, 2000 12:31:01 PM
Barron34 said, "An example of a touch that could have been added to strengthened the Cyclops character in regards to Wolverine could have been something as simple as having Cyclops standing outside next to the motorcylce at the end of the movie as Wolverine goes off to steal it as he exits The School For Gifted Youngsters. There could have been a charged moment when we think that they might break into a fight, but then Scott/Cyclops grudgingly tells Wolverine to take the bike, it's his, he earned it, showing Cyclops grudging respect for Wolverine and providing his tacit acceptance of Wolverine into the X-Men, of which Summers is, after Proffessor X, the Leader." MY COMMENT AFTER THE LONG QUOTE: I had the impression (perhaps mistaken) that Cyclops left the bike outside for Logan to "find". His way of giving the gift without making it awkward. Maybe I'm reading to much into it, but that's my take.
Partial answer for PoRcH by mbeemer	Jul 18th, 2000 12:36:19 PM
You asked whether mutants were "Homo sapiens superior" (a sub-species of Homo sapiens), or "Homo superior" (a separate species). If I recall, we can only know which by interbreding the two - if 'human' and 'mutant' produce viable offspring capable of bearing children, they are the same species. If not, then not. I don't know if the comics have explicitly answered that question.
PoRcH a short Biology lesson by swavill	Jul 18th, 2000 12:47:37 PM
If I remember my Biology lessons properly its been a looong time since I was in school the classification of living organisms is called Taxonomy. It divides life up into the following categories Kingdom,Phylum,Sub-Phylum,Clas s,Order,Family,Genus, and Species. Man falls into those categories as follows Animal,Cordate,Vertibrate,Mamm al, Primate,Homidide,Homo,Sapien. The term Homo Sapien is actually the Genus/species name for man. All that is required for a new species is that a group of organisms evolve characteristics significantly different from their ancestors. In the animal world these differences can be as slight as coloration or markings. So I believe shooting energy beams from ones eyes ar the ability to control magnetic fields would probably constitute an entirely new species. But in the imortal words of Dennis Miller "thats just my opinion I could be wrong". SWAVIll LORD OF CHAOS
The coolest thing of all... by Ambush Bug	Jul 18th, 2000 12:59:43 PM
is the fact that Singer dropped little details in the film for the fanboys to discuss and ponder. Who was the little red eyed girl in class? I think it was that little Pepsi kid without make-up, but that's just me. Who was that floating across the water or cheating at basketball? I think it was Quicksilver and Cannonball. Why is Pyro in class when he should be with Magneto? Was that fat kid the Blob? Does this mean that in the sequels, Magneto will convert a few of the students over to the "dark side"? This is cool stuff and shows how rich and fanboy friendly this film is.
There is sequel material all through this film. by superninja	Jul 18th, 2000 01:02:49 PM
A Weapon X movie could happen with the ending to this film. I think there is quite an opening for Mr. Sinister to show up at some point. There is focus on the aspect of the dormant genes in human DNA, and Sinister is the man who likes to tamper with the Summer family DNA. Prof. X has a rather cryptic line that would tie Sinister in perfectly: when he's examining Logan's adamantium skeleton he says, "I've heard of experimentation on mutants before, but I've never seen anything like this." There are ALREADY hints of Dark Phoenix -- Jean is only using a 10th of her power potential in the film. What will happen to her if she makes a sudden jump and her full potential is realized in a short period of time? Dark Phoenix. What if Sinister was the person to tamper with her DNA to release her full potential. There are a dozen different directions they could go with all this stuff.
swavill: by PoRcH	Jul 18th, 2000 01:03:48 PM
You make a good point. But as I was reading your post, I remember the Eternals and the Deviants, which are subspecies to Homo Sapiens. The Eternals all have telekinesis, superhuman strength, invulnerability and some control over molecules (to differing degrees). Right now, it could go either way for mutants...or I could be wrong.
mbeemer: You're completely right...I forgot about the whole fert by PoRcH	Jul 18th, 2000 01:11:46 PM
So they would have to be the same species right? I kinda responded to swavill's post before I saw your post. I don't know whether--in the marvel universe--if an alien and human couple can give birth to fertile offspring...Hopefully this won't be a case of mistakenly applying to real-life science to a fictional universe. thanx.
Stop casting old people for Sinister -- he DOESN'T AGE. by superninja	Jul 18th, 2000 01:18:45 PM
Actually, I'd like to see a middle-aged actor play this heavy. And don't forget he comes originally from Victorian England, so the accent would be a nice touch. What about Jason Isaacs (The Patriot), Michael Wincott (The Crow), Rufus Sewell (Dark City)?
The Dark Phoenix Saga by PoRcH	Jul 18th, 2000 01:32:54 PM
I keep picturing this battle in my head between Juggernaut and Gladiator from the animated series (was that actually in the comics?)...I try to imagine that it's live action...and how Juggy has met his superior. It would be a reallllyy cool scene. However, I realize that the audience (esp. the critics) might not be so wild about mystically-powered step brothers, puple Pre-Crises Superman alien "clones," or avian intergalactic empires. Hopefully if they DO make the sequel to be the DPS they'll make the right decision to keep or throw out this stuff, 'coz I certainly don't know if this stuff is acceptable to the movie-going-masses (in the context of the X-Men 1). I don't wanna start a Gladiator vs. Post-Crises Superman debate so I'll keep my opinions about that to my self....`,=!
KurtWagner -- YES!!! You'd better not be lying or I'll hunt you by superninja	Jul 18th, 2000 01:37:59 PM
Did he really hint at Nightcrawler? Gambit was a shoe-in, but I wasn't sure they'd use Kurt. He's a character with built-in characterization: his love of swashbuckling movies, his religious convictions in contrast with his appearance and playful nature make him a very unique character. Besides, I find the idea of the Beast having anything other than a cameo uncessary -- I do not want to see all CGI characters in any of these films! Jean is the team scientist and unless she gets taken out (Dark Phoenix storyline), what function would Beast serve? Toad already covered the physical agility department in this film. I just love the idea of seeing Gambit load up a playing card with that magenta energy and blow something up, and Kurts BAMF! followed by a "Mein Gott" or two!
Mbeemer, you're right by SpaceJockey	Jul 18th, 2000 01:46:58 PM
In the novelization of the movie, Cyclops did leave his bike out there, with the keys in, and a little note saying "Good luck, -Scott". But I think they changed it in the movie (both the movie and novel are based on the same script), to make Wolverine seem more Badass, which is good, he said "Sorry" 1 too many times methinks.
