Days of Future Past is alright, but it's not really better than decent. I barely remember most of the scenes from the movie, which is usually a good indication to me that a film isn't any better than average.
+Luan Penna its interesting that some are saying the cgi in this blows civil war away but yet some say its god awefull. i have yet to see it but from the trailers i think its obvious bryan singer was trying to go for that comic book bright flashy look that almost has to look cheesy and fake, im actually looking forward to it and not expecting it to look realistic in anyway, my problem is if you are going to go all out and make it look like a real life comic book adaption...then why in the fuuuck wouldnt you at least make apocalypse full cgi!!! esp if everything else is...smh it makes no sense
When I saw that Jennifer Lawrence was a lead in this movie my thoughts were, "So is she gonna be the new Hugh Jackman where they put her in everything and focus the plot on her because she is the most famous actor on the roster?"
+orangeapples She's not even close at being the lead, make your opinion after you watch the film. Apocalypse, Magento, Professor X, Quicksilver, Cyclops, Jean and even Nightcrawler have more screentime than her.
Your comment is kind of stupid. Hugh Jackman was never in a movie because of being the most famous actor on the cast. He got a lot of screen time because people love Wolverine. When he was cast in the first X-Men movie, he was an unknown actor. He only became very famous afterwards and I personally don't think he was ever given too much screen time at the expense of someone else in the cast.
As a couple other people already said, it's actually the opposite: Wolverine is well known for having a contractual obligation to show up in stuff, regardless of whether he really belongs there. We're just lucky he didn't get front billing on the posters this time. tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WolverinePublicity
A lot of people don't even finish the review before calling Bob an MCU fanboy. He clearly states that First Class was good and DOFP was alright, he even said The Wolverine was decent. Hell, he even says Deadpool is a good movie. He regularly sings the praises of the original Superman, the Raimi Spider-Man, and even the first two Blade films. But yeah, everything not MCU is shit to Bob, right?
Almost everything not in the MCU is shit. And most of the MCU is really good. If you were to make a pool of all the great superhero movies ever I would say 75 percent or higher would be MCU
+Connor Ketcham I disagree. I find most of the MCU shite too. The reason people call Bob an MCU fanboy isn't because he didn't like this film but that his criticisms easily apply to MCU films he praises. Outside of Captain America, none of the pre-Avengers rose above okay. Avengers itself I really liked the first time I watched it but didn't hold up well on a rewatch, feeling ultimately shallow. Pre-Avengers 2 we got great films in Cap 2 and Iron Man 3 but I didn't care for Thor 2 or GOTG at all. Then Avengers 2 came out, complete garbage. It was Amazing Spiderman 1/2 bad. I haven't watched an MCU film since. This is just an opinion of course, but it does irritate me that people sometimes talk as if MCU films are mostly these great artistic endeavours when many are the same cynical commercial crap Sony and Fox put out (just prettier and sometimes more competently put together crap).
+jakerockznoodles THANK YOU for pointing this out. Bob comes off as a MCU fanboy because he gives the Marvel movies all the credit, while discrediting everything else in the genre but the original Spider man films, you want to talk effects that haven't held up well? Take a gander at those. While I disagree with you about the Pre-Avengers stuff, its got its ups and downs, but they do now and they did then, I agree that the MCU is neither the ONLY competent label in town, and like you, I agree its intentions are no different (IE less or more noble)from the other studios people continue to decry. Green Lantern was terrible, so was Ghost Rider 2, so was Wolverine origins. They all had missteps before they found their footing, and they've ALL had some slipshod sequels. To me, the bigger picture is, a ton of superhero films to pick from every year, it has become its own genre, and not in the bad way Daredevil and Fantastic Four seemed to make it out to be. Everyone wins, multiple times a year. I haven't seen this movie yet, I didn't like Days of Future as much as First Class, but I chalk that up to my incredulity at the overall concept as much as anything in the film itself. I'll go into this with a open mind, and if its sucks? *shrug* Sony had their major win for the year, Deadpool. And I'm betting DC's big win will be Suicide Squad. Again, there's enough room for three cinematic movie universes, and if anyone is going to review them, they should try and be objective about each of them, not automatically just support one.
+CrimsonVagabond You don't listen well and/or argue poorly. He listed half a dozen great non-MCU films for comparison. Also, Deadpool is Fox (same as Apocalypse), not Sony. Being "objective" about entertainment media is a only valuable for box office numbers, cast & crew, and run time. Being "objective" about what's entertaining is a fallacy.
The big problem with most of the X-Men films is that they tell minor variations of the same story i.e. mutants are oppressed/dangerous as a metaphor for minorities, namely youth who are discovering their sexuality, which gets repetitive, especially when it results in films as bad as The Last Stand. Still, Deadpool was fun, so at least something good has come from the Fox Marvel films this year. Maybe the now R-rated Wolverine 3 will be a good send-off for Jackman's iconic take on the character?
Originally, the X-Men stories were a metaphor essentially for racial minorities. Though, they are vague enough to be expanded to any group that is or are perceived as being oppressed. Being in the demographic of Male, White, Straight Adolescent to Adult, American, I don't think I am fully qualified to talk in detail on whether people not like me have it as bad as I hear it is. In turn, I take it on a case-by-case basis so I can account for exceptions to expectations. Anyway, I think that the X-Men being made as a metaphor for sexual difference of straight to not-straight is sort of there, but I don't really see it. There is a stronger connection to racial difference due to how mutants in Marvel are just offshoots of regular humans based on genetics, in the same way people that are and are not white is all down to very small variances in genetics. Sexuality is a choice, so far as I can see without a metaphorical telescope. Race is something you are born with and can't realistically change. Either way, I won't stop you from ascribing your own interpretation to the comic mythos. You can have your opinion and I can have mine, provided that the opinion doesn't cause some sort of harm against people, property, or general peace. And in all honesty, the opinions of comic subtext is not as harmful as some opinions can be (and I'm not going to call out any particular ones out if respect for the people that do believe them).
+Craig Kuhlman The problem with the comment "sexuality is a choice" is that... it's not. More and more research is showing that sexuality is something your body programs into you; it's as intrinsic to who you are as skin color is (or isn't). People who ascribe to these off-norm identities aren't doing so by choice; they're doing so because of the same small variances in their biology.
Chris V Again, I say that I'm not an expert and I'm just a straight white guy of the States. I don't know everything and what I say is through the lens of my own life, which is always in a different metaphorical tint than other people's way of seeing the world. Regardless, I have nothing against gay people. What two adults want to do with each other in a consensual manner is really none of my business, regardless of whatever immediate reaction it could cause. If a dude wants to be romantically involved with another dude, so be it. If a chick wants to be with another of the same sex, good for them. Not out of hate, but out if tolerance I say that I don't care about them and what they want. It isn't my business to say who should be with each other, unless the relationship is abusive or unhealthy or something else that doesn't make plain or logical sense. Besides, I think that the reason homosexuality is considered taboo might (high emphasis on "MIGHT") be because on a practical and primal level, reproduction can't happen without heterosexual intercourse of sperm cell to egg cell. Then again, it is just a thought that I have. No expertise on the matters. Just things based on what I've heard about.
+Caz Nail on the head. It's why I'm disappointed there haven't been more crazy super-heroics in most X-Men comics except for Deadpool. I would love it if the X-Men got a reboot where the day started out with them fighting Sauron's dinosaur soldier army, then have to deal with Selene's magic in Rita Repulsa action, before finishing the day by fighting the multi-form Brood alien invasion. Yes, I love their message but I would love some crazy comic action!
+Caz i dont mind the story of xmen, but it was never developed... if they showed something like the morlock massace, or a hunt or being hunted scenario, then im ok with it. we need the marauders or real sentinels, we need xmen going over the edge, killing at first sight. shit have to get real.
yeah but then you wouldn't have the budget mystic wouldn't change like she does in the movies,night crawler wouldn't poof, magetos power would be way way reduced, etc
+darkmyro Well now days you can get that type of budget for those shows, although you would have to go to Netflix or HBO. The problem for Fox is that they do not own those TV rights, it is still owned by Marvel Studios.
+darkmyro Well now days you can get that type of budget for those shows, although you would have to go to Netflix or HBO. The problem for Fox is that they do not own those TV rights, it is still owned by Marvel Studios.
I'm so happy to hear you say days of future past was overrated. I couldn't understand when people were raving about it. It was ok but a big step down from first class.
+Christopher We've now had 3 comic movies in less than a month and two more are coming. I love these movies but all the different studios pumping them out will end up being their own worst enemy.
+wdcain1 In wrestling (booking) slang they call it "hotshoting". We did X and it drew money? Then let's keep doing X (and tired the audience) until we sapped up every cent out of them. Everyone knows the addage: Too much of a good thing...
Christopher I'm just worried they'll flood the market. I remember when Capcom nearly killed the fighting game genre in the late 90s by pumping out fighter one after another (SF Alpha, SF3, Darkstalker, both MVCs, and both CVSs). But movies are a totally different format from video games so as long as studios can keep them fresh, they should be all right.
+wdcain1 I think it might happen *despite* quality. Obviously the Superhero sub-genre is more diverse with sub-sub-genres of comedy, heist, and psychological thriller movies in addition to the standard action films. But it still feels like it has to decline soon over the next couple years anyway. This is more a prediction about public opinions than box office decline. That'll come after. Maybe 3-4 years?
Strongly disagree about Day of Future Past, but all of the the original Trilogy now look very dated. Apparently Vaughn basically wrote the script for DoFP.
+MrMuxix While that is true of other instances of X-Men media Bryan Singer very specifically made those first few films aboutt about LGBT rights. He's even stated that as such on many occasions.
I've always had a soft spot for this series and not because of nostalgia, they do things that I enjoy. The first one is indeed dated but not unentertaining to watch still, and I'm sorry I loved DOFP (yes I saw it more than once, and I'd easily take it over Age of Ultron or the Thor movies). I like that the series treats itself more like a film franchise rather than cramming in more comic book characters willy nilly, I like that they have a more serious feel and themes without being "grim n gritty" like the DC films. Most of all, I like that, whether you like it or not, they've been chilling in the background, not trying to copy Marvel (which makes it all the more disappointing that Bob says that's what was done here).
pans labrinith is a very good movie also from del toro and hellboy 2 is just 1 of my favorite movies the creatures in it are so wel made and intresting to see
the first Blade is one of the most underrated comics movie ever. I think it's great . Great mood, action, horror, etc...It's amazing how they could do this while probably being ignorant of the comics. The second one while it had good things in it was a bit of a mess, especially the action scenes.
+godofdun Both are still impressive as examples of Burton's production design (sets, costumes, cinematography, etc.), but they fail as Batman stories, depicting him as a sneering killer prone to falling in love overnight and revealing his identity. Good movies, but an inferior Batman.
