Bryan Singer Directing X-Men: Days of Future Past - Part 2

[Great Mind(s)]

Originally Posted by X-Maniac

What did I start on here!? lol

There were some great moments in the movie, for sure, but there is also some conspicuously poor writing.

'What have I done?' is among the cheesiest lines, as McKellen - with his hair all over the place - scrambles over the rubble to get away from Phoenix's meltdown.

And the dialogue about mutant power levels seemed a bit random, even if it did illustrate Callisto's powers. It's just that it hadn't been mentioned in the previous movies, so just seemed a bit suddenly introduced.

The scene I hate most is when Xavier feels the full emergence of the Phoenix persona and orders Storm and Wolverine to get to Alkali Lake. That sort of psychic-burglar-alarm-phoenixy-bird-scream thing goes through the school, and Storm and Logan meet by the stairs (in a very staged manner) as they run to Xavier, with Logan saying 'No clue' when asked by Storm what's happening. It just all feels wrong. Even Xavier's unexplained order to get to Alkali Lake is just odd. It needed something different.

I didn't mind Dania as Callisto, though. She really seemed like a tough opponent, even if she didn't have the trademark eyepatch.

Yeah the "whats wrong" "no clue" was soooo... power rangers-y. Just felt like...not the same universe as X1-2. These characters seem written by and for children. Reminds me of Prometheus. Back on topic... Singer will be amazing.

[X-Maniac]

Originally Posted by Great Mind(s)

Yeah the "whats wrong" "no clue" was soooo... power rangers-y. Just felt like...not the same universe as X1-2. These characters seem written by and for children. Reminds me of Prometheus. Back on topic... Singer will be amazing.

There is an understandable worry from some people, given that Kinberg also worked on TLS. But I have faith that Singer will filter out any X3-isms that get into the screenplay.

[jignat]

I hope some of the Singer traditions will be back like:

Xavier opening narration, and Cerebro door opening

Any others people would like to see return?

[GREEN =w= DAY]

Originally Posted by jignat

I hope some of the Singer traditions will be back like:

Xavier opening narration, and Cerebro door opening

Any others people would like to see return?

i definitely would

[NanaT]

One thing about X3 that wasn't good was how the X-Men just rush into battle. In Singer's films the X-Men always plan everything. (X1: war room, X2: X-Jet, alkali lake control room) they think about what they're going to do and who does what. In X3 they all rush into uniforms, not bothering to make a plan of action.

I don't think time counts as an excuse. I mean yes they were in a rush to stop Magneto but in X1 they were in a rush to save Rogue and X2 they needed to stop Stryker, both times they discussed their plans before acting. In X3 they rush off into their X-Suits and meet up at the X-Jet without a single plan of action (how exactly do you send young X-Men like kitty, and bobby into a warzone without a plan.) but yet they find time to make an inspiring speech.

It was such a wasted opportunity, as it could have provided time to develop Storm as a leader. We could have seen her coming up with a plan and giving orders to the other X-Men and building up the team's morale.

[Marv]

Originally Posted by X-Maniac

What did I start on here!? lol

There were some great moments in the movie, for sure, but there is also some conspicuously poor writing.

'What have I done?' is among the cheesiest lines, as McKellen - with his hair all over the place - scrambles over the rubble to get away from Phoenix's meltdown.

The scene that follows that line by Magneto I must say is one of my favorites out of all the films, where they do that 360 shot of Logan observing Jean at her absolute worst - literally leveling the island. I love how his face goes from worried to scared. Good stuff.

[Angamb]

because the movie needed a speech by Wolverine, the only important character of the franchise.

who cares about Kitty, Bobby, Colossus, Beast and Storm, when we have Hugh God Jackman?

[Great Mind(s)]

There's a better alternate scene where Wolverine is like, screw these kids they're not coming and Iceman gives him a speech instead. I have a better X3 edited...

[Marv]

Originally Posted by Angamb

because the movie needed a speech by Wolverine, the only important character of the franchise.

who cares about Kitty, Bobby, Colossus, Beast and Storm, when we have Hugh God Jackman?

If you're referring to the scene before they board the jet, it was originally much longer & had a great speech by Hank reciting Shakespeare. You can see it on the bluray. It also works much better for Logan since he's hesitant about Bobby, Kitty & Colossus going on the mission.

[Marv]

Originally Posted by Great Mind(s)

There's a better alternate scene where Wolverine is like, screw these kids they're not coming and Iceman gives him a speech instead. I have a better X3 edited...

Exactly. Wonder why they chose the other version other than to save time. Same thing with Logan in the woods. It was a longer scene where Logan is the aggressor - apparently taking out his rage over Xavier's death on Magneto's camp. Also on the bluray btw.

[Great Mind(s)]

Really? Is there a link to this clip on youtube?

[NanaT]

Originally Posted by Great Mind(s)

There's a better alternate scene where Wolverine is like, screw these kids they're not coming and Iceman gives him a speech instead. I have a better X3 edited...