I'm tellin ya... by Ambush Bug	Jul 18th, 2000 02:01:38 PM
If they go with introducing Gambit and Nightcrawler in the second film. They should use the Mutant Massacre storyline. Gambit could lead the Marauders into the Morlock tunnels and then betray Siniser in favor of the X-Men and Rogue. Nightcrawler could be one of the Morlocks. I know it is a far cry from his comic book origin, but I think it is a logical way to place him into the story. Nightcrawler is unable to go out in public without people knowing he's a mutant. The Morlocks are a group of mutants who, because of their appearance, are shunned from society. At the end of the story, Nightcrawler can be accepted into the mansion to learn about his powers. I have real problem with just having the characters appear without reason or having the X-Men pick up a few new teammates during a mission like the Scarecrow and Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz.
Sequel ideas: Two film story arc featuring Sinister, Sentinels, by superninja	Jul 18th, 2000 02:13:58 PM
Yes, I think it can all be crammed into two films. In X-Men 2, the mutant hysteria has to be bumped up a notch. How to do that? Make some of the students (Pyro, the Blob) turn on Xavier's school in the full face of the media. The X-Men "fail" in front of the public's eyes by failing to protect Pyro and Blob as they rampage through New York City, destroying property and lives. Their motivation? Payment by Sen. Kelly's "replacement" Trask, supported by several key members of Congress. He bribes them. Xavier is a good man trying to do good things, but his students are human -- some of them will inevitably turn into @#$%-ups when they get tired of being selfless and ask questions like "Why should I help others when I can take what I want with my powers?" Back in Congress Trask (who is trying to get funding for his Sentinel Project) brings up the fact that mutants can't even police their own! The "humans" MUST have a contingency plan in case the X-Men and people like them fail!!! The panic stricken members of Congress support Trask. But who is behind Trask, and why is he pushing the Sentinel program. Easy -- it's Mr. Sinister (just in a cameo). The Sentinel Program gives him the opporunity to round up mutants for his experiments! Meanwhile, in Canada, Logan is searching for clues to his past at the Weapon X facility. He fights the automated system set in place to wipe up any messes that occur if someone stumbles across the facility, and comes across a list of names of people tied to the project -- several of them the corrupt govt officials supporting Trask. He heads to Washington to get some answers. Meanwhile, back at the school, Rogue and Iceman are made full members, and Rogue worries about Wolverine since he's been gone for awhile. Scott proposes to Jean who says yes. Xavier sounds the alert and sends his team after the first Sentinel sighting. The X-Men head to battle the Sentinels, in D.C. and meet up with Wolverine who confirms from his, heheh "interview", with the corrupt Senator that mutant experimentation is somehow tied into the Trask Sentinel Project. The team battles the Sentinels, who overwhelm them. Just when things look most bleak, a mysterious mutant comes to their aide -- GAMBIT. They team recovers, but not before Jean is captured and taken away by the Sentinels. The film ends with Gambit talking to a mysterious stranger, and we're left to wonder whose side he's really on. The next film has a Beast cameo, now that Jean is out of the way. We learn Jean is with Sinister, and he's experimenting on her, trying to unlock her "potential". The Sentinels have driven all the mutants underground Morlocks, and captured others. Jean meets other mutants in the Sinister facility who have been captured --some are familiar students from the school, but one is Kurt Wagner aka Nightcrawler. Meanwhile, the X-Men are underground trying to find a plan of attack to take out Trask and the Sentinel Project. Xavier convinces the team, much to their shock, that they must FREE MAGNETO. They break Magneto out of his prison, and he agrees to join the X-Men to save their brothers, but after that, all bets are off. The X-Men locate the Sinister facilities with the help of Gambit, who is falling for Rogue. Some of them see this as rather convenient, but they have to take the risk. They storm the facilities and cameo-hell breaks loose! They all fight the sentinels in a dazzling display. But Sinister turns up with his new toy -- Dark Phoenix. Jean's power potential has been unlocked by his genetic tampering, and it has overwhelmed her, corrupted her. They break off into teams with Magneto leading one and Scott leading the other. Scott tries to get through to Jean, but the power is too overwhelming. In the end, they have to work together to "kill" Jean so that her body shuts down -- like in the comics, Logan has to do the deed. She ends up in a comatose state. Scott is heartbroken, and Wolverine leaves the team (solo movie!) unable to bear the pain of hurting Jean, who he is in love with. Gambit turns on Sinister because of his love for Rogue, but the X-Men feel betrayed by him and turn their backs on him. Magneto disappears at the end when Charles tries to thank him for his help. Magneto is free to run rampant, and the Sentinels program is destroyed. What do you guys think?
More thoughts by PoxyVonSinister	Jul 18th, 2000 02:15:39 PM
I LOVED the visual imagery in the final scene -- all the pieces near Xavier that he's captured versus the one that Magneto had, Magneto toppling the king -- all done very subtly but effectively.... Apparently USA Today has a story asking readers to e-mail as to which X-Man should be added for the next movie, choices are Beast, Nightcrawler, and Colossus (I think, don't quote me on it!) Singer has said he has a soft spot for Beast, so hopefully we'll be seeing the blue wookiee next time up.... I STILL say the red-haired girl was Wolfsbane, she just had that Irish waif look I associate with Raihne.... I think the basketball kid was teleporting, there was no streaking effect like he was running fast but more of definite disappear/reappear effect.... I agree with those who say Dark Phoenix should be the third movie. Just show some signs of it during the second movie, hint at it, then smack us over the head with it to start the third movie. Hell, if they did the Hellfire Club in #2, they could even do the Jason Wyngarde/Mastermind storyline to set it up.... Finally, aren't you all glad we have GOOD stuff to talk about instead of bad?
USA Today on X-sequels by PoRcH	Jul 18th, 2000 04:21:47 PM
I got this from the monday edition of USA Today online: --------------------------- "Because the movie had such a strong showing, two more X-Men films will move forward, says Avi Arad, Marvel Studios' executive producer. 'We are going to get together tomorrow and decide what story we want to tell next,' he says."------------------------ -- So I guess they're having the meeting TODAY, Tuesday...