Watch them with someone who hasn't seen them. Preferably someome who grew up with modern comicbookmovies. The costumes, sets, models, action, dialogue, story etc. are pretty bad if viewed without nostalgia. It's not as outdated as the Reeve's Superman movies(which for example, my little brother watches like he does Sharknado, so terrible that it's fun to laugh at 😕) but I don't think it holds up. I can enjoy it when I watch with "This is almost a 30 year old movie" in mind, but if I try to watch it more objectively or the same way I watch modern superhero/Batman films, it's pretty bad.
+ryukagesama "they fail as Batman stories, depicting him as a sneering killer prone to falling in love overnight and revealing his identity. Good movies, but an inferior Batman." Says they're bad Batman stories... describes typical Batman. Not sure if you know, but the iteration of Batman killing people was the original run... and even after the CCA got their hands on it, what you described of him falling in love and revealing his identity to women he meets overnight is pretty much what Batman does.
Wait, what was wrong with Days of Future Past? I think it's probably the most ingenious reboot ever. DC should study it in the event they need to put out a Flashpoint movie to reboot their trainwreck universe.
+iKhanKing I think for alot of people DOFP is just the cinematic equivalent of your average wide-line event comic (that init of itself is problematic if you're a Marvel Comics Fan, as ever since House of M Marvel has come out with a new event almost every year and it's EXHAUSTING), an overly-long, drawn out, bloated and convoluted event that requires alot of energy just to change things in the continuity that the people in charge or the fans didn't like (in this case, X3 and Origins). And that's not even addressing the rest of the film's problems, like the fact that the online marketing suggested that DOFP would show the repercussions and effects of Mutants existing in the real world, but none of it really got beyond the same old "Humans fear and hate us" schtick that's been going on since X1 (while writers like Grant Morrison have been able to explore the concept and come up with amazing stories almost a decade earlier in the comics). Then there's the fact that, for a movie with so many characters, it chooses to exclusively focus on four (Wolverine, Mystique, Prof. X and Magneto) and just shove the other characters to the side, it bends over backwards to have Wolverine be the one to time travel (I know Kitty Pryde wasn't alive in the 70's but why didn't the writers just have her mind take the place of her mom's and just go with that? They already gave her random telepathic powers out of nowhere, is having her go back in time and posses her mom really that much of a stretch), the movie teases really interesting concepts and then either drops them (Mutants enlisting and fighting in Vietnam) or just bungles them spectacularly (Magneto being accused of assassinating JFK only to reveal that JFK was a mutant and Magneto was trying to prevent the assassination but accidentally curved the bullet into JFK's head. Which is fucking stupid.) There's also the "Charles Xavier as heroin addict" metaphor that I really liked up until Future Xavier convinces him to embrace his powers because the anguish of mutants around the world would make Young Xavier "stronger", which was so edgy I started getting random cuts on my body in the theater. Trask's plan also could've been better (he acknowledges the fact that he could milk mutants being a massive threat as a means to unite the human race and end the Cold War, but then chooses to build killing machines created to wipe them out entirely, when he would've been better off secretly training/funding mutant terrorists, creating his own proxy-war), there's a bit of forced tension in the third act (Kitty's under the threat of bleeding out EVEN THOUGH MAGNETO IS STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO HER AND COULD STOP THE BLEEDING USING THE IRON IN HER BLOOD), Quicksilver's brought in for one scene despite the fact that he's very useful, and for a superhero team meant to represent almost every marginalized group in American history, DOFP chooses to literally kill off all of it's character's of color and again, focuses of 3 white people and a Jewish guy (who's at best, treated as an anti-hero).
It was the fact it was a shitty reboot I didn't like. I liked the film but the fact that it was pointless bugged me. The events of the old films matter for those movies, and the new ones matter for the new ones, but DFP's good but pointless.
2 things. They should have cast Geno Segers from Banshee as Apocalypse. When I say perfect casting, it would have been perfect casting. And am I the only person who thinks they did things backwards here. The mid credit scene alludes to Mr. Sinister; this movie should have been about Sinister, alluding to Apocalypse. That's a villain that you build up. Fucking Fox.
"And am I the only person who thinks they did things backwards here. " Nope, you are not. This is why some X-Men fans aren't happy with this franchise: The people who own it continue to not understand it and get rewarded for it.
oh my days thank you! I thought i was the only one thinking that. In my opinion they should have done this, have the x-men fight mr.sinisters powerful henchmen then next movie have x-men fight mr.sinister then the movie after that fight apocalypse.
***** Okay, it's all just an opinion. Personally, I think X2 is the weakest of the original X-Men movies. It doesn't hold up well. I didn't think Deadpool was that funny. Apocalypse was do disappointing.
I agree with your top two, but X-2 is fantastic. The writing, the character arcs, and the action are all great. But ultimately what's fantastic is that it's not even a superhero movie - it's just a movie about human characters and their relationships.
HoustonProductions1 I think X1 holds up better because it is about Wolverine and Rogue. I think X2 isn't that great. There are some good action sequences like the Nightcrawler scene, but I think the character arcs aren't that great for the most part.
I fear if Wolverine 3 doesn't do good then Daedpool will get dumbed down because of 20th century fox's inability to realize that Deadpool did good because it was good, not because of the R rating
The R rating has a part of it tho. I mean, Deadpool's humor can only work so much without the R rating. The closest we got of a good PG Deadpool was in Ultimate Spiderman, were he was more jokey and silly and less psycho.
+GhostEye what he meant is that the movie made so much because it was good, and happened to be R-rated. You can get the same level of success with a good PG13 movie, but because Hollywood is Hollywood, they just see the R-rating and now everything has to be R-rated
I agree there seemed to be some worthwhile ideas and emotional stuff in it. I don't understand why people are so against this. Maybe it's the lack of clear emotional focus on a single character, because it does jump around a lot.
Eh. I didn't think it was as bad as everyone was saying, although I could have used more a comic-book accurate Apocalypse and probably more "young X-Men steal a car and get into trouble" sub-plot. I think that the continuity has become more "Star Trek" alternate universe reboot than prequel to "X-Men."
I hate how the Mystique make up and effects have gotten worse in the recent movies than they were over a decade ago. All because J-Law doesn't want to go through the time, or physical exposure, that the previous actress Rebecca Romijn did. And, yes I know that she has a sensitivity to the make up, but I would argue that they should either change the look, possibly to match more in line with the comics, or get a different actress. One that will actually give a shit when she expresses an emotion.
Rebecca moved like a snake/lizard also she moved very model like, Jennifer knows how to phone things in near and far I'd like to see her Verzon Bill lol
TBH Mystique looks bad on J-Law. She has that round baby face, they style her hair into a read plastic bucket that does not look like hair at all, the skin patterns look so obviously glued on, and the color they chose for her looks cheap. Rebecca looks like the real deal, while J-Law looks like a cosplayer. The fact that they simplify her prosthetic with every movie makes the difference even more obvious.
Jlaw is the exact representation of millenial "talent" in Hollywood.. almost everything was given to her (including her academy award) so she just doesn't care to put effort into anything. The money she was paid for this film was ridiculous and the money she makes in a year is more than some small countries and she can't be bothered to put on makeup for a movie role.. sad
***** They ended a movie with the twist that Mystique took Wolverine and never mentioned it again. That would be like if The Walking Dead came back and never showed who Negan killed
Finally saw the movie and... yeah I mostly agree with your review. X-Men Apocalypse isn't the worst in the series (I'd still take it over The Last Stand and Origins Wolverine) but it doesn't come together. Rehashed story, boring villain (didn't think I'd be saying that), and horrible effects. At this point, the series has run its course. Doubt there's much more they can do in this timeline without rebooting it.
You nailed my feelings on Singer. I havent enjoyed Fassbender in any film other than First Class and oddly Jonah Hex so his prominence is kind of off putting to me. Ive mostly felt slightly let down by every X film barring First Class (even X-1 at the time was amazing but a let down action wise). Im probably going to watch this film at some point (probably on a plane?) and unless its as bad as BvS or Fant4stic, I will probably consider it time well spent if I dont have to pay for it
Fox needs to look to EON & Marvel Studios and just let more directors take a stab at X-Men instead of Singer. Tim Miller got the X verse accurate but Singer keeps piggybacking on his 2000/2003 luck and its depressing as it is pathetic (even with the seven years since the Ratner debacle (The Last Stand).
My opinion on superhero fatigue: to much of the same thing in a row, even if it's a thing you like, can make it routine. But as long as there's something new and/or creative about it it will still satisfy. One of the reasons the Marvel Studios movies don't get repetitive is that they don't do the same thing over and over again.
Let's face it. This is going to be rebooted as soon as they decide Hugh Jackman is too old to be Wolverine and then they'll strike a deal with Disney so it's just a waiting game now.
+Jose Colella Surely does,Fox did the same thing with Fantastic Four and that god awful movie in 2015.They made that movie just so the rights wouldnt go back to marvel,and guess what they make a sequel to that shitty movie. X-Men movies seem to go into this territory more and more.I thought the reboot would help the franchise grow with First Class being fairly cool but then it became so unconventional that it barely looked like it could keep its story straight or have a decent plot going on.
+Jose Colella It's not that I disagree with you but the chances (however small) exist with the fact that Tom Rothman is no longer a FOX executive and Ike Perlmutter no longer has any power over the cinematic universe. Again, I think it would be a hell of a long shot for Xmen to join MCU, but two of the biggest barriers to a deal being made are gone. It could happen...
As I understand it, there is no way FOX will give back Xmen. Rather, they might (a big "might") decide to work out a deal allowing FOX to continue making Xmen movies under Marvel's oversight (as Sony is doing with Spiderman). This would continue to give FOX enormous paydays, probably even bigger paydays than they currently have as they would be in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And Marvel benefits from the occasional appearance grander cohesion of having a less fragmented Cinematic world. It is honestly a win-win, but the relationship between FOX and Marvel has been mired by so much of the Rothman/Perlmutter controversy, I just don't think it is likely. But one can dream, right?
+Dave Falk not really. You need to consider the narrative issues that come with trying to bring the X-Men a property with such a huge history and is quite incompatible with even the comics Marvel universe, into the MCU. You also have to realize that Fox is in a very different position than Sony was. Finally, let's make no mistake, Spider-Man is an infinitely larger property than X-Men. There's no benefit in trying for the X-Men.
Mr. Sparkle It's likely not Ryan Reynolds himself said Deadpool is not in the same universe as X-MEN DOFP, the X-MEN in Deadpool are from a different universe makes sense when you think about it if Deadpool took place in the X-MEN DOFP timeline since parts of X-MEN Origins Wolverine ala Team X which took place in 1973 where wade was likely 30-40 years old, then in 2016 without the Weapon X program he would have been 70-80 years old. I think Deadpool secretly takes place in the MCU, because of the obvious Helicarrier, Kevin Feige being asked about Negasonic Teenage Warhead's portrayal by the director himself, the talk about Deadpool amongst MCU actors and Ryan Reynolds praising the MCU along with Civil War and shitting on Fantastic Four, and separating Deadpool from the X-MEN universe. Legion is also separate from the X-MEN universe the TV show about Xavier's Son, and so might be Hellfire.
