The Sad State of the X-Men Cinematic Universe

The Marvel cinematic universe, at least in regards to the films that are actually put out my Marvel studios, is one of the rare instances when an entire universe has been almost flawlessly put together. The movies cross-reference each other accurately, gaps are often filled in (although there are still plenty of inconsistencies here and there - nobody's perfect), and it all feels connected without a feeling of forced connectivity. Some movies haven't been as good as others, true, but I don't think I've ever left a movie scratching my head and wondering what on Earth the film-makers were thinking, and how they were going to combine everything else from that universe with what was just done.

Have I ever left an X-Men movie scratching my head? Um, yes. Yes I have.

I just watched the leaked trailer for X-Men: Apocalypse, and unlike what appears to be a high percentage of the nerdy realm, I was rather unimpressed. I think it might have to do with the fact that the entire X-Men cinematic universe has been a complete mess, with no serious attempts made to put it all back together. True, the entire franchise has essentially been "rebooted," but Days of Future Past, in my opinion, didn't quite reboot the franchise the way I feel would have been most effective. At the end of the film (it's been quite a while, but just in case there are some hold-outs, spoilers ahead), it brought everything back to the present, essentially telling us that hey, things are going to end up going alright, no matter what dangers this new cast ends up facing. Xavier's school will be up and running, with few worries beyond that of the normal ones associated with mutant existence.

This highlights what my problems with prequels have always been - that they simply tell a story that stupidly explains why things ended up the way they did. We know how it ends, so where is the urgency? Where is the suspense? Our main characters aren't going to die - they show up in the future! I know that there are prequels here and there that still manage to inject some sort of excitement and suspense into them, but those are few and far between. And as far as I am concerned, the X-Men movies that focus on past events have been nothing short of disappointing in terms of what new things they bring to the table.

This "prequel disease," as I think I'd like to call it, is not the only problem plaguing this once-promising franchise. The whole thing has turned into a giant mess of new directions and inconsistencies, so I'd like to take a few moments and guide you through the journey this group of mutants has taken throughout the last decade and half.

X-Men

Ah, the beginning, when it all seemed new and exciting. The first movie in this franchise was far from perfect, the villains not nearly as interesting as they could be and the whole script feeling like the writers didn't really know how to handle what they had in front of them. Too many "superhero" movies throw tons of heroes and villains at you all at once, but this first movie felt like it could've handled maybe just one or two more mutants, to shake things up a bit more. Overall, it was too safe most of the time, but was good enough to get everyone excited about what this franchise could be.

High Points: Wolverine and his relationship with Rogue, the pitch-perfect casting decisions, the awareness of what could follow.

Low Points: Halle Berry's half-attempt at an accent, the formulaic plot, appearing to save some of the really cool mutants for later, one of the worst lines in movie history.

Overall Opinion: Thumbs Up

X2: X-Men United

I cannot think of many movies that have made me so excited that I watched the trailer over and over and over again. And when I got this movie on DVD, I watched the opening sequence in the White House over and over again. I could not get enough of this movie - it seemed to get the formula right, with its attention to mutant acceptance (or lack thereof) in society and its perfect mix of new and old mutants with fun powers and awesome action. More than any other movie in the franchise, it seemed to have a plan for what would follow and wanted nothing more than make the X-Men franchise a must-see for years to come.

High Points: The perfect plot, the social commentary, the attention to detail and its plan for the future.

Low Points: The final act was a bit drawn out, but that's being picky.

Overall Opinion: Thumbs Up

X-Men: The Last Stand

What I think of most concerning this installment is not the movie itself but the horrendous disappointment I felt when Bryan Singer dropped out to direct the snore-fest Superman Returns. I was sad, felt a little bit abandoned, and scoffed at the replacement (Brett Ratner? Really?). I still went to the movie, hoping for the best, but found that the mood had changed considerably, the writing was not as natural and clever, and the number of mutant powers present had grown into the unmanageable. On top of that, Professor X seemed annoyingly angry and the movie seemed to have no idea where it would end up, only that it would end up making a lot of money and changing the entire landscape of the franchise. The movie has its moments (Xavier's death, Magneto moving the Golden Gate Bridge, Rogue's struggle with to-cure-or-not-to-cure), but those moments couldn't make up for what was clearly a misguided approach to a franchise that deserved better.

High Points: Xavier's death, great action sequences, continued attention to social issues, "I'm the Juggernaut, bitch!"

Low Points: Pretty much everything else.