Cool tidbits and thoughts about the film. by superninja	Jul 18th, 2000 04:41:44 PM
I'm going to see it again tonight, but I wondered if anyone thought that when Mags and Chuck are playing chess in the final scene, that Mags slips a little when he tries to lift the chess piece. I thought it was a nice touch for someone who was used to moving objects with a waive of their hands, whose powers were now ineffective. There's also a Beast cameo of sorts -- the truck driver that drops off Rogue does the VOICE for Beast in the X-Men Saban cartoon! He was also in the Adventures of Sinbad with Zen Gesner, which leads me to ZEN GESNER FOR GAMBIT!!! Rufus Sewell for Nightcrawler or Mr. Sinister.
Damn, the Talkback leaves the main page just as sequel debate he by Dave_F	Jul 18th, 2000 04:50:57 PM
For the record, Ambush & Buzz, I didn't actually say I wanted Terrance Stamp as Sebastian Shaw, only that whoever does play Shaw needs to exude menace as Stamp did as Zod, or Montalban did as Khan. Sadly, those cats are just too old now, but Montalban...man, he practically was Shaw in the 60's Trek episode "Space Seed" - had the arrogance, the smarts, the physical power, even the old world hairstyle. Gabriel Byrne seems like a great modern choice, though for some reason he's wearing on me of late. Probably guilt-by-association for the abominable "End of Days". ******* As for Gambit...I flat-out hate the guy. From what little I've seen, he seems like a pretty flat character wrapped up in a rancid Cajun stereotype. Rogue deserves better. Sadly, the cartoon made him all but canon by inserting him into classic X-Men storylines, and I know he's a shoo-in for the next film 'cause he makes the girlies squeal. Still, I'd much rather see strongman Colossus first (gotta have a strong guy!), or Nightcrawler doing his kick-ass teleporting fisticuffs. Beast'd be okay too, but Superninja's right - in the film continuity, Jean's handling the scientist role. Beast can wait till poor Famke sacrifices herself I think. And...for the record...I will grudgingly give Gambit a chance when he shows, and I know he will. If Singer can make Toad cool, he can probably make Gambit stomach-able. Until that happens though, I plan on treating Gambit the same way cranky parents treated Elvis in the 50's: vilification!
Casting until the day I die! by superninja	Jul 18th, 2000 04:53:54 PM
As for the Hellfire Club: Gabriel Bryne as Wyngarde/Mastermind, Jason Isaacs as Sebastian Shaw, Portia De Rossi as The White Queen, and I would stop there. Make the rest of the minions sort of faceless -- there's no point in wasting someone like Oliver Platt on a character that deserves only two lines. Denzel Washington for Moses Magnum (not a fan favorite, but one of mine), Jeremy Irons for Saurion, and Jack Black for Arcade!!!
Re: Leland again. The fat man's becoming a minor celebrity! by Dave_F	Jul 18th, 2000 05:07:35 PM
Ambush, ya can't just dispense with Leland in favor of the more popular big boy, the Blob. The point is, if the Hellfire Club is around, Leland is the fatman, no questions asked. Blob's a villain for the Brotherhood if anything, but the Hellfire Club would never accept such a sideshow freak (or anyone who laughs with a "haw haw" for that matter). Leland has the potential to catch the audience by surprise. Taking him down looks like a cakewalk, but he's surprisingly powerful. When he weighs down Wolverine and sends him crashing through a few floors to the sewers below, he'll come across as surprisingly formidable. Hmm...they could even take that scene a step farther than in the comics and have Wolverine still pinned when he hits the sewers, drowning in the water. Cut away for a bit, leaving him presumed dead. Then cut back after a scene or two to show him jamming his claws into the walls, struggling to pull himself above the waterline. Later, we all take satisfaction as he slices the living hell out his tormentor. Yes, that's right, I'm against Gambit, but for Leland!
Does Cormy have a Leland fetish? by superninja	Jul 18th, 2000 05:17:56 PM
;) I dunno....But you see how the Leland character is entirely visual, meaning that there's no point wasting an actor like Oliver Platt on the part by giving him nothing to do but be a one-trick pony. I also thought of a nice costuming touch that would make Wolverine more of a standout. Jackman will probably bulk up even more for the character, so make his shirt SLEEVELESS, like in the comics, but keep the gloves with the claw adjustments. Actually, I just want to see Hugh Jackman's sexy arms again, but can you blame a girl?
Leland fetish? Yes, dammit, the big boy is more man than your pr by Dave_F	Jul 18th, 2000 05:50:12 PM
Actually, I'd like that remark stricken from the Talkback record before it comes back to haunt me one day. And it will come back to haunt me. Speaking of Wolverine's hairy arms, though, did anyone else notice that Xavier's chest hair was about ten times shaggier? Kind of put Wolverine to shame. ****** As for whether Platt would be wasted on the role of Leland, well...let's not overestimate Platt! He's a good actor, but we're not exactly talking an a-list name. Besides, who's to say Leland might not have a few more lines than he did in the comic? Anyway, if Platt's asking a $20 million dollar salary or something, sure, take the next fat actor in line, but I'm betting he'll work for cheap. Oh, and Rufus Sewell would be great as Nightcrawler. The guy's got a freakish Peter Lorre look, perfect for the role.
Here's the problem with casting someone like Platt as Leland. by superninja	Jul 18th, 2000 05:58:57 PM
You put him in the film, he does the "super-strong chubb" thing, and then you will find there are members of the audience going, "Why did they get Oliver Platt for the part if they don't even use him?" While he's not a big star, he is a recognizable character actor that doesn't just fade into the background. Look at Sabretooth and Toad. Frankly, Ray Park surprised the hell out of me by coming across so cleverly. Sabretooth didn't do much, but were you expecting him to? I certainly wasn't. By casting a MINOR (yes, your fatboy is minor, Cormy) character with a recognizable actor and giving him two lines and a fat-trick, you're leaving yourself wide open for criticsm. Better they just pick some faceless actor.
Mr. Sinister and sequels by Dave_F	Jul 18th, 2000 06:25:13 PM
What's Sinister's story, anyway? He's clearly worked his way in as a fan favorite, but I forget whatever I knew of him from the "Mutant Massacre" storyline. What was the reasoning behind that anyway? Eliminate the weaker mutants or something? Clean up the mutant gene pool? ****** Superninja, I like your plot quite a bit - covers Sentinels, Morlocks, Dark Phoenix, and even brings in the Beast. Might even make Gambit an interesting character. Only thing is, I'm not sold on Sinister yet. Can't recall a thing about him any more than I can about Apocalypse. I'd really prefer seeing the Hellfire Club first, and they can certainly serve as instigators for the Sentinels and Dark Phoenix. What can I say - to me, the Hellfire Club will always stand out as the X-Men's greatest foes because of their role in the Dark Phoenix story. I like their aristocratic ruthlessness and their status as high-society elitists. Sinister seems...a little too comic booky, in name, appearance, maybe motivation (can't recall). I like that your proposed plot has the Morlocks appearing though. Both you and Ambush Bug have mentioned the idea of introducing Nightcrawler through them, and that seems just perfect. Yeah, it is pretty damn cool that Singer left so many possibilities open for sequels.