Two things: 1) I agree about the Striker stuff being a pointless detour. 2) "Bloodless?" Er... what movie where you watching man? There was enough blood flying everywhere to paint some rooms. Unless bloodless is being used as a descriptor for something that I'm just not getting? Either way, I liked it but it's still interesting to see where you stand on these movies.
This was my favorite x-men movie. I agree with your general analysis of the franchise, but I think you're starting to come in a little too hot wanting every film to shake up the genre. This was one issue, one episode in the adventures of the movieverse X-men and it was a fine one if not a game-changer. We met and developed some characters, cyclops and crew got to save the day for the first time, Jean rose from the ashes of a mishandled Phoenix story and gave us a glimpse of something exciting to come, and she even made a joke about it. If you view the movie on its own terms, as a fun filler episode, I don't think you can be that mad at it.
So, Wolverine basically just shows up and says, "Hi, I'm Wolverine. I'm gonna go over there now." and disappears forever? Just like Sub Zero in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation?
Oh my god, you were talking so fast, I almost got a whiplash. I literally had to replay some bits just to so it would stop sounding like white noise. I'm glad I did btw.
Well I did enjoy X-MEN: Days of Future Past and Deadpool. This one here however was kind of a let down. And I suspect the 3D version of causing me a headache after watching it in the cinema.
Last Stand was better. So they basically did all this revamp with First Class, brought Singer back and after the uproar of him not doing X-Men 3, he made a movie that's worse than Last Stand.
Marvel Knight you're kidding right? I had no idea what Apocalypse was doing. at least with Last Stand it was about the mutant cure and Magneto going to war for it cause he thought that was an attack on his race
Johnny Skinwalker Apocalypse explicitly explained what he was doing several times. He wanted to wipe out modern technology because in his mind the "weak" were trying to be gods. Its a Tower of Babel metaphor.
Looking back at this in 2020. None of us expected Disney to buy out 20th Century Fox. Weirdly enough, a background gag from a Simpsons episode predicted this. An ongoing cartoon series has become the modern-day Nostrodamus. This is indeed a disturbing universe.
"Bloodless"?? Are different countries getting different cuts? I was pleasantly shocked by how much they didn't shy away from showing the literal buckets of blood Wolverine left in his wake.
Buy it because it does. At the very least, Blade knows it's a rather 90s gimmicky film. The X-Men movies actually think they're above campiness and think they're heavily thoughtful films
Epic-Fran! X-Men is rather dated but it's still very well acted and the dialogue is on point. X2 holds up VERY well on pretty much all fronts though. Blade 1 has aged terribly (even though I have a soft spot for it) and Blade 2, while good, still has plenty of that weird 2000-era CGI on top of being a pretty simple movie. It's good, but the X-Men stuff was more solid then, and it's more solid now.
+Falcovsleon21 I have a feeling Deadpool is secretly an MCU movie just in case Fox want to make a deal, it's probably the case right now that Fox and Marvel are going to take Deadpool shove it in MCU canon and spin-off a new X-MEN franchise from it
six2make4 You do know that Fox will finance the movie right, and Marvel is fine with Rated R stuff ala Daredevil, they just have no plans to finance, a Rated-R movie of their own, using properties they control.
So after several good reviews, we get another one that comes over that Bob didn't want to like the film from the start. I take Bob's reviews as 66% of the time he does great work. Note; this isn't to say the film is great and Bob has no idea, more I don't trust the review. See amazing spiderman 2, where he's correct, but it comes over that he wanted to hate it.
+Justin Ross as I said, spiderman 2 was awful. Bob was correct. My point on this was that on the run up and the review itself he wanted to hate it. Xmen Apocalypse may very well be crap, Bob may very well be correct, but it's as though he wants to hate the movie. This makes the review come across as biased and therefore not trustworthy.
"he wanted to hate it" i recall from some of his videos that he was trying to give the movie a break, not already hateing it. and everyone is biased by the way
***** He directly said as much, yes, but it didn't seem that way. Just remember though I use ASM2 as a point to say he could be correct about this film. It's not the bias per-say I have a problem with, it's the blatant unapologetic bias that I take issue with. It's a trust issue, I cannot trust the review due to it. I want to hate the film due to the director, and the costumes, and the story, little detail, all hate. Can't trust that. Now take his Batman V Superman review, total dissection, clinical reasoning, points that make me think he watched the film, took it in and it was just bad. That was a good review (of a bad film). This is a bad review, so I cannot trust the judgement.
I love the X-Men movies not for their great stories or overall quality but rather for their really cool imaginative action scenes. For example, Days of Future Past was quite a convoluted plot but the Quicksilver kitchen scene is one of my favorite action scenes ever. All I want from Apocalypse is 1-2 really awesome scenes and nothing more.
+Ushio01 There isn't a non-Disney MCU. The "Marvel Cinematic Universe" is all the properties owned by Disney and Marvel Studios (which, for all intents and purposes, is separate from Marvel). The other ones (X-Men, Fantastic Four, and previously Spider-Man) are owned by separate companies and thus exist in their own cinematic universes (except for the latter two, which crashed and burned, with Sony giving the rights to Spiderman back in all but name so that they can at least make a quick buck). But yes, Bob does tend to shit on most non-MCU comic movies, because most recent non-MCU comic movies have features that Bob dislikes, such as rushed, unfocused, or confusing plots; underdeveloped characters; sloppy cinematography/choreography; etc. Also, did you miss the part where he said First Class was incredible?
+Ushio01 maybe if it was an MCU film with a Disney logo it would have done the MCU format well and had good effects instead of trying and failing to do both of those things.
My only complaint is the timeline. I'm so lost on where everything is now, and how Wolverine got his Adamantium claws back following 2013 Wolverine. Following DOFP's ending, we see everyone still alive and well in the schoolhouse. Would that mean that the events of X Men Apocalypse already took place? They really keep fucking with the timeline to fix what the Last Stand had done. Hell, they even throw a jab at it in Apocalypse when the kids sneak out to see Star Wars. When they leave the movie Jean says "Well, at least we can agree the 3rd is always the worst" as she walks out of the shot.
Just admit it: X-Men 1, 2, Future's Past, First Class and Deadpool are leagues ahead of most MCU movies. Only Iron Man 1, Guardians, and Winter Soldier come close. Civil War was highly overrated and just wanted to get to the slug fest. It's ok to admit non MCU films to be good you know.
+Nosfonader87 You mean leagues behind. All of the X-Men movies suck as an adaptation, and all but First Class and DoFP are unpalatable as standalone films. And no, I wouldn't consider Deadpool to be one of the X-Men movies because 1) he's not a mutant, 2) Deadpool, Colossus and the X-Mansion are vastly different and more accurate versions than the ones in the X-Men movies, 3) Fox didn't have a hand in making Deadpool at all apart from funding its meager budget, which is why it's pretty faithful to its source material, and 4) even Ryan Reynolds said it can't really crossover into XCU.
+Aes Sedai Guess I'm just Xmen biased then. I can't re watch MCU movies other than Guardians. But I have no problems watching the X flicks moth no difficulty. Just do what I do: Marvel and DC have a multiverse; the movies are just another earth to me. Take it as is and not as a pure adaptation.
Nosfonader87 That's fine, you're allowed to be XCU biased, just like I'm allowed to be X-Men biased in the opposite direction after Singer totally botched it the first time. To be clear, I'm a die-hard fan of the X-Men in the comics and they're the ones who got me reading comic books in the first place, so I hope you'll see why I have nothing but contempt for the XCU. I do the multiverse thing for the MCU with no problem, because even with different events, the characters are still the same. But I find it hard to do so with XCU, because the characters are completely different, as in the core traits and familial ties are changed, which makes it a totally exclusive universe to the overall X-Men multiverse. So I can't even enjoy watching the X-Men movies without that in mind. Suffice to say, I regard the XCU as nothing but a fan fic done in a large and expensive scale, separate from the canon X-Men. As for DC, I'm not even gonna open that can of worms lol.
+Aes Sedai That's our problem: we expect way to much of a close enough adaptation that we hate and bitch to easily. We as a fandom need to shut our brains off when watching these films. I don't mind the DC movies being darker and more violent than Marvel. BvS was great, the fight itself was too short though.
Nosfonader87 I disagree. If you settle for something, you won't get what you want and/or deserve. We as a fandom have to demand better product from filmmakers because ultimately we're paying them money to watch their work. We're the customer, they're the seller, and the customer is always right. Also, not everyone can turn off their brains, especially at something that they don't expect to be just dumb entertainment.
I finally saw X6 Apocalypse and I liked it. Except for Jennifer Lawrence's Mystique, every other actor plays their role very well (I loved Oscar Issac's Apoclypse). It really helps this movie that Wolverine isn't the main character and they can focus on others. The big problem is that this movie plays it safe. There are no major shake-ups like First Class & DoFP did.
Jeez, another non-disney super hero movie that Bob hated, what a shock! "give the rights to Disney", fucking really, Bob? X-Men 2 still better than 80% of the shit Disney made (including disasters like Iron Man 2, Thor 2, and Age of Ultron), and Stan Lee actually had 2 "dramatic" cameos in the first 2 Spiderman movies...I dont wanna believe in the "Disney is paying critics" bullshit, but you know, seeing critics praising Civil War (a very good movie, and THATS IT) while taking a dump on every cbm not made by Disney, looks fishy.
+Jose Colella He liked Deadpool. The issue isn't that the X-men movies aren't like Marvel the issue is that Fox doesn't know what it has. The X-men movies should be amazing, but Fox just kind of fumbles around wth them. Why would Disney need to pay critics?
+PowerChannel88 The Dark Knight Rises: mixed reviews Man of Steel: mixed reviews Fantastic Four: disaster Amazing Spiderman: disaster Amazing Spiderman 2: disaster BvS: disaster Apokalypse: disaster Meanwhile, CRAP like Thor 2, Iron Man 2, and Age of Ultron got a free pass, and Civil War its called "the best cbm ever made" (lol) Only non-disney cbm to receive some praise in the last 5 years was DOTP, and know Bob is saying he lied back then, wtf!
Wait a minute so you're saying the ridiculous mess that is batman returns "kinda holds up" and the 2 first and only good xmen movies "don't hold up" ? Cmon bob just stop.
+MsGrumpyGorilla I kinda wondered about that. He said "Sorta" holds up. I think he means that Returns was an "interesting mess" or possibly that it was visually neat but I don't know. Batman Returns was the beginning of the end for Burton.