Overall Opinion: Thumbs Down

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

This installment probably doesn't deserve a paragraph. The opening credits were fun, watching Wolverine and Sabretooth fight a variety of wars, but after that, all substance and continuity with the rest of the franchise was lost. It was as if the movie makers thought, "Well, the last movie was crap, so let's try to give them something completely different that will erase their memories of what came before." Mission accomplished, but I wish it hadn't been quite so accomplished. Didn't Wolverine and Sabretooth beat the snot out of each other in the first X-Men movie? And they're related? Come on, writers.

High Points: The opening credits. That's it.

Low Points: Everything following the opening credits.

Overall Opinion: Thumbs Down

X-Men: First Class

So, skip a few years and the writers get a great idea: let's do another origin story, since the last one was so great. In other words, they seemed to think it would be fun telling us how everything happened because it's always so fascinating. Seriously, am I in the minority with these origin things? If I know how it all ends up, why the hell do I care how we got there? I can see how it might give us some new information, but really, if we know how it ends, why bother. This one seemed promising enough when the cast came out, and there were certainly parts of the movie I found entertaining (watching Charles and Erich recruiting mutants was a gas), but again, the ending was anticlimactic (Oh wow! THAT'S why he's in a wheelchair! That was so worth knowing!). Overall, a misguided attempt to get everyone excited again, as well as another excuse to create more inconsistencies.

High Points: The casting, the banter and relationships between characters, the casting.

Low Points: The "Oh, that's how that happened" factor, the predictable ending.

Overall Opinion: Thumbs Down

The Wolverine

I skipped this outing when it was in theaters. I felt that, since I had been disappointed three times in a row, why bother going and coming home complaining again? My wife was tired of hearing it, really, and I was tired of the X-Men movies not living up to my expectations. So, I only saw this movie when I knew another X-Men movie was coming out, keeping my expectations low and my excitement down. Of course, since I thought I wouldn't enjoy it, I naturally enjoyed it very much. Not since the first two movies has the story been so engaging and entertaining, the characters so fresh and fun. This movie was very suddenly interested in picking up where the franchise had left off and building off of it, ready to inject new life into what seemed to me like a dying narrative. I found this movie to be incredibly refreshing and got super excited when Wolverine and Yukio made it sound like they were going to hang out together for a while. Oh, and I found it super-cute when my wife constantly referred to the movie as "Wolverine Goes to Japan," making it sound like a children's book instead of a movie.

High Points: The characters, the refreshing change-of-pace, the advancement of characters and story, the potential for what could follow.

Low Points: The final act was dragged out a bit.
Overall Opinion: Thumbs Up

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Oh man, I was excited when the trailer came out. I saw it immediately for its potential to fix as many inconsistencies as possible and save a franchise that shouldn't have needed saving in the first place. Could it explain what happened with that mutant cure and explain why it didn't work? Will it show us how Xavier came back to life through that surrogate body at the end of the credits of The Last Stand? Maybe it could touch on the Wolverine/Sabretooth dynamic that was introduced previously? No, none of these things occurred. As a matter of fact, the movie caused more inconsistencies than it fixed, including Wolverine's metal claws in spite of him losing them at the end of The Wolverine and the sudden introduction of Sentinels that were somehow around in the 70's but haven't showed up in any of the other movies. The movie itself, if you ignore every other X-Men movie, is good, but when you make a franchise movie, you need to keep the source material and other films in mind, something the movie makers decided wasn't worth their while.

High Points: The cast, the story, the directing, the potential to bring back the original awesome cast (yeah, I know, not happening)

Low Points: Lost potential for the future, glaring inconsistencies, the loss of Wolverine's new storyline

Overall Opinion: Thumbs Down, even though I really wanted to love this movie

I am not naïve enough to think that anyone is going to make any attempt to fix things - the franchise is lost. What this franchise needs is a true reboot, one that just says, "Hey, let's fix the whole cast and make no reference to any other movie and not even try to build on what has already happened." I kind of wish the First Class movie had done that, but that's not how it was advertised. It was given the feel of a prequel instead of trying to take great characters and send them on an awesome journey. The X-Men need an awesome journey, one that isn't plagued by the inconsistencies of the previous installments.

In the end, I'll probably go see Apocalypse. Yeah, I'm that guy, the one who complains to the end and then gives the moviemakers my money anyway. But who knows - maybe Apocalypse will be the reboot the franchise needs, to a certain extent. Maybe it will remain true to the other prequel movies and still manage to do something surprising. I am doubtful, though, at least concerning my own personal feelings about the franchise, that it will do anything to erase my memories of what happened before. They've set a precedent in their attempts to string all of these movies together, a precedent that states that these all occur in the same universe and should have continuity. Being the giant nerd that I am, I doubt I'll be able to see past it and enjoy this franchise again.

But oh well - at least I've got The Avengers. And LEGO Marvel Superheroes. I think I'll manage.