Rundown on Sinister. (And like Magneto doesn't sound comic book by superninja	Jul 18th, 2000 06:54:06 PM
This is grabbed from an X-Men website**********Real Name: Nathan Essex. First Appearance: Uncanny X-Men 221 What's His Problem? A doctor from the Victorian era whose fascination with genetics has permitted him to scientifically extend his life, Sinister is obsessed with the DNA of various Summers' family members. Exactly what is so special about the DNA of Cyclops, Havok, Cable, X-Man and the unknown Summers sibling is unclear. His expertise with genetic manipulation has permitted him to create clones, most notably one of Jean Grey that went on to marry Cyclops and give birth to Cable. Powers: The complete range of Mister Sinister's abilities remains a mystery. He has super-human strength, remarkable regenerative properties, apparently can shapeshift and may be able to teleport. What is the result of genetic experimentation and what is natural ability isn't clear. (Do you get the idea that a lot about this character isn't clear?) Heroes He Keeps Running Into: Sinister's obsession with all things Summers makes him a continual foe of the X-Men and X-Force. He's also chased after the genetic material of the X-Man, Nate Grey, and clashed with Cable. People Who Think He's Not So Bad: His Marauders take orders from him but most haven't trusted Sinister since he destroyed Malice for defying him. Madelyne Pryor, Jean Grey's hapless clone, has a complex relationship with her creator. Faye Livingstone accepted him as Nathan Essex, but was repulsed when she discovered he was mostly interested in the mutant factor hidden away in her genes. In an alternate time-line, he was Apocalypse's treachery-minded lieutenant. Clearly no one stays very happy with Mister Sinister for long. Most Despicable Act: Sinister was behind the Mutant Massacre, during which his Marauders attacked the Morlocks, a group of mutant misfits that hid from "normal" people. Perhaps hundreds of mutants were slaughtered under the streets of New York City during this assault. The point of this assault remains (you guessed it) unclear. Holding his lover Faye Livingstone captive for months against her will ranks up there. Continually visiting her when she was in a nursing home confirms that Sinister possesses a real stalker mentality -- but we already knew that from his constant harassment of the Summers siblings, right?******So his intent is rather ambiguous, which could leave the door open for sequels, the introduction of Havoc, Cable, etc.
Zealous fans will ruin the sequels if they're not careful by Hammer & Pickle	Jul 18th, 2000 06:55:43 PM
Look, it was miraculous that we got as much characterization as we DID with the first X-Men film. Now you want to introduce even more good guys and bad guys into the mix when Magneto and the Brotherood are still alive and well? Personally, I think the idea of government-controlled Sentinels is the best idea. Why? Because there'd be no need to devote precious screentime to their characterization. Plus they would provide the X-Men and Brotherhood with a common enemy to fight against--which would prevent a retread of the first movie (X-Men vs. Brotherhood) without relegating Sir Ian/Magneto to the background while some 2nd tier X-villain takes over the spotlight. This approach would at least give us some breathing room, plotwise, to introduce two or three new characters and keep the "franchise" from growing stale. Let's also keep in mind that any new characters, especially charismatic ones like Gambit, will likely steal screen time from Wolverine. Bad move. Save Gambit for part three so we have more time to get acquainted with the original team. Otherwise, I have the feeling X-Men 2 will end up like Mortal Kombat Annihilation. Mark my words...
Zealous fans will ruin the sequels if they're not careful by Hammer & Pickle	Jul 18th, 2000 06:56:00 PM
Look, it was miraculous that we got as much characterization as we DID with the first X-Men film. Now you want to introduce even more good guys and bad guys into the mix when Magneto and the Brotherood are still alive and well? Personally, I think the idea of government-controlled Sentinels is the best idea. Why? Because there'd be no need to devote precious screentime to their characterization. Plus they would provide the X-Men and Brotherhood with a common enemy to fight against--which would prevent a retread of the first movie (X-Men vs. Brotherhood) without relegating Sir Ian/Magneto to the background while some 2nd tier X-villain takes over the spotlight. This approach would at least give us some breathing room, plotwise, to introduce two or three new characters and keep the "franchise" from growing stale. Let's also keep in mind that any new characters, especially charismatic ones like Gambit, will likely steal screen time from Wolverine. Bad move. Save Gambit for part three so we have more time to get acquainted with the original team. Otherwise, I have the feeling X-Men 2 will end up like Mortal Kombat Annihilation. Mark my words...
Iceman's age, etc. by Krazy Taino	Jul 18th, 2000 07:26:11 PM
Regarding Iceman's age: in the comics, Iceman (Bobby Drake)was the youngest of the original X-Men (he was 17 when the comics started, because Jean and Cyclops first admitted their feelings for each other at his 18th b-day party, some issues into the series). So, even though they are mixing new and old teams, etc. that is to be expected, and Bobby's age is right on target. Also, you should expect changes in this movie- I would be dissapointed if there weren't some changes, because since I've already read all the old comics, part of the thrill of seeing it on the big screen is to see what kind of new interpretation is put on the X-Men as long as the central theme and spirit are still there (which they were!). I stopped buying the comics in 1994 when I was just 12 years old- they started going down hill, so I quit- even though I'm only 18 years old now, I bought all the Claremont back issues when I was young and I still love those more than the issues that came out during "my time", so I'd rather see characters like Colossus and Nightcrawler in the sequel! This movie took me back to the Claremont days that I enjoyed so much (even I read them many years after they first came out).Colossus and Nightcrawler are my two top picks for the next one because they both have such great characters...Nightcrawler is perhaps the most lovable person ever created in comics, and despite his lack of "bad-assness" he was always my favorite after Wolverine (and I think he's pretty bad-ass when he puts his mind to it). And Colossus, besides being a natural special effects draw for inclusion also has a good character underneath- he's one of the guys that emphasizes the X-Men as being more than a team, they are also a family. So, I hope the plot is much more substantial in the next one (although this was a fine intro- I loved the movie), I hope they include Nightcrawler and Colossus, I hope the acting stays up to par, and above all, I hope Singer stays on as director for the sequels, and is given freedom to bring his interpetation to the screen.