I'd love to see it!!!!!

[Marv]

Originally Posted by Great Mind(s)

Really? Is there a link to this clip on youtube?

Not sure, but its on the 2-disc bluray.

[Manic X]

It's funny. The alternate speech was in the trailer, but not in the movie. What a shame.

[lordofthenerds]

Originally Posted by Great Mind(s)

Really? Is there a link to this clip on youtube?

VIDEO-CLick to Watch!:

It's at the 4:56 mark.

[Mako]

@ 20:57 "Cheap!"

[Super Film]

One of the biggest issues for me in regards to X3 and the director's tastes, was that the film itself felt like a series of vignettes instead of an overall narrative.

It felt as if the filmmakers were meeting a bunch of quotas within the film and checked them off as the story continued. "We need our initial dramatic death scene", "We need our funeral scene", "We need our 'Hugh and Halle exchange in some sexual tension' scene", "We need our scene acknowledging Wolverine and Rogue's relationship", etc.

There was no lingering scene, no time for characters to interact beyond dialogue. We jumped from shot to shot, location to location. This didn't make the film feel lean and efficient--instead it felt gamey and insincere, artificial.

I wouldn't have a problem with the majority of what happened narratively, if the film itself met a standard that it's predecessors (X1 & X2) and successor (XMFC) met--handling main story arcs with purpose and care instead of stampeding through each scene making check marks along the way.

[Project862006]

that scene was horrible lololol

thank god it got deleted

[The Guard]

Watching people bash X3 is like watching 12 year olds act pretentious.

It has legitimate flaws. Why people insist on making up flaws about an otherwise fairly solid movie...

(Shakes head)

When "What have I done?" is "one of the cheesiest lines" in a film...that film is not exactly suffering dialoguewise. It's a simple, straightforward line.

[The Guard]

Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan’s acting in X3 is every bit as good as it was in X-MEN and X2. If anything, it may well be better, because they are asked to do more, and to play a larger range of emotions, including some very intense ones.

Well they were given some stupid stuff to say...since the movie felt less serious, their roles felt less serious and in turn, their acting too.

What stupid stuff? The stupidest thing Magneto says in the movie is probably the stuff about “The pawns go first”, which is actually not a bad line, and makes perfect sense in context.

Not even they could save some of the horrible lines they were given.

"I don't have to be psychic to know when somethings bothering you! "

"What have I done! "

How on Earth are these “horrible” lines? They’re simple, straightforward lines about a given moment.

Xavier talked about being psychic several times during the franchise. He’s using a bit of levity in a moment of normal interaction to make Storm open up to him. He’s saying “I could read your mind, but I can tell you’re upset, let’s talk about it”.

And some people seem to forget that little conversation they had during the battle at Jean's house. Just as good, if not better, than the conversations they had in X1 and X2.

Pretty much anything they said was on par with anything seen in X-MEN or X2. People seem to forget that much of Xavier and Magneto’s dialogue in X-MEN and X2 was exposition. Ably played by Stewart and McKellan, but exposition nonetheless. There’s an evolution of their characters throughout the franchise, and X3 is the pinnacle of those character arcs. The dialogue reflects this.

I think the hate for X3 has more to do with its deviation from the source material than the quality of the film itself.

Bingo. And it always has. People seem to be on this kick the last few years where they must pretend the whole thing sucked to justify disliking it.

'What have I done?' is among the cheesiest lines, as McKellen - with his hair all over the place - scrambles over the rubble to get away from Phoenix's meltdown.

Other than the fact that his delivery of it is a tad clipped/rushed (which, again, makes sense in the context of the scene) and this is a little on the nose (which, again, makes sense in the context of the scene) why is this inherently a bad moment?

That’s one line…what are the myriad other “conspicuously poor” lines?

And the dialogue about mutant power levels seemed a bit random, even if it did illustrate Callisto's powers. It's just that it hadn't been mentioned in the previous movies, so just seemed a bit suddenly introduced

.

Yes. It IS suddenly introduced. Just like EVERY NEW CONCEPT in the franchise, the first time it shows up, is “suddenly introduced”. It’s called “introducing a new concept”. Writers do it constantly in storytelling.

The scene I hate most is when Xavier feels the full emergence of the Phoenix persona and orders Storm and Wolverine to get to Alkali Lake. That sort of psychic-burglar-alarm-phoenixy-bird-scream thing goes through the school, and Storm and Logan meet by the stairs (in a very staged manner) as they run to Xavier, with Logan saying 'No clue' when asked by Storm what's happening. It just all feels wrong. Even Xavier's unexplained order to get to Alkali Lake is just odd. It needed something different.

So you hate the fact that the scenes between Cyclops and Jean are clearly building tension, culminating in an intense sense of urgency?

What is there to explain about “Get to Alkali Lake”? It’s meant to be an urgent order that retains a sense of mystery about what had happened, which it does.