+Geahk Burchill .....Maybe he meant it as "Returns is just so visually striking and interesting that despite it's flaws it still warrants some interest and entertainment, while X1-X2's bland cinematic style and watered down version of the characters is just boring in the end."? I dunno that's what I got from him.
+Johar Malik I disagree entirely. Unlike Batman Returns the first two xmen films tell good stories with compelling characters. Magneto was more sympathetic and interesting than his comic book counterpart and wolverine had much more dimension than his crazy rage monster comic counterpart. And come on, Singer had plenty of visual flare. I'm pretty sure that night crawler scene is still etched in people's minds.
Outside of Deadpool, every Fox Marvel movie has felt like they were made out obligation and not desire. This stuff is popular right now, so make sure we have something in theaters. I have to imagine it wouldn't be that hard to find a crew who would be hyped to get to make an x-men movie over any other movie, they way Reynolds and crew were stoked to make Deadpool.
Usually agree with you on a lot, surprised we differed so greatly here. I had fun. Ton of cool X-MEN characters get some spotlight AND it could've been way Worse.
Moviebob seems to be a "This movie is the worst/unrest movie ever" kind of guy but he's not always ironic and fun about it like Mr. Sunday. He never talks positives and negatives just one or the other. Seems like he has a hard time finding joy in things unless they are spectacular.
You are spot on. This is the typical stereotype superhero movie which threatens the genre. X-men deserves better but the apocalypse story arc was never good to begin with
This guy said X2 doesn't hold up but Batman Returns does. This guy is insane. I couldn't watch anything past that statement. Basically this guy just took a shit on every X-MEN movie ever made. Do you think he went into seeing X-MEN Apocalypse with an open mind? Fuck no. Irrelevant review.
laz kar Some of the greatest stories ever told in the Marvel Universe are X-MEN stories (Days of Future Past, God Loves Man Kills, the Dark Phoenix Saga). The X-MEN title has literally saved Marvel Comics from bankruptcy in the past. I have to ask you, how did you happen to come upon this review? Did you seek this review out to basically confirm what you already knew? That you were going to hate this movie no matter what. Your just as idiotic as this reviewer.
+laz kar You're clearly a product of the MCU. No one gave a shit about Iron Man before RDJ played him. Only Spider-Man has sold more comics for Marvel than the X-MEN title. I'm sure most people that TRULY read comics would disagree with your assemment of the Dark Phoenix Saga, and the X-MEN in general for that matter. I'm done wasting time on you.
I remember some of those Dark Phoenix comics fairly well. That damn space-entity thing got around like all hell. At one point it inhabited Spider-Man (and I can't even remember which incarnation this was) because he saved her from dying by giving her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. I wouldn't say they were small fry, since the Dark Phoenix and related sagas slapped the Marvel comics line around more than a few times, but I absolutely agree that plotline and those related to it did more to kill the suspension of disbelief, especially with death, than anything else in the Marvel comic line when I was still reading it regularly.
Jon Weilbaecher+ I won't dispute that there are those who flat out hate Bryan Singer, but I am not one of them. I don't think he's the worst director in Hollywood. Not even in the top ten. I just think he's overrated. Though I like Days of Futures Past I don't think Singer has made a great film since The Usual Suspects. Singer didn't make First Class though. That was Matt Vaughan. And my original post was asking why people put it on such a high pedestal because I thought, and still believe, it's severely under-average.
***** What, did Singer not make this recent failure? It was suppose to be a guaranteed 90%+ RT rating and make over $800M WW. As for DOFP, I couldn't stand the shit. They did all this time machine crap in order to correct the continuity only to make it worse! What's pathetic is how Singer's Pool Boys are crying foul now since Fox is getting called out on their bullshit more than ever. It's not a damn plot it's the reality of what happens when people get tired of 16 years of pointless timeline, ongoing plot holes, character bastardizing and S&M costume wearing crap!
Star Scream I despise the X.men series with a passion, primarily because I am an X men fan. I like First Class however and the team from First Class worked on DoFP before moving on and handing over to Singer which explains why I enjoy that movie too.
The moment they turned Apocalipse from this super powerful mutant with a rather unique personality and specially his amazingly weird voice that managed to be both threatning and hilarious when needed into a generic grey soft spoken villain i had a bad feeling about this film, havent seen it so i will still reserve my judgement but just saying, remember the animated Apocalipse.
+Prashun 'PC' Chakraborty I'd call DOFP in league with most of the MCU films, better than a few of them but less fufilling than more than a few others.
Being fair to it, I thi that mainly because I'm not the biggest fan of the preceding movies. I can acknowledge First Class is a really good story, and no matter what Bob says I find X2 and The Wolverine engaging and even the Last Stand works in a dumb popcorn movie kinda way. Even the though, this franchise just hasn't been one I've cared about for the decade preceding DOFP so I was familiar but not totally enraptured by the characters like I was and still am with the cast of the MCU.
+SuperMicklovin People who like a solidly crafted, emotionally resonant and historically important movie are only going off nostalgia? Take off your contrarian goggles.
+LarryBonson a movie as campy as fucking austin powers where a stupid villain wants to create a new coastline by destroying california with a couple of nukes shot to the san andreas fault is a story that holds up... alright... if you guys say so
I still think X2 is a good film and I liked Days of Future of Past and if I rated the X-Men films I'd go First Class, Deadpool, and either place Days of Future Past or X2 as three given how I feel that day given I really like both of those films and go day by day deciding which I like better.
You shush Days of Future Past was awesome.
+The Ponderer Its good not great. There's bright patches here and there but overall its just a good movie.
Days of Future Past is alright, but it's not really better than decent.
I barely remember most of the scenes from the movie, which is usually a good indication to me that a film isn't any better than average.
***** I watched it like last week. What glaring issues am I supposedly missing?
Days of future past was good, not everyone has the same opinion people.
DOFP is my favorite superhero film of all time. Best action best characters best acting best storyline.
Thank you for mentioning how bad the CGI is, most reviews don't even mention it.
there is a particular scene in the climax where mystique is talk and you can just see the chunky low pixel debris floating behind her.
+Hayden Burke that shipyard shot is flat out not finished. There are no textures the lighting is wrong. It's a shot they completely forgot to finish.
+Jeffrey Maxson I saw the movie. The CGI is really bad and fake, almost Fant4stic level. Even DOFP's CGI is better.
+Luan Penna its interesting that some are saying the cgi in this blows civil war away but yet some say its god awefull. i have yet to see it but from the trailers i think its obvious bryan singer was trying to go for that comic book bright flashy look that almost has to look cheesy and fake, im actually looking forward to it and not expecting it to look realistic in anyway, my problem is if you are going to go all out and make it look like a real life comic book adaption...then why in the fuuuck wouldnt you at least make apocalypse full cgi!!! esp if everything else is...smh it makes no sense
+Azhawk187 Yeah. Anyway, the CGI is not too good, but the movie is ok. DOFP is waay better.
When I saw that Jennifer Lawrence was a lead in this movie my thoughts were, "So is she gonna be the new Hugh Jackman where they put her in everything and focus the plot on her because she is the most famous actor on the roster?"
+orangeapples She was not super happy to be in this one and won't be back again last I heard.
+orangeapples She's not even close at being the lead, make your opinion after you watch the film. Apocalypse, Magento, Professor X, Quicksilver, Cyclops, Jean and even Nightcrawler have more screentime than her.
Your comment is kind of stupid. Hugh Jackman was never in a movie because of being the most famous actor on the cast. He got a lot of screen time because people love Wolverine. When he was cast in the first X-Men movie, he was an unknown actor. He only became very famous afterwards and I personally don't think he was ever given too much screen time at the expense of someone else in the cast.
+Will Smyser Last I heard, it was the opposite.
As a couple other people already said, it's actually the opposite: Wolverine is well known for having a contractual obligation to show up in stuff, regardless of whether he really belongs there. We're just lucky he didn't get front billing on the posters this time.
tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WolverinePublicity
A lot of people don't even finish the review before calling Bob an MCU fanboy. He clearly states that First Class was good and DOFP was alright, he even said The Wolverine was decent. Hell, he even says Deadpool is a good movie. He regularly sings the praises of the original Superman, the Raimi Spider-Man, and even the first two Blade films. But yeah, everything not MCU is shit to Bob, right?
+MayFlower10196 You in the back with the reality, pipe down would ya?
Almost everything not in the MCU is shit. And most of the MCU is really good. If you were to make a pool of all the great superhero movies ever I would say 75 percent or higher would be MCU
+Connor Ketcham I disagree. I find most of the MCU shite too.
The reason people call Bob an MCU fanboy isn't because he didn't like this film but that his criticisms easily apply to MCU films he praises.
Outside of Captain America, none of the pre-Avengers rose above okay. Avengers itself I really liked the first time I watched it but didn't hold up well on a rewatch, feeling ultimately shallow.
Pre-Avengers 2 we got great films in Cap 2 and Iron Man 3 but I didn't care for Thor 2 or GOTG at all. Then Avengers 2 came out, complete garbage. It was Amazing Spiderman 1/2 bad. I haven't watched an MCU film since.
This is just an opinion of course, but it does irritate me that people sometimes talk as if MCU films are mostly these great artistic endeavours when many are the same cynical commercial crap Sony and Fox put out (just prettier and sometimes more competently put together crap).
+jakerockznoodles THANK YOU for pointing this out. Bob comes off as a MCU fanboy because he gives the Marvel movies all the credit, while discrediting everything else in the genre but the original Spider man films, you want to talk effects that haven't held up well? Take a gander at those.
While I disagree with you about the Pre-Avengers stuff, its got its ups and downs, but they do now and they did then, I agree that the MCU is neither the ONLY competent label in town, and like you, I agree its intentions are no different (IE less or more noble)from the other studios people continue to decry. Green Lantern was terrible, so was Ghost Rider 2, so was Wolverine origins. They all had missteps before they found their footing, and they've ALL had some slipshod sequels. To me, the bigger picture is, a ton of superhero films to pick from every year, it has become its own genre, and not in the bad way Daredevil and Fantastic Four seemed to make it out to be. Everyone wins, multiple times a year.
I haven't seen this movie yet, I didn't like Days of Future as much as First Class, but I chalk that up to my incredulity at the overall concept as much as anything in the film itself. I'll go into this with a open mind, and if its sucks? *shrug* Sony had their major win for the year, Deadpool. And I'm betting DC's big win will be Suicide Squad. Again, there's enough room for three cinematic movie universes, and if anyone is going to review them, they should try and be objective about each of them, not automatically just support one.
+CrimsonVagabond You don't listen well and/or argue poorly. He listed half a dozen great non-MCU films for comparison.
Also, Deadpool is Fox (same as Apocalypse), not Sony.