Sewell=Nightcrawler by Krazy Taino	Jul 18th, 2000 07:35:55 PM
Yes, Cormorant, you're absolutely right- Sewell would be perfect as Nightcrawler!! Plus, he already has fantasy/sci-fi experience with Dark City...damn, I can't believe how you hit that one right on the head, I was wracking my brain to think of someone to play Nightcrawler and concluded they'd have to find an unknown...
Sewell by Dave_F	Jul 18th, 2000 07:46:44 PM
Thanks Krazy Taino, but I was just echoing Superninja's suggestion of Sewell. Credit where it's due.
Re: Hammer & Pickle by Dave_F	Jul 18th, 2000 08:13:12 PM
Interesting name. Based on a reject Soviet flag theme or a failed Marvel team-up comic? Anyway, I agree that the filmmakers must be very cautious about introducing new mutants right and left. Because of the era I favor, I'd much rather see core members Storm, Cyclops, Wolverine and Jean get some spotlight, rather than jump immediately to fourth and fifth tier candidates like Gambit, Cable, and all those Generation X guys that User ID keeps touting. I do think you could combine both the Hellfire Club and the Sentinels into one storyline, but it runs some risks. Like you, I'd prefer keeping things simple if there's a danger of core members losing screentime. What I really hope is that Singer signs on for the sequel. I feel he'll be the key to keeping it all sane and open to casual viewers.
Some More Notes On X-Men by Barron34	Jul 18th, 2000 08:17:59 PM
Jackman was great as Wolverine, and I am an old Wolverine fanatic, but we need to see James Marsden as Cyclops strengthened as a hero and a lead character in any sequels, as I have said. Otherwise, no one will believe it when Jean Grey chooses Cyclops over Wolverine. Any sequels are in danger of being overwhelmed by Jackman's charisma as Wolverine. As much as I like Wolverine and Jackman's portrayal, this movie and any sequels are called "X-Men", not "The Wolverine Show". There is a real danger that the studio might demand so much Wolverien that all the other characters will be overshadowed and the details of the X-Men mythology will be trampled on. Cyclops needs to be beefed up, and Marsden can handle this and prove a good counterpoint to Jackman. Furthermore, fans should take the long-view about plots for future sequels. I suspect that there will be at least two sequels at this point alone, and if they succeed, we will probably see a franchise that could go as far as four and five movies,a nd even further. The next two movies should stick with what has already proven to work and capitalize on the known proven talents of the cast. Save the introduction of later characters such as Gambit for film four, after Jackman moves on from the Wolverine role and a new main mutant hero is needed. Also put off related storylines until later. I think the best we can hope for here is that Fox will be smart enough to bring back Singer as his cast regardless of price, fund the movies well, and let Singer and his writers focus on the established X-Men and their most popular stories from the canon. The Byrne/Claremont era is the best of the best. It should be portrayed in the next two films, with the Sentinels, The Hellfire Club, and ending with Dark Phoenix in the third movie. Including later elements (Gambit, Sinister) into the earlier stories pollutes the chronology, but worse, it wastes those stories and characters when they could be save d for later movies after the current actors contracts run out and they might move on past the X-Men. We should urge Fox to stick with Singer for two good, well-funded sequels, and then urge Singer to stick with a Byrne/Claremont era set of heroes, villains, and plotlines, from the Sentinels to the Hellfire Club, to Dark Phoenix. Since these stories included Colossus and Nightcrawler, I would include them. Also, they are popular characters that would be spectacular effects-wise. Furthermore, unlike Gambit, they would not compete with Wolverine for the main hero role, but would enhnace the line-up. Again, Dark Phoenix should be hinted at in the second film, and occur in the third. To do it in the second film would be half-baked and rushed. My main criticism of the first movie was that it was too rushed and short-shrifted Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Storm. Jean's transformation into Dark Phoenix will be meaningless to an audience that does not have a good grasp of her character and a strong identification with her. Use the second movie to set-up that audience identification by fleshing out Jean Grey. Also use the second movie to do the same with Cyclops, showing him as an independent and capable hero and leader who can compete with Wolverine, and who we must be able to believe ultimately wins her love despite Logan's love for her. All of these elements need screentime to develop, plus the introduction of the villains in the second film, the conflict, the action, etctera, all of which will still feature the popular Wolverine prominently, of course. Lastly, I would suggest something a bit more than a cameo but less than a supporting role for Kitty Pryde. Rogue has effectively taken her place in the movie narrative, but if Colossus and Nightcrawler are to be introduced,a nd Bryne/Claremont era stories such as the Sentinels, the Hellfire Club, and Dark Phoenix accessed, it would be nice to have Kitty around in the background, representing the youngest members of Xavier's school, and ready to step in, perhaps, in the fourth movie, to replace Rogue as the next young ingenue. By then, Rogue and Anna Paquin will have matured into an adult, and Kitty can take her earlier role, while Rogue assumes a more active adult one. By introducing Kitty early as a peripheral character, you keep closer to the canon, and set the stage for moving her forward in later films as a major young character. Likewise, after film three, I suspect that Singer, if he could be kept on that long, will move on from X-Men, as might some of the other actors, who are only contracted for two more films. At this point, Gambit could be introduced, and the post-Byrne/Claremont era stories and characters can be utilized. To conglomerate later characters and later plotlines with early characters and early storylines is to waste the characters and plots, and distort them too much from the canon of the comics themselves. As fans, we should restrain ourselves a bit, and look to the long haul. When Tim Burton's "Batman" came out in 1989, it spawned a studio franchise whcih was ruined by it's own box-office and merchandising success. It had such an impact that the studio whored the material and turned it into a multi-million dollar schlockfest. With X-Men, we must call for a strict adherence to the quality and craftsmanship that Singer and Comapny have displayed, and not give in to fan fantasies of wanting "everything now" in terms of the next movie. To agglomerate Gambit, Sinister, Dark Phoenix, Wolverine, et al into the immediate sequels runs into the danger of unleashing chaos and incoherence into the movies, much like what eventually happened in the comics. Gambit, for example, is too strong a character to share screen time with Wolverine unless one or the other is a camoe. They are both obviously leading men/hero characters, and Gambit, in my