I didn't mind Dania as Callisto, though. She really seemed like a tough opponent, even if she didn't have the trademark eyepatch.

So you have issues with the normal writing tools used in the film…but not one of the weakest actors in the film? Makes sense...

Yeah the "whats wrong" "no clue" was soooo... power rangers-y. Just felt like...not the same universe as X1-2. These characters seem written by and for children. Reminds me of Prometheus. Back on topic... Singer will be amazing.

I’m sorry…POWER RANGER-y?

“What’s wrong” means “What’s wrong?”

“No clue” means “I don’t know”.

People talk like that in real life, yes…even adults. What exactly is the problem with this exchange?

Some of these complaints are just absurd, and really not very objective. There's an obvious bias against this movie, and it's not really based in anything sensible anymore.

[Super Film]

Originally Posted by The Guard

Watching people bash X3 is like watching 12 year olds act pretentious.

For what a lot of people found and enjoyed in Singer's films, X3 was seriously lacking. And voicing these or any frustrations is far from being pretentious.

[The Guard]

For what a lot of people found and enjoyed in Singer's films, X3 was seriously lacking. And voicing these or any frustrations is far from being pretentious.

That's a little vague...can you elaborate?

Voicing frustrations is not...there's nothing wrong with that. I had many with X3. But acting like an entire scene or a whole movie's dialogue is "horribly written" when objectively, it's easily on the level of the previous movies in several respects...that's a bit much.

[Super Film]

Originally Posted by The Guard

Voicing frustrations is not...there's nothing wrong with that. I had many with X3. But acting like an entire scene or a whole movie's dialogue is "horribly written" when objectively, it's easily on the level of the previous movies in several respects...that's a bit much.

What is one person's perception and personal tastes to you? What matter is it that some people find lines of dialogue or delivery to be detrimental to a scene or film? It's the same as someone finding it endearing or appropriate.

It gets a little out of hand when someone is fighting to justify or contextualize every single issue someone has with this film.

[Manic X]

Originally Posted by The Guard

Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan’s acting in X3 is every bit as good as it was in X-MEN and X2. If anything, it may well be better, because they are asked to do more, and to play a larger range of emotions, including some very intense ones.



What stupid stuff? The stupidest thing Magneto says in the movie is probably the stuff about “The pawns go first”, which is actually not a bad line, and makes perfect sense in context.



How on Earth are these “horrible” lines? They’re simple, straightforward lines about a given moment.

Xavier talked about being psychic several times during the franchise. He’s using a bit of levity in a moment of normal interaction to make Storm open up to him. He’s saying “I could read your mind, but I can tell you’re upset, let’s talk about it”.



Pretty much anything they said was on par with anything seen in X-MEN or X2. People seem to forget that much of Xavier and Magneto’s dialogue in X-MEN and X2 was exposition. Ably played by Stewart and McKellan, but exposition nonetheless. There’s an evolution of their characters throughout the franchise, and X3 is the pinnacle of those character arcs. The dialogue reflects this.



Bingo. And it always has. People seem to be on this kick the last few years where they must pretend the whole thing sucked to justify disliking it.



Other than the fact that his delivery of it is a tad clipped/rushed (which, again, makes sense in the context of the scene) and this is a little on the nose (which, again, makes sense in the context of the scene) why is this inherently a bad moment?

That’s one line…what are the myriad other “conspicuously poor” lines?

.

Yes. It IS suddenly introduced. Just like EVERY NEW CONCEPT in the franchise, the first time it shows up, is “suddenly introduced”. It’s called “introducing a new concept”. Writers do it constantly in storytelling.



So you hate the fact that the scenes between Cyclops and Jean are clearly building tension, culminating in an intense sense of urgency?

What is there to explain about “Get to Alkali Lake”? It’s meant to be an urgent order that retains a sense of mystery about what had happened, which it does.



So you have issues with the normal writing tools used in the film…but not one of the weakest actors in the film? Makes sense...



I’m sorry…POWER RANGER-y?

“What’s wrong” means “What’s wrong?”

“No clue” means “I don’t know”.

People talk like that in real life, yes…even adults. What exactly is the problem with this exchange?

Some of these complaints are just absurd, and really not very objective. There's an obvious bias against this movie, and it's not really based in anything sensible anymore.

Love this post. The main reason fanboys want to hate x3 is because cyclops dies, prof x dies, and rogue takes the cure. But really, the movie is solid. I put it above x1 and x2. It's more watchable.

[X-Maniac]

Originally Posted by The Guard

That's a little vague...can you elaborate?

Voicing frustrations is not...there's nothing wrong with that. I had many with X3. But acting like an entire scene or a whole movie's dialogue is "horribly written" when objectively, it's easily on the level of the previous movies in several respects...that's a bit much.

Oh come on. I enjoyed X3 and, at the time, found it exciting and dramatic but it did have some very weak moments. Why do you think they went to the trouble of getting Bryan Singer back on board the franchise?