Being "objective" about entertainment media is a only valuable for box office numbers, cast & crew, and run time. Being "objective" about what's entertaining is a fallacy.
The big problem with most of the X-Men films is that they tell minor variations of the same story i.e. mutants are oppressed/dangerous as a metaphor for minorities, namely youth who are discovering their sexuality, which gets repetitive, especially when it results in films as bad as The Last Stand.
Still, Deadpool was fun, so at least something good has come from the Fox Marvel films this year. Maybe the now R-rated Wolverine 3 will be a good send-off for Jackman's iconic take on the character?
Originally, the X-Men stories were a metaphor essentially for racial minorities. Though, they are vague enough to be expanded to any group that is or are perceived as being oppressed.
Being in the demographic of Male, White, Straight Adolescent to Adult, American, I don't think I am fully qualified to talk in detail on whether people not like me have it as bad as I hear it is. In turn, I take it on a case-by-case basis so I can account for exceptions to expectations.
Anyway, I think that the X-Men being made as a metaphor for sexual difference of straight to not-straight is sort of there, but I don't really see it. There is a stronger connection to racial difference due to how mutants in Marvel are just offshoots of regular humans based on genetics, in the same way people that are and are not white is all down to very small variances in genetics. Sexuality is a choice, so far as I can see without a metaphorical telescope. Race is something you are born with and can't realistically change.
Either way, I won't stop you from ascribing your own interpretation to the comic mythos. You can have your opinion and I can have mine, provided that the opinion doesn't cause some sort of harm against people, property, or general peace. And in all honesty, the opinions of comic subtext is not as harmful as some opinions can be (and I'm not going to call out any particular ones out if respect for the people that do believe them).
+Craig Kuhlman The problem with the comment "sexuality is a choice" is that... it's not. More and more research is showing that sexuality is something your body programs into you; it's as intrinsic to who you are as skin color is (or isn't). People who ascribe to these off-norm identities aren't doing so by choice; they're doing so because of the same small variances in their biology.
Chris V Again, I say that I'm not an expert and I'm just a straight white guy of the States. I don't know everything and what I say is through the lens of my own life, which is always in a different metaphorical tint than other people's way of seeing the world.
Regardless, I have nothing against gay people. What two adults want to do with each other in a consensual manner is really none of my business, regardless of whatever immediate reaction it could cause. If a dude wants to be romantically involved with another dude, so be it. If a chick wants to be with another of the same sex, good for them. Not out of hate, but out if tolerance I say that I don't care about them and what they want. It isn't my business to say who should be with each other, unless the relationship is abusive or unhealthy or something else that doesn't make plain or logical sense.
Besides, I think that the reason homosexuality is considered taboo might (high emphasis on "MIGHT") be because on a practical and primal level, reproduction can't happen without heterosexual intercourse of sperm cell to egg cell.
Then again, it is just a thought that I have. No expertise on the matters. Just things based on what I've heard about.
+Caz Nail on the head. It's why I'm disappointed there haven't been more crazy super-heroics in most X-Men comics except for Deadpool. I would love it if the X-Men got a reboot where the day started out with them fighting Sauron's dinosaur soldier army, then have to deal with Selene's magic in Rita Repulsa action, before finishing the day by fighting the multi-form Brood alien invasion. Yes, I love their message but I would love some crazy comic action!
+Caz
i dont mind the story of xmen, but it was never developed... if they showed something like the morlock massace, or a hunt or being hunted scenario, then im ok with it.
we need the marauders or real sentinels, we need xmen going over the edge, killing at first sight. shit have to get real.
To me, the X-Men just don't work as movies. It's a huge cast with long drawn out plots that would fit much better in a tv series.
yeah but then you wouldn't have the budget mystic wouldn't change like she does in the movies,night crawler wouldn't poof, magetos power would be way way reduced, etc
darkmyro Yeah, they would have to put effort into the acting and story telling to make up for a lack of special effects. That would be terrible.
+darkmyro Well now days you can get that type of budget for those shows, although you would have to go to Netflix or HBO. The problem for Fox is that they do not own those TV rights, it is still owned by Marvel Studios.
+darkmyro Well now days you can get that type of budget for those shows, although you would have to go to Netflix or HBO. The problem for Fox is that they do not own those TV rights, it is still owned by Marvel Studios.
yeah the cartoon was pretty good
"went bald early"
Except Xavier and Magneto are 51 in this movie. I will not miss this series.
Some of the effects look like they belong in Sharkboy and Lavagirl
Agreed!
"We've been letting the X-Men movies off too light" is not the same thing as "Pretty much all of them suck."
I'm so happy to hear you say days of future past was overrated. I couldn't understand when people were raving about it. It was ok but a big step down from first class.
Superhero fatigue, it's coming.
+Christopher We've now had 3 comic movies in less than a month and two more are coming. I love these movies but all the different studios pumping them out will end up being their own worst enemy.
+Christopher 3 cbm in 3 months its INSANE
+wdcain1 In wrestling (booking) slang they call it "hotshoting". We did X and it drew money? Then let's keep doing X (and tired the audience) until we sapped up every cent out of them. Everyone knows the addage: Too much of a good thing...
Christopher
I'm just worried they'll flood the market. I remember when Capcom nearly killed the fighting game genre in the late 90s by pumping out fighter one after another (SF Alpha, SF3, Darkstalker, both MVCs, and both CVSs). But movies are a totally different format from video games so as long as studios can keep them fresh, they should be all right.
+wdcain1 I think it might happen *despite* quality. Obviously the Superhero sub-genre is more diverse with sub-sub-genres of comedy, heist, and psychological thriller movies in addition to the standard action films. But it still feels like it has to decline soon over the next couple years anyway.
This is more a prediction about public opinions than box office decline. That'll come after. Maybe 3-4 years?
Strongly disagree about Day of Future Past, but all of the the original Trilogy now look very dated. Apparently Vaughn basically wrote the script for DoFP.
+alienzen I can believe that. DoFP really felt like the best kind of sequel. Something not afraid to change things and move characters around.
+alienzen X-Men 2 still holds up
Jose Colella
Yes it does. The director's cut of X1 almost holds up. If not for one or two scenes, it would be just as good as the second.
Jose Colella
It's OK, but not that good if you compare it to the MCU films is first class and DoFP...or even Deadpool.
It was mostly between Vaughn and Simon Kinberg that made DoFP great.
"gay youth metaphor"
I'd argue that the xmen can be used as a metaphor for any oppressed group or a metaphor for sexual awakening
+Morgan Allen Or that one scene in DoFP where Mystique awkwardly goes "Mutant and proud!".
+kryptospuridium137 Or that awkward scene where Beast says “I was born that way."
+Morgan Allen funny you should mention that since Iceman recently came out of the closet in the comics.
+MrMuxix While that is true of other instances of X-Men media Bryan Singer very specifically made those first few films aboutt about LGBT rights. He's even stated that as such on many occasions.
+alexh4319 Please don't mention that, it was absolutely awful.
Good to have you back, Bob. We thought Screenrant locked you in a basement with a laptop and three bags of flour for sustenance.
I've always had a soft spot for this series and not because of nostalgia, they do things that I enjoy. The first one is indeed dated but not unentertaining to watch still, and I'm sorry I loved DOFP (yes I saw it more than once, and I'd easily take it over Age of Ultron or the Thor movies). I like that the series treats itself more like a film franchise rather than cramming in more comic book characters willy nilly, I like that they have a more serious feel and themes without being "grim n gritty" like the DC films. Most of all, I like that, whether you like it or not, they've been chilling in the background, not trying to copy Marvel (which makes it all the more disappointing that Bob says that's what was done here).
Meh, I still liked Age of Ultron and Thor. But yeah, X-Men is better.
Comicbookgirl19 says the Bryan Singer X-men era needs to end....and she's right.
First Blade was totally better than the second.
+MightySavagE Debatable. But, we can all agree that they were both good movies that are still fun to watch.
yes indeed!
+A most excellent dude who is totally not bogus! best name ever dude!
pans labrinith is a very good movie also from del toro
and hellboy 2 is just 1 of my favorite movies the creatures in it are so wel made and intresting to see
the first Blade is one of the most underrated comics movie ever. I think it's great . Great mood, action, horror, etc...It's amazing how they could do this while probably being ignorant of the comics. The second one while it had good things in it was a bit of a mess, especially the action scenes.
X Men, X2, X Men First Class and X Men Days of Future Past were all really good movies.
One of my old music teachers told me, they can love you, they can hate you, but if they're bored, you've really lost.
I think both Batman (89) and Batman: Returns hold up.
+godofdun Both are still impressive as examples of Burton's production design (sets, costumes, cinematography, etc.), but they fail as Batman stories, depicting him as a sneering killer prone to falling in love overnight and revealing his identity. Good movies, but an inferior Batman.
Watch them with someone who hasn't seen them. Preferably someome who grew up with modern comicbookmovies.
The costumes, sets, models, action, dialogue, story etc. are pretty bad if viewed without nostalgia. It's not as outdated as the Reeve's Superman movies(which for example, my little brother watches like he does Sharknado, so terrible that it's fun to laugh at 😕) but I don't think it holds up. I can enjoy it when I watch with "This is almost a 30 year old movie" in mind, but if I try to watch it more objectively or the same way I watch modern superhero/Batman films, it's pretty bad.
+ryukagesama "they fail as Batman stories, depicting him as a sneering killer prone to falling in love overnight and revealing his identity. Good movies, but an inferior Batman."
Says they're bad Batman stories... describes typical Batman. Not sure if you know, but the iteration of Batman killing people was the original run... and even after the CCA got their hands on it, what you described of him falling in love and revealing his identity to women he meets overnight is pretty much what Batman does.
I disagree except ironically.
I pissed myself laughing when you talked about Jennifer lawrence. "that vacant, disinterested 1000 yard stare" was priceless.
Bob, your reviews are often more entertaining than the movies themselves.
Like this one.
Wait, what was wrong with Days of Future Past? I think it's probably the most ingenious reboot ever. DC should study it in the event they need to put out a Flashpoint movie to reboot their trainwreck universe.
+iKhanKing I think for alot of people DOFP is just the cinematic equivalent of your average wide-line event comic (that init of itself is problematic if you're a Marvel Comics Fan, as ever since House of M Marvel has come out with a new event almost every year and it's EXHAUSTING), an overly-long, drawn out, bloated and convoluted event that requires alot of energy just to change things in the continuity that the people in charge or the fans didn't like (in this case, X3 and Origins).