opinion, should be saved for later int he franchise after Wolverine's story (and jean's and Scott's) has been effectively told. The same goes for Dark Phoenix. Everyone, myself included, wants to se it onscreen, but if they jump right into in the next mvoie, it is going to be slap-dash and half-baked. These movies ARE going to be a franchise, for at least two movies with the same cast, in my opinion, and probably more movies after those two, possibly with a variety of different actors, hopefully with some of the same core characters and actors. Let's push for the next movies improving upon what we have already been given. Let's use the next mvoie to improve the character of Storm. Give here soem good moments and her share of the plot. Likewise with Scott Summers/Cyclops and Jean Grey. I would like to see more of Professor X as well. And let's continue to capitalize on the runaawy success of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, and the great performance of Anna Paquin as Rogue. Other characters can and should be added, as long as they do not diminish, but reinforce the characters we have already seen. As fans, it seems that we all (mostly) have very much liked what we have seen. Let's demand to see more of it. My sole criticism of the film was that it was too short and short-shrifted some of the characters. Lert's have the next mvoie be made longer and less truncated, showing the other characters more fully so that we can appreciate them better, all the while still being able to feature Wolverine as our chief focus. A steady approach to the next two films could establish an unprecedented three film comic movie series that can never be taken away from the fans. Three solid mvoies would also form a basis for a continuing franchise that would supercede the grossly offensive later Batman movies and create a long-term confidence in these types of films in perpetuity,, sort of like the immortal Bond franchise. That is the very best we could hope for. I believe the bset way to lay the groundwork for that is to be somewhat conservative about the next two mvoies, make sure they are good (Singer must return!), and make sure they are solid and not offensive to the X-Men canon. As such, they would provide a strong basis for further films, and then ALL of the X-Mne fans favorite plots and characters would eventually be seen onscreen, albeit in a more coherent and orderly way, rather than in a mad rush that results in half-baked and non-canonical movies. Trust me, if there is such a rush to include EVERYTHING in the next movie, the result could be the stillbirth of a great film franchise that will die in transit. I warn you to look at the hoorible results of the Batman franchise to see had the choice of a bad director and a cheesy, greedy studio with no concept of taste or temperance can ruin a basically good approach (Burton's) and transform the essentially postive experience of the first two films into a spectacle of horrible so-called film-making. Frankly, with X-Men, we have much more to lose, as this movie is a much better film portrayal of the comic heros than Burton's Batman was. We have high hopes now, but I urge that the fans be cautious and patient, lobby heavily for Singer's continiung with the films, and develop our favorite X-Men stories slowly, carefully, and well. All good things come to those who wait. If the next two mvoies are carefully made as the second and third parts of an X-Men trilogy, it will be a grand achievement, and it will open the door to even more films beyond them, in which ALL of the X-Men pantheon and mythology can be well explored, giving each character, plotline, villain, and story it's proper due. Barronout.
Sinister, part 2 by Dave_F	Jul 18th, 2000 08:24:52 PM
Hmm. Actually, Superninja, that biography you provided (and thanks, by the way) would seem to confirm my suspicions that Mr. Sinister ain't much of a villain. If he appears in the film, I really think they'll need to pin down his motivation. He can be as powerful as anything, but still uninteresting if he's just a generic bad guy. The comic book tendency to leave a hundred dangling plot threads is no fun in the confines of a two-hour story arc. And is it true that they never explained the reasoning behind the Mutant Massacre?! Ambush Bug, give with the info on your favorite plot, 'cause right now, I'm thinking Sinister is just a chump! The poor man's Magneto, as it were...
Just saw it for the second time. by scenestealer	Jul 18th, 2000 08:32:32 PM
This time definitely saw the sexual tension between Cyke/Wolvie/Jean. Wolvie is definitely Rogue's father figure. Lineup for next film- Cyke/Jean/Colussus/Storm/Wolvi e(sp)/Nighty/Rogue/Bobby. There should be a showdown between St. John and Bobby which gets very steamy;-). Would like to see a mutant version of Home Alone at the mansion where the students kick some serious ass!
A Few Brief Points by Barron34	Jul 18th, 2000 08:41:15 PM
Hey, it occurred to me: didn't Kurt, ie, Nightcrawler, at one point have some sort of holography device that he used to give himself a so-called 'normal' appearance? Possibly he was given a cameo in X-Men based upon this device, which would have disguised his (fx-expensive) appearance? Also, I am glad to see others (especially younger fans) acgknowledge that the Claremont/Byrne era is the pinnacle of the X-Men,,a nd should be the prime source material for any next mvoies, especially regarding Colossus and Nightcrawler's inclusion in the films. Thye add a lot to the X-Men, are visually spectacular, and do not clash with Wolverine's lone hero act. Further, I would urge that if Colossus and Nightcrawler ARE included, that Kitty Pryde be given a minor role in preparation for her later maturation into a leading character. I think it would be unfortunate to hew so closely to the Byrne/Claremont era without putting Kitty Pryde in there somewhere. Hopefully, Rogue will be allowed to grow up a bit in the next two movies. It would be non-canonical for her to develop a romance with Colossus, as Kitty Pryde did after she reached adulthood. Finally, I am glad to hear other talkbackers pointing out the need to be conservative in adding new characters. Gambit, Cable, et al, come much later in the chronology than Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Cyclops, etctera. Gambit and company should be save for later movies when the current crop of heroes have had their stories told. If it is handled well, and Singer rehired, this could turn into a franchise. Let's urge the filmmakers to develop the X-Men carefully, not in a big messy, confusing rush. This way, we ensure better movies and a possible continuing franschise. All things in good time. Barron out.
PoRcH by swavill	Jul 18th, 2000 10:09:31 PM
Eternals ,Deviants and for that matter the genetic potential for human mutation in the marvel universe if I remember right were not natural but were created by the Celestials during their first visit to earth. Is it possible to create a sub-species and what would be the criteria? Who knows. And as for mutants and normal humans producing viable offspring. If a mutant and a synthezoid (ie Scarlet Witch and Vision) can produce offspring I suppose anything is possible. But you bring up some interesting questions.
Every Fan Has Their Personal Favorites by Buzz Maverik	Jul 19th, 2000 01:19:08 AM
I can pretty much stand everything up to the end of Byrne's run, then things started getting murky, with some excellent exceptions. I don't really care much for any of the X-spin-offs or crossovers because you'd go from say the excellent Claremont and Jim Lee to Hack Writer and Hack Artist. So I'm not wild about Mr. Sinister, Mutant Massacres, Genosha, anything to do with X-Factor, etc. Those of you who are, that's cool, it's just not what I'd like to see. I also don't see how Dark Phoenix could be made into a movie. It's too complicated, involving trips to outer space and Jean dying and all of that. I'd like to see a sequel with the tone of some of the best work in the comic, with the intelligence and clarity of the current film (and I was probably one of the film's biggest detractors until I saw it, but we have to stay on these guys!). Singer and DeSanto have given us a few hints of sequel possibilities. I think the Hellfire Club and Sentinels have the most potential. It was Shaw who suggested Sentinels to Senator Kelly at the end of the first Hellfire story, and the Club used some during the poorly drawn second story after Byrne left and before Cockrum returned. Going for crossover appeal, the films will need villains that can be understood. The general audience will get evil billionaires (who happen to be mutants) and giant robots and these have given us some of the best X-stories. Sentinel stories need a user character with strong personality and the Knights of Hellfire provide that, along with good casting opportunities. Since the current film is a hit, I wouldn't be surprised if there was no trouble lining up A to A- list talent to play the villains.
swavill by PoRcH	Jul 19th, 2000 03:50:53 AM
I get ya on the whole Celestials thing. Weren't Scarlett Witch's children illusions or something like that? Anyway I think that in the MU, nonhumans and humans might be able to bear fertile offspring although I can't seem to think of a single example.......Are inhumans sub-species too? Maybe Homo inhumanus or Homo sapiens inhumanus??? There's Quicksilver + Crystal = Luna--------> one interpretation of that is: H. sapiens superior + H. sapiens inhumanus = H. sapiens sapiens...but mutants could also be H. superior; Inhumans--H. inhumanus; while Luna might not be Homo sapiens sapiens. Anyway what the hell are we talking about again...??
Bug in defense of Sinister and the Mutant Massacre by Ambush Bug	Jul 19th, 2000 09:02:30 AM
True, Cormorant, Sinister's motifs have been ambiguous. His pursuit of the Summers family and fascination with Gambit, who may or may not be the long lost Summers brother, have been his prime objectives lately in the comics. During the Mutant MAssacre storyline, I thought it was explained that Sinister deemed them as the lowest form of genetic fodder on the homo superior scale and called the Marauders in for a culling. It has also been hinted at that some of the Morlocks were failed genetic experiments created by Sinister and the Dark Beast (who doesn't need to be in the movie for obvious reasons). My fascination with Sinister lies in his ambiguity. He could have ties with the Weapon X project. HE has ties with the Hellfire Club. He has ties with the Summers and Grey family. If it involves the X-Men, Sinister's pale fingers have been dabbling in it for years. Ideally, I think Singer should go with a Hellfire Club/Sentinel/Dark Phoenix sequel. If the decide to hold off on Gambit for future sequels, then that is fine (he's not my favorite X-Man either). I do think Gambit offers a lot to the character of Rogue. It gives her conflict. SHe has affection for this new, bad boy but because of her powers she can't do anything about it. And Barron, I don't think introducing Gambit would take away from Wolverine's main role. This just gives Wolverine another aspect to deal with. Wolverine's fatherly side could come out when he sees Rogue going after this vagabond theif and there could be friction between Gambit and Logan. Okay I have to do it. I will go into detail about my Mutant MAssacre treatment. Logan has tracked down an abandoned research center and the only piece of info he can find has the name Nathaniel Essex on it and there is a paculiar smell that only his trained senses could pick up. BAck in New York, Morlocks are being hunted. One Morlock, Caliban, is sent out to find help. Using his mutant ability to track other mutants, Caliban zeroes in on the Xavier Institute. Caliban breaks into the mansion and takes the first mutant he can find, Jean. He senses great power in her (Dark Phoenix?). HE knocks her unconsious and drags her into the sewers, knowing he has a powerful weapon in Jean. The abduction of Jean immediately sparks the interest of Cyclops and Wolverine(who has just returned), forcing them to work together to find her. The team splits up in the sewers, guided telepathically by Prof.X back at the mansion. Logan and Cyke, with Logan using his senses to track Jean (he smells the same scent in the sewers that he did back at the research center in the North) and Cyke lighting his way through the tunnels with his visor are paired up. A good chance for a Cyke/Logan brawl. Storm and Rogue, (If they stick with the origins in the beginning, the origin of Storm and her clausterphobia could be explained) could make up the other team. Storm is distressed because the underground tunnels render her weather powers almost useless and the cramped spaces are not doing her clausterphobie any good. Meanwhile, Sinister is sending his Marauders out to slaughter the Morlocks. Marauders: Blob & Pyro (since they weren't used in the first as villains), Sabretooth (for a Wolvie/Tooth rematch), Scalphunter, Frenzy, Gambit, and maybe Juggernaut. I know its not the original Marauders, but I would rather see these guys kicking ass together than Arclight, Riptide, Scrambler and Harpoon. Jean wakes and realizes that the Morlocks are not the monsters they first appear to be. One Morlock in particular, Nightcrawler, catches Jeans eye. He is young and seems to have a good heart. They are a peaceful society formed with a common bond: They have been shunned from regular society because they do not have pretty powers or appearances like the X-Men. After a few confrontations with various Morlocks, Scott and Logan find Jean. Meanwhile, Storm and Rogue run into the Marauder scout Gambit and Juggernaut. Gambit and Rogue immediately are attracted to each other and Gambit starts thinking wether he is on the right side or not. After a tunnel collapse, Storm is forced to deal with her clausterphobia and battle Juggernaut. Sensing a familiar presence, Juggernaut leaves the fray and heads towards the Xavier Institute. The teams meet up, fight with the Morlocks a while until Jean convinces them that they are peaceful. The X-Men are forced to realize that they have judged these creatures just as badly as the humans judge the mutants topside. A good time for a nice little speech by Xavier via telepathy. This realization occurs just in time for a full on Marauder assault on the Morlocks with the X-Men defending them. Sabretooth and Wolvie throw down again, maybe this time hinting at their connected pasts. Storm, having conquered her clausterphobia, rallys the Morlocks together and convinces them to defend themselves. Barreling through the institute gates, Juggernaut heads for his brother, Xavier. The students of the Institute: mainly Iceman, Kitty, Jubilee, and Colossus (There's no need for big parts for these characters, this would mainly be a super-powers showcase, not a character scene. The main characters would be Juggernaut and Prof. X) try to defend Xavier from the Juggernaut, eventually working off his helmet, but its Xavier who delivers the final mental blow and renders Juggernaut unconscious. This would give Xavier a little action. Back in the sewers, Sinister is on the verge of winning the battle and wiping out the Morlocks. Logan recognizes Sinister's scent as that of NAthaniel Essex. Sinister admires his handiwork revealing that he had something to do with the experiments done on Wolverine. Sinister beats him down and leaves him for Sabretooth to take him out. Gambit has an attack of conscience and betrays Sinister when he threatens Rogue. This turns the tide of the battle. Wolverine and SAbretooth tear into each other and as Sabretooth is about to deal a final blow,saves Cyclops Logan's life with a plasma blast, strengthening their bond. After the battle is won and the villains have fled, the X-Men leave the Morlocks to reform their society with a new sense of respect for themselves having battled courageously. Nightcrawler is sent back with the others as an ambassador between the two groups and to be trained in his developing teleportation powers. There are more questions than answers far Logan, though, about his past. The X-Men return to find the institue in shambles. They see Xavier and the students over the unconscious body of the Juggernaut. Cyke and Logan have formed a bond on this adventure. A new found respect for one another. Logan doesn't trust Gambit and threatens him if he ever hurts her, he's in for a world of pain. Nightcrawler immediately is accepted with the other students. The team decides to work together to clean up the institute. Epilogue to Sinister in his lair, reporting his failure to someone in the shadows. Apocalypse appears, segueing into another sequel. Long post, I know, but I had to get it out of me.