And that's not even addressing the rest of the film's problems, like the fact that the online marketing suggested that DOFP would show the repercussions and effects of Mutants existing in the real world, but none of it really got beyond the same old "Humans fear and hate us" schtick that's been going on since X1 (while writers like Grant Morrison have been able to explore the concept and come up with amazing stories almost a decade earlier in the comics). Then there's the fact that, for a movie with so many characters, it chooses to exclusively focus on four (Wolverine, Mystique, Prof. X and Magneto) and just shove the other characters to the side, it bends over backwards to have Wolverine be the one to time travel (I know Kitty Pryde wasn't alive in the 70's but why didn't the writers just have her mind take the place of her mom's and just go with that? They already gave her random telepathic powers out of nowhere, is having her go back in time and posses her mom really that much of a stretch), the movie teases really interesting concepts and then either drops them (Mutants enlisting and fighting in Vietnam) or just bungles them spectacularly (Magneto being accused of assassinating JFK only to reveal that JFK was a mutant and Magneto was trying to prevent the assassination but accidentally curved the bullet into JFK's head. Which is fucking stupid.) There's also the "Charles Xavier as heroin addict" metaphor that I really liked up until Future Xavier convinces him to embrace his powers because the anguish of mutants around the world would make Young Xavier "stronger", which was so edgy I started getting random cuts on my body in the theater.
Trask's plan also could've been better (he acknowledges the fact that he could milk mutants being a massive threat as a means to unite the human race and end the Cold War, but then chooses to build killing machines created to wipe them out entirely, when he would've been better off secretly training/funding mutant terrorists, creating his own proxy-war), there's a bit of forced tension in the third act (Kitty's under the threat of bleeding out EVEN THOUGH MAGNETO IS STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO HER AND COULD STOP THE BLEEDING USING THE IRON IN HER BLOOD), Quicksilver's brought in for one scene despite the fact that he's very useful, and for a superhero team meant to represent almost every marginalized group in American history, DOFP chooses to literally kill off all of it's character's of color and again, focuses of 3 white people and a Jewish guy (who's at best, treated as an anti-hero).
It was the fact it was a shitty reboot I didn't like. I liked the film but the fact that it was pointless bugged me. The events of the old films matter for those movies, and the new ones matter for the new ones, but DFP's good but pointless.
2 things. They should have cast Geno Segers from Banshee as Apocalypse. When I say perfect casting, it would have been perfect casting.
And am I the only person who thinks they did things backwards here. The mid credit scene alludes to Mr. Sinister; this movie should have been about Sinister, alluding to Apocalypse. That's a villain that you build up. Fucking Fox.
Whoops. Forgot about the terrible casting of Sansa Stark as Jean Grey. #NotMyJeanGrey
"And am I the only person who thinks they did things backwards here. "
Nope, you are not.
This is why some X-Men fans aren't happy with this franchise: The people who own it continue to not understand it and get rewarded for it.
oh my days thank you! I thought i was the only one thinking that. In my opinion they should have done this, have the x-men fight mr.sinisters powerful henchmen then next movie have x-men fight mr.sinister then the movie after that fight apocalypse.
My ranking of X-films
1) First Class
2) Days of Future Past
3) Wolverine
4) X1
5) Deadpool
6) The Last Stand
7) X2
8) Origins
9) Apocalypse
***** Okay. What would your list be?
***** Okay, it's all just an opinion. Personally, I think X2 is the weakest of the original X-Men movies. It doesn't hold up well. I didn't think Deadpool was that funny. Apocalypse was do disappointing.
I agree with your top two, but X-2 is fantastic. The writing, the character arcs, and the action are all great. But ultimately what's fantastic is that it's not even a superhero movie - it's just a movie about human characters and their relationships.
HoustonProductions1 I think X1 holds up better because it is about Wolverine and Rogue. I think X2 isn't that great. There are some good action sequences like the Nightcrawler scene, but I think the character arcs aren't that great for the most part.
Good to hear you came to your senses on Future Past.
Damn, you nailed it again. Especially the "Two and half hour explanation for why Xavier went bald early" part.
I fear if Wolverine 3 doesn't do good then Daedpool will get dumbed down because of 20th century fox's inability to realize that Deadpool did good because it was good, not because of the R rating
+Daniel Staples Perhaps, but did you watch the pg-13 trailer for Deadpool? Pretty underwhelming.
The R rating has a part of it tho. I mean, Deadpool's humor can only work so much without the R rating. The closest we got of a good PG Deadpool was in Ultimate Spiderman, were he was more jokey and silly and less psycho.
+GhostEye what he meant is that the movie made so much because it was good, and happened to be R-rated. You can get the same level of success with a good PG13 movie, but because Hollywood is Hollywood, they just see the R-rating and now everything has to be R-rated
WhateverReally Exactly
Wolverine 3 was going to be R rated long before Deadpool even came out.
I agree with much but the scene with Wolverine actually had more blood than all the other films put together. I even thought about it during the film.
Just saw the movie and despite the movies problems I still enjoyed it. I'm sure my opinion will change once I have a chance to dissect the movie.
I agree there seemed to be some worthwhile ideas and emotional stuff in it. I don't understand why people are so against this. Maybe it's the lack of clear emotional focus on a single character, because it does jump around a lot.
***** same with me actually. If you aren't a strong mutant then you aren't worthwhile.
Eh. I didn't think it was as bad as everyone was saying, although I could have used more a comic-book accurate Apocalypse and probably more "young X-Men steal a car and get into trouble" sub-plot.
I think that the continuity has become more "Star Trek" alternate universe reboot than prequel to "X-Men."
I hate how the Mystique make up and effects have gotten worse in the recent movies than they were over a decade ago. All because J-Law doesn't want to go through the time, or physical exposure, that the previous actress Rebecca Romijn did.
And, yes I know that she has a sensitivity to the make up, but I would argue that they should either change the look, possibly to match more in line with the comics, or get a different actress. One that will actually give a shit when she expresses an emotion.
Rebecca moved like a snake/lizard also she moved very model like, Jennifer knows how to phone things in near and far I'd like to see her Verzon Bill lol
TBH Mystique looks bad on J-Law. She has that round baby face, they style her hair into a read plastic bucket that does not look like hair at all, the skin patterns look so obviously glued on, and the color they chose for her looks cheap. Rebecca looks like the real deal, while J-Law looks like a cosplayer. The fact that they simplify her prosthetic with every movie makes the difference even more obvious.
smurfette with angst attitude lol "then don't...I want to, but i wont...I'm not your teacher..." lol
The point in this movie is that she doesn't express emotion.
Jlaw is the exact representation of millenial "talent" in Hollywood.. almost everything was given to her (including her academy award) so she just doesn't care to put effort into anything. The money she was paid for this film was ridiculous and the money she makes in a year is more than some small countries and she can't be bothered to put on makeup for a movie role.. sad
I'll give xmen 2000 a pass because it was one of the first modern day superhero movies.
Bob's way too harsh on the first 2 X men films, they were and still are great.
The Wolverine is a good film too.l
I assumed that Singer would ignore the fact that Mystique is the one that took Wolverine disguised as Striker. I underestimated his stupidity.
***** oh that explains it. "why did Mystique start the weapon x program and turn it over to Striker?" "Meh... it was 10 years ago, who cares?"
***** That would be fine, but you just made that up in your head. They never explained anything in the movie
***** They ended a movie with the twist that Mystique took Wolverine and never mentioned it again. That would be like if The Walking Dead came back and never showed who Negan killed
Finally saw the movie and... yeah I mostly agree with your review. X-Men Apocalypse isn't the worst in the series (I'd still take it over The Last Stand and Origins Wolverine) but it doesn't come together. Rehashed story, boring villain (didn't think I'd be saying that), and horrible effects. At this point, the series has run its course. Doubt there's much more they can do in this timeline without rebooting it.
So I'm assuming he doesn't like Usual Suspects either?
You nailed my feelings on Singer. I havent enjoyed Fassbender in any film other than First Class and oddly Jonah Hex so his prominence is kind of off putting to me. Ive mostly felt slightly let down by every X film barring First Class (even X-1 at the time was amazing but a let down action wise). Im probably going to watch this film at some point (probably on a plane?) and unless its as bad as BvS or Fant4stic, I will probably consider it time well spent if I dont have to pay for it
Covering Oscar Isaac's face should be a crime.
Fox needs to look to EON & Marvel Studios and just let more directors take a stab at X-Men instead of Singer.
Tim Miller got the X verse accurate but Singer keeps piggybacking on his 2000/2003 luck and its depressing as it is pathetic (even with the seven years since the Ratner debacle (The Last Stand).
and that was with Deadpool
My opinion on superhero fatigue: to much of the same thing in a row, even if it's a thing you like, can make it routine. But as long as there's something new and/or creative about it it will still satisfy. One of the reasons the Marvel Studios movies don't get repetitive is that they don't do the same thing over and over again.
Let's face it. This is going to be rebooted as soon as they decide Hugh Jackman is too old to be Wolverine and then they'll strike a deal with Disney so it's just a waiting game now.
+Katie Baily Never gonna happen. Ever.
+Jose Colella Surely does,Fox did the same thing with Fantastic Four and that god awful movie in 2015.They made that movie just so the rights wouldnt go back to marvel,and guess what they make a sequel to that shitty movie.
X-Men movies seem to go into this territory more and more.I thought the reboot would help the franchise grow with First Class being fairly cool but then it became so unconventional that it barely looked like it could keep its story straight or have a decent plot going on.
+Jose Colella It's not that I disagree with you but the chances (however small) exist with the fact that Tom Rothman is no longer a FOX executive and Ike Perlmutter no longer has any power over the cinematic universe.
Again, I think it would be a hell of a long shot for Xmen to join MCU, but two of the biggest barriers to a deal being made are gone. It could happen...
As I understand it, there is no way FOX will give back Xmen. Rather, they might (a big "might") decide to work out a deal allowing FOX to continue making Xmen movies under Marvel's oversight (as Sony is doing with Spiderman). This would continue to give FOX enormous paydays, probably even bigger paydays than they currently have as they would be in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And Marvel benefits from the occasional appearance grander cohesion of having a less fragmented Cinematic world.
It is honestly a win-win, but the relationship between FOX and Marvel has been mired by so much of the Rothman/Perlmutter controversy, I just don't think it is likely. But one can dream, right?
+Dave Falk not really.
You need to consider the narrative issues that come with trying to bring the X-Men a property with such a huge history and is quite incompatible with even the comics Marvel universe, into the MCU. You also have to realize that Fox is in a very different position than Sony was. Finally, let's make no mistake, Spider-Man is an infinitely larger property than X-Men. There's no benefit in trying for the X-Men.
Days of the Future Past doesn't hold up??? What, is the the Rogue Cut a superior version?
X Men Days Of Future Past was a masterpiece.
This review and your thoughts on the overated status of Singer and his X-Men movies is spot on.
I'm not surprised that Apocalypse told us why Xavier went bald. The first x-men movie explained how Rogue got her white streak of hair.
Hey Deadpool is amazing
+1216Rockman I'm pretty sure he also thinks its great. He just wishes it wasn't paying for the next few movies he won't enjoy.
Mr. Sparkle It's likely not Ryan Reynolds himself said Deadpool is not in the same universe as X-MEN DOFP, the X-MEN in Deadpool are from a different universe makes sense when you think about it if Deadpool took place in the X-MEN DOFP timeline since parts of X-MEN Origins Wolverine ala Team X which took place in 1973 where wade was likely 30-40 years old, then in 2016 without the Weapon X program he would have been 70-80 years old.
I think Deadpool secretly takes place in the MCU, because of the obvious Helicarrier, Kevin Feige being asked about Negasonic Teenage Warhead's portrayal by the director himself, the talk about Deadpool amongst MCU actors and Ryan Reynolds praising the MCU along with Civil War and shitting on Fantastic Four, and separating Deadpool from the X-MEN universe.
Legion is also separate from the X-MEN universe the TV show about Xavier's Son, and so might be Hellfire.
+1216Rockman It takes place in the retconned timeline.
Duke Spubber Ryan Reynolds says it doesn't he said Deadpool will tell X-MEN DOFP to take it's timeline and go fuck itself
Martin Charytoniuk What are you talking about he praised first class, as likes Deadpool, and loves the Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies
why doesn't he like days of future past anymore?
Yeay... This movie was EXACTLY how I thought it would be :)
I would call Mystique and Quicksilver joining the good guys as "something of consequence happening."
I love it when Bob talks like his views are objective facts
Two things: 1) I agree about the Striker stuff being a pointless detour.
2) "Bloodless?" Er... what movie where you watching man? There was enough blood flying everywhere to paint some rooms. Unless bloodless is being used as a descriptor for something that I'm just not getting?
Either way, I liked it but it's still interesting to see where you stand on these movies.
I think Bob is even giving First Class too much credit.
Bryan Singer is a bad director? Someone didn't see The Usual Suspects.
I loved The Usual Suspects. I also loved the Sixth Sense and Unbreakable.
That was a long time ago. Also he hasn't got that same quality lately anyway.
Bloodless Wolverine Action? Someone was watching a different movie lol.
I think you're too critical of the movie in question (it's not THAT bad), but overall, yeah.
This was my favorite x-men movie. I agree with your general analysis of the franchise, but I think you're starting to come in a little too hot wanting every film to shake up the genre. This was one issue, one episode in the adventures of the movieverse X-men and it was a fine one if not a game-changer. We met and developed some characters, cyclops and crew got to save the day for the first time, Jean rose from the ashes of a mishandled Phoenix story and gave us a glimpse of something exciting to come, and she even made a joke about it.
If you view the movie on its own terms, as a fun filler episode, I don't think you can be that mad at it.
So, Wolverine basically just shows up and says, "Hi, I'm Wolverine. I'm gonna go over there now." and disappears forever? Just like Sub Zero in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation?
Who else liked this better than Civil War?
Almost, not quite but it was pretty close as far as popcorn movies go - civil war edges ahead with the highbrow moment
Me. something refreshing.
You have to admit tho, that magneto forest scene was magnificent
I expect a lot of anger this time in the comments
Oh my god, you were talking so fast, I almost got a whiplash. I literally had to replay some bits just to so it would stop sounding like white noise. I'm glad I did btw.
Well I did enjoy X-MEN: Days of Future Past and Deadpool.
This one here however was kind of a let down.
And I suspect the 3D version of causing me a headache
after watching it in the cinema.
2020: Just watched this.
Huh boy. That 20 minute detour through Canada was... PAINFUL.
Last Stand was better. So they basically did all this revamp with First Class, brought Singer back and after the uproar of him not doing X-Men 3, he made a movie that's worse than Last Stand.
No, the The Last Stand is worse. At least this movie is cohesive.
Marvel Knight you're kidding right? I had no idea what Apocalypse was doing. at least with Last Stand it was about the mutant cure and Magneto going to war for it cause he thought that was an attack on his race
Johnny Skinwalker Apocalypse explicitly explained what he was doing several times. He wanted to wipe out modern technology because in his mind the "weak" were trying to be gods. Its a Tower of Babel metaphor.
Marvel Knight and that was weak.
Johnny Skinwalker Not really. The film states that he is the figure that inspired the old testament God.
Looking back at this in 2020. None of us expected Disney to buy out 20th Century Fox. Weirdly enough, a background gag from a Simpsons episode predicted this. An ongoing cartoon series has become the modern-day Nostrodamus.
This is indeed a disturbing universe.
Better than any boring Disney shit.
laz kar That's precisely what Movieblob is though.
It really isn't.
"Bloodless"?? Are different countries getting different cuts? I was pleasantly shocked by how much they didn't shy away from showing the literal buckets of blood Wolverine left in his wake.
Blade holds up but X-Men and X2 don't? Yeah...not buying that.
Buy it because it does. At the very least, Blade knows it's a rather 90s gimmicky film. The X-Men movies actually think they're above campiness and think they're heavily thoughtful films
Epic-Fran! X-Men is rather dated but it's still very well acted and the dialogue is on point. X2 holds up VERY well on pretty much all fronts though. Blade 1 has aged terribly (even though I have a soft spot for it) and Blade 2, while good, still has plenty of that weird 2000-era CGI on top of being a pretty simple movie. It's good, but the X-Men stuff was more solid then, and it's more solid now.
Days of Future Past was extraordinary.
FOX just give X-Men back to Marvel and stick to Deadpool for the time being.
+Falcovsleon21 I have a feeling Deadpool is secretly an MCU movie just in case Fox want to make a deal, it's probably the case right now that Fox and Marvel are going to take Deadpool shove it in MCU canon and spin-off a new X-MEN franchise from it
noooooooooooooooo let the execs and accountants deal with XMen while Reynolds gets all creative control
+1216Rockman Lol no.... Disney would not claim an R rated movie.
+1216Rockman God no, I don't want a pg13 deadpool with camera jumping around constantly to avoid seeing anything that would force the age rating up.
six2make4 You do know that Fox will finance the movie right, and Marvel is fine with Rated R stuff ala Daredevil, they just have no plans to finance, a Rated-R movie of their own, using properties they control.
So after several good reviews, we get another one that comes over that Bob didn't want to like the film from the start.
I take Bob's reviews as 66% of the time he does great work.
Note; this isn't to say the film is great and Bob has no idea, more I don't trust the review. See amazing spiderman 2, where he's correct, but it comes over that he wanted to hate it.
+mrtalos um no amazing spiderman 2 was fucking awful
+mrtalos well he is right about this movie being horseshit
+Justin Ross as I said, spiderman 2 was awful. Bob was correct.
My point on this was that on the run up and the review itself he wanted to hate it.
Xmen Apocalypse may very well be crap, Bob may very well be correct, but it's as though he wants to hate the movie. This makes the review come across as biased and therefore not trustworthy.
"he wanted to hate it"
i recall from some of his videos that he was trying to give the movie a break, not already hateing it.
and everyone is biased by the way
***** He directly said as much, yes, but it didn't seem that way.
Just remember though I use ASM2 as a point to say he could be correct about this film.
It's not the bias per-say I have a problem with, it's the blatant unapologetic bias that I take issue with. It's a trust issue, I cannot trust the review due to it. I want to hate the film due to the director, and the costumes, and the story, little detail, all hate. Can't trust that.
Now take his Batman V Superman review, total dissection, clinical reasoning, points that make me think he watched the film, took it in and it was just bad. That was a good review (of a bad film). This is a bad review, so I cannot trust the judgement.
ALSO YEAH THE FUCK WAS UP WITH THE CGI??
Makeup as well, you could clearly see prosthetic glue on Oscar Isaacs cheeks.
I love the X-Men movies not for their great stories or overall quality but rather for their really cool imaginative action scenes. For example, Days of Future Past was quite a convoluted plot but the Quicksilver kitchen scene is one of my favorite action scenes ever. All I want from Apocalypse is 1-2 really awesome scenes and nothing more.
Bob hates it. Such a surprise.
+Audrey Hidaya you scumbag
I know whatever he's on he needs to cut the dose. Unless it's made by marvel studios he's gonna shit all over it.
+laz kar And if this was an MCU film with a Disney logo 10 out of 10!. Bob is very predictable with non Disney MCU films.
+Ushio01 There isn't a non-Disney MCU. The "Marvel Cinematic Universe" is all the properties owned by Disney and Marvel Studios (which, for all intents and purposes, is separate from Marvel). The other ones (X-Men, Fantastic Four, and previously Spider-Man) are owned by separate companies and thus exist in their own cinematic universes (except for the latter two, which crashed and burned, with Sony giving the rights to Spiderman back in all but name so that they can at least make a quick buck). But yes, Bob does tend to shit on most non-MCU comic movies, because most recent non-MCU comic movies have features that Bob dislikes, such as rushed, unfocused, or confusing plots; underdeveloped characters; sloppy cinematography/choreography; etc.
Also, did you miss the part where he said First Class was incredible?
+Ushio01 maybe if it was an MCU film with a Disney logo it would have done the MCU format well and had good effects instead of trying and failing to do both of those things.
My only complaint is the timeline. I'm so lost on where everything is now, and how Wolverine got his Adamantium claws back following 2013 Wolverine. Following DOFP's ending, we see everyone still alive and well in the schoolhouse. Would that mean that the events of X Men Apocalypse already took place?
They really keep fucking with the timeline to fix what the Last Stand had done. Hell, they even throw a jab at it in Apocalypse when the kids sneak out to see Star Wars. When they leave the movie Jean says "Well, at least we can agree the 3rd is always the worst" as she walks out of the shot.
Just admit it: X-Men 1, 2, Future's Past, First Class and Deadpool are leagues ahead of most MCU movies. Only Iron Man 1, Guardians, and Winter Soldier come close. Civil War was highly overrated and just wanted to get to the slug fest. It's ok to admit non MCU films to be good you know.
+Nosfonader87 You mean leagues behind. All of the X-Men movies suck as an adaptation, and all but First Class and DoFP are unpalatable as standalone films.
And no, I wouldn't consider Deadpool to be one of the X-Men movies because 1) he's not a mutant, 2) Deadpool, Colossus and the X-Mansion are vastly different and more accurate versions than the ones in the X-Men movies, 3) Fox didn't have a hand in making Deadpool at all apart from funding its meager budget, which is why it's pretty faithful to its source material, and 4) even Ryan Reynolds said it can't really crossover into XCU.
+Aes Sedai Guess I'm just Xmen biased then. I can't re watch MCU movies other than Guardians. But I have no problems watching the X flicks moth no difficulty. Just do what I do: Marvel and DC have a multiverse; the movies are just another earth to me. Take it as is and not as a pure adaptation.