Here's an idea by Hammer & Pickle	Jul 19th, 2000 11:00:44 AM
Thinking like a screenwriter, I have an idea about the best way to introduce the new characters without wasting screentime on their introductions. Make Colossus, Nightcrawler, Havok, etc. "undergrad" students and have the Sentinels attack the school while the X-Men are away so the students have to fight against them. That way we're introduced to the new guys in the heat of battle (which is where we want to see them anyway). After all, their powers are pretty straightforward and self-explanatory. I can just imagine Colossus turning into his organic steel form and trashing the Sentinels, while Havok blasts them to pieces and Iceman freezes them. Above all, the students should ultimately lose when the Sentinels adapt to their powers. They should be captured and taken back to some mutant containment facility from which the X-Men have to free them. Perfect opportunity here for lots more cameos too.
On being right(!!) by mbeemer	Jul 19th, 2000 11:18:01 AM
"You're right". Do you realize how RARE it is to read those words on-line?? Amidst the endless strife and contention, a simple acknowledgement of being correct? And in the past day, I have received these words twice. TWICE!!! I am humbled and honored! I'm all verklempt! Thank you for your courtesy.
Superninja: "Sequel ideas"... by mbeemer	Jul 19th, 2000 11:26:55 AM
Seriously? The best way to guarantee that a plot will not be used is to post it in detail publically. The studio has to guard itself against plagiarism suits, and will discard plot elements (no matter how good they are) solely for that reason. You might want to look into submitting your plot to the studio with a waiver so they can proceed safely if they like your ideas. (Don't laugh - an episode of "Babylon 5" had to be shelved due to a too-insightful comment made on-line. It wouldn't have been resurrected if the fan involved hadn't jumped through hoops to reassure the suits they wouldn't be sued if it aired.)
Most of These Sequel Ideas Are Straight From the Comic Books Anw by Buzz Maverik	Jul 19th, 2000 03:44:57 PM
I'm not real worried about Fox or the producers of X-Men. They're doing okay. It's very unlikely that they'll be looking at AICN talkbacks for sequel plots, although we might be able to point them in the right directions. All of these ideas, especially my own, consist of taking nothing more than a couple of classic X-Men stories by Chris Claremont, John Byrne, Neal Adams, Roy Thomas and others and combining them. Those are the guys who should be suing, but they'd never win the suits (not even with Johnny Cochran and he never loses). I know I couldn't win a suit if they used Hellfire and Sentinels because I didn't create either character or the situations. Submitting plot ideas to a studio is a waste of time, unfortunately, because I've seen ideas by Superninja, Ambush Bug and others on here that would make good movies. I wouldn't sign a waiver. If a studio wants to use anything that came from me, I want money and WGA benefits, so they'd never admitt it came from me and they could be right. I can understand the Babylon 5 situation. A weekly series needs a lot more plot ideas than a movie that comes out every three or four years. I'd say that if the producers want to make a good sequel, they'll do what they did this time, get good people who will utilize the best of the comics while stripping away the intricacies of the material. I mean, I love comics and have read them all my life, but when people get into too many characters, situations too far removed from reality, I can understand why guys like Singer and DeSanto stepped in their own direction. You know who some of those mutant kid cameos were? Nobody! Characters the filmmakers and technicians made up themselves that have no relation to anything that has ever appeared in a comic book. Some were gracious nods to us fans, but I bet many were just "Wouldn't it be neat if..." or "Could you come up with someone in the background who looks cool?" By the way, I'd rather post here about X-Men than that thing on the main page they have back now, where the posts seem to consist of "X-Men was a cool movie!" "It had to be the Peeper, man. It was the Peeper!"
character introductions by NobleCrayfish	Jul 19th, 2000 04:50:40 PM
I read someone's comment about having gambit defect from the marauders during the 'massacre' storyline. I kinda liked the idea. It would also be a good launching point for Nightcrawlwer, the other fan-favorite I've seen on the talk-back. He could be a morlock because of his demonic apperance and his being abandoned. It sounded like a good idea at the time but I don't know how I will fell about it in an hour, or how the talk-back will take it.
Read Buzz Maverick's, Hammer and Pickle's and Barron34's Post's: by Barron34	Jul 19th, 2000 08:43:33 PM
Overzealous Fans May Ruin Any Sequels. Dead Right. Introduce Gambit in a third (or later) film. All the X-Men after Byrne and Claremont is usb-standard. Stick to Byrne and Claremont material for any sequels. Use that later stuff for any movies beyond the next two. Dead right again. The film-maker's are not going to come to talkback's looking for story ideas; they will use the comics as possible sources for ideas. Fans waste their time by cooking up stories. What we ought to be doing is convincing the filmmakers to use THE BEST X-Men stories and characters as prime source material. This means Byrne/Claremont. The post-Byrne era (Gambit, Cable, Sinister, etc) is second-rate, but can be used after the next two movies, after The Sentienles, Hellfire Club, etc, is exhausted, and after the currently signed actors either re-sign or (more likely) move on. THEN you can introduce later characters like Gambit, Cable, et al.

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