Nosfonader87 That's fine, you're allowed to be XCU biased, just like I'm allowed to be X-Men biased in the opposite direction after Singer totally botched it the first time. To be clear, I'm a die-hard fan of the X-Men in the comics and they're the ones who got me reading comic books in the first place, so I hope you'll see why I have nothing but contempt for the XCU.
I do the multiverse thing for the MCU with no problem, because even with different events, the characters are still the same. But I find it hard to do so with XCU, because the characters are completely different, as in the core traits and familial ties are changed, which makes it a totally exclusive universe to the overall X-Men multiverse. So I can't even enjoy watching the X-Men movies without that in mind. Suffice to say, I regard the XCU as nothing but a fan fic done in a large and expensive scale, separate from the canon X-Men.
As for DC, I'm not even gonna open that can of worms lol.
+Aes Sedai That's our problem: we expect way to much of a close enough adaptation that we hate and bitch to easily. We as a fandom need to shut our brains off when watching these films. I don't mind the DC movies being darker and more violent than Marvel. BvS was great, the fight itself was too short though.
Nosfonader87 I disagree. If you settle for something, you won't get what you want and/or deserve. We as a fandom have to demand better product from filmmakers because ultimately we're paying them money to watch their work. We're the customer, they're the seller, and the customer is always right. Also, not everyone can turn off their brains, especially at something that they don't expect to be just dumb entertainment.
I finally saw X6 Apocalypse and I liked it. Except for Jennifer Lawrence's Mystique, every other actor plays their role very well (I loved Oscar Issac's Apoclypse). It really helps this movie that Wolverine isn't the main character and they can focus on others. The big problem is that this movie plays it safe. There are no major shake-ups like First Class & DoFP did.
Jeez, another non-disney super hero movie that Bob hated, what a shock! "give the rights to Disney", fucking really, Bob?
X-Men 2 still better than 80% of the shit Disney made (including disasters like Iron Man 2, Thor 2, and Age of Ultron), and Stan Lee actually had 2 "dramatic" cameos in the first 2 Spiderman movies...I dont wanna believe in the "Disney is paying critics" bullshit, but you know, seeing critics praising Civil War (a very good movie, and THATS IT) while taking a dump on every cbm not made by Disney, looks fishy.
Sony did the spiderman movies
+Keenan Johnson Back when Disney wasnt a player
+Jose Colella He liked Deadpool. The issue isn't that the X-men movies aren't like Marvel the issue is that Fox doesn't know what it has. The X-men movies should be amazing, but Fox just kind of fumbles around wth them.
Why would Disney need to pay critics?
+PowerChannel88
The Dark Knight Rises: mixed reviews
Man of Steel: mixed reviews
Fantastic Four: disaster
Amazing Spiderman: disaster
Amazing Spiderman 2: disaster
BvS: disaster
Apokalypse: disaster
Meanwhile, CRAP like Thor 2, Iron Man 2, and Age of Ultron got a free pass, and Civil War its called "the best cbm ever made" (lol)
Only non-disney cbm to receive some praise in the last 5 years was DOTP, and know Bob is saying he lied back then, wtf!
Jose Colella what about Dead Pool? Dark Knight? they got amazing reviews
I was really hoping for this one. I'm still going to see it, I have to decide if it's quality or not for myself.
Wait a minute so you're saying the ridiculous mess that is batman returns "kinda holds up" and the 2 first and only good xmen movies "don't hold up" ? Cmon bob just stop.
+MsGrumpyGorilla I kinda wondered about that. He said "Sorta" holds up. I think he means that Returns was an "interesting mess" or possibly that it was visually neat but I don't know. Batman Returns was the beginning of the end for Burton.
+Geahk Burchill .....Maybe he meant it as "Returns is just so visually striking and interesting that despite it's flaws it still warrants some interest and entertainment, while X1-X2's bland cinematic style and watered down version of the characters is just boring in the end."? I dunno that's what I got from him.
Johar Malik
I think that's a fair assessment though I would ask bob to clarify. He's pretty approachable on Twitter.
Damn, I don't have a twitter though
+Johar Malik I disagree entirely. Unlike Batman Returns the first two xmen films tell good stories with compelling characters. Magneto was more sympathetic and interesting than his comic book counterpart and wolverine had much more dimension than his crazy rage monster comic counterpart. And come on, Singer had plenty of visual flare. I'm pretty sure that night crawler scene is still etched in people's minds.
What was wrong with days of future past I really liked it
Wtf is Bob smoking X2 is great and it holds up very well.
Outside of Deadpool, every Fox Marvel movie has felt like they were made out obligation and not desire. This stuff is popular right now, so make sure we have something in theaters. I have to imagine it wouldn't be that hard to find a crew who would be hyped to get to make an x-men movie over any other movie, they way Reynolds and crew were stoked to make Deadpool.
Usually agree with you on a lot, surprised we differed so greatly here. I had fun. Ton of cool X-MEN characters get some spotlight AND it could've been way Worse.
Moviebob seems to be a "This movie is the worst/unrest movie ever" kind of guy but he's not always ironic and fun about it like Mr. Sunday. He never talks positives and negatives just one or the other. Seems like he has a hard time finding joy in things unless they are spectacular.
You are spot on. This is the typical stereotype superhero movie which threatens the genre. X-men deserves better but the apocalypse story arc was never good to begin with
This guy said X2 doesn't hold up but Batman Returns does. This guy is insane. I couldn't watch anything past that statement. Basically this guy just took a shit on every X-MEN movie ever made. Do you think he went into seeing X-MEN Apocalypse with an open mind? Fuck no. Irrelevant review.
laz kar Some of the greatest stories ever told in the Marvel Universe are X-MEN stories (Days of Future Past, God Loves Man Kills, the Dark Phoenix Saga). The X-MEN title has literally saved Marvel Comics from bankruptcy in the past. I have to ask you, how did you happen to come upon this review? Did you seek this review out to basically confirm what you already knew? That you were going to hate this movie no matter what.
Your just as idiotic as this reviewer.
+laz kar You're clearly a product of the MCU. No one gave a shit about Iron Man before RDJ played him. Only Spider-Man has sold more comics for Marvel than the X-MEN title. I'm sure most people that TRULY read comics would disagree with your assemment of the Dark Phoenix Saga, and the X-MEN in general for that matter. I'm done wasting time on you.
I remember some of those Dark Phoenix comics fairly well. That damn space-entity thing got around like all hell. At one point it inhabited Spider-Man (and I can't even remember which incarnation this was) because he saved her from dying by giving her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. I wouldn't say they were small fry, since the Dark Phoenix and related sagas slapped the Marvel comics line around more than a few times, but I absolutely agree that plotline and those related to it did more to kill the suspension of disbelief, especially with death, than anything else in the Marvel comic line when I was still reading it regularly.
+laz kar Death of Gwen Stacy is not that great.
Not happy that you didn't bring up the Magneto scenes before Apocalypse.
Why does everyone put First Class on a pedestal?? I thought it was severely below average.
Exactly! It's because of FC that Havoc is the same age as Scott's parents!
Jon Weilbaecher+ I won't dispute that there are those who flat out hate Bryan Singer, but I am not one of them. I don't think he's the worst director in Hollywood. Not even in the top ten. I just think he's overrated. Though I like Days of Futures Past I don't think Singer has made a great film since The Usual Suspects. Singer didn't make First Class though. That was Matt Vaughan. And my original post was asking why people put it on such a high pedestal because I thought, and still believe, it's severely under-average.
***** What, did Singer not make this recent failure? It was suppose to be a guaranteed 90%+ RT rating and make over $800M WW. As for DOFP, I couldn't stand the shit. They did all this time machine crap in order to correct the continuity only to make it worse!
What's pathetic is how Singer's Pool Boys are crying foul now since Fox is getting called out on their bullshit more than ever. It's not a damn plot it's the reality of what happens when people get tired of 16 years of pointless timeline, ongoing plot holes, character bastardizing and S&M costume wearing crap!
Star Scream Lmao! Couldn't have said it better myself.
Star Scream I despise the X.men series with a passion, primarily because I am an X men fan. I like First Class however and the team from First Class worked on DoFP before moving on and handing over to Singer which explains why I enjoy that movie too.
So they've come full circle then? First XMen film was about how Rogue got her streaks and Apocalypse is about how Xavier goes bald.
Avengers 2 was just as bad with the whole dream of Thor, oh it's there so we can setup the rest of the film.
The moment they turned Apocalipse from this super powerful mutant with a rather unique personality and specially his amazingly weird voice that managed to be both threatning and hilarious when needed into a generic grey soft spoken villain i had a bad feeling about this film, havent seen it so i will still reserve my judgement but just saying, remember the animated Apocalipse.
WOw this guy really doesn't like X-Men to begin with huh
4:17 BLOODLESS?! Were you even paying fucking attention that scenes gore honestly was borderline R-rated (but I do admit it was pointless)
IMO DOFP > Any film in MCU, and a lot if not majority of people agree.
+Prashun 'PC' Chakraborty I'd call DOFP in league with most of the MCU films, better than a few of them but less fufilling than more than a few others.
Being fair to it, I thi that mainly because I'm not the biggest fan of the preceding movies. I can acknowledge First Class is a really good story, and no matter what Bob says I find X2 and The Wolverine engaging and even the Last Stand works in a dumb popcorn movie kinda way. Even the though, this franchise just hasn't been one I've cared about for the decade preceding DOFP so I was familiar but not totally enraptured by the characters like I was and still am with the cast of the MCU.
Look at the reviews the critics, Marvel just happens to have vocal fans and they don't.
Prashun 'PC' Chakraborty Which critics are you talking about?
The Ponderer Check out Metacritic, DOFP is higher than both the Avengers films, you can see the list there.
BvS and Apocalypse just show how effortlessly the Avengers does it.
Superman 78 "holds up" ?. Take off the nostalgia goggles.
+SuperMicklovin People who like a solidly crafted, emotionally resonant and historically important movie are only going off nostalgia? Take off your contrarian goggles.
+SuperMicklovin the gen-X is strong in this one lmao
+SuperMicklovin Yes story wise Superman 78 holds up.
he's going to do a Really That Good episode about it
and yes it holds up
+LarryBonson a movie as campy as fucking austin powers where a stupid villain wants to create a new coastline by destroying california with a couple of nukes shot to the san andreas fault is a story that holds up... alright... if you guys say so
So is Jennifer Lawrence just Jennifer Lawrence in this? Is she the plot focus? OR side character?
Nah just Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence hiding mystique 80% of the time.
What? You mean until Cyclops or Storm takes over?
I still think X2 is a good film and I liked Days of Future of Past and if I rated the X-Men films I'd go First Class, Deadpool, and either place Days of Future Past or X2 as three given how I feel that day given I really like both of those films and go day by day deciding which I like better.
IIRC, Wolverine was originally announced to NOT be in Apocalypse. So yeah.
Awesome Review, Bryan Singer is holding this great comic-book franchise back.