Something We All May Need To Do Post-may 26!

The premiere of X3: The Last Stand is soon to enter its last month of anticipation. We, as a community of X-Men fans, have debated every detail, analyzed every frame, and gobbled every scrap of information tossed at us. It started with AintItCool.com’s scathing review of – what has now been classified – X3 scriptment. Moriarty, the most cool-headed reviewer on AICN, spared no hate in his review, which included character deaths galore, cures galore, rough sex, horrid action sequences, and contrived plotlines (in theory).

For nearly half-a-year, this scriptment permeated every thread, every post, every word on th X-boards. It scared fans, but not so much in of the actors chosen, nor the overall story crafted, nor the director settled. What scared people the most was the studio, the studio and its “ideas”:

20th Century Fox. (Avi Arad lumped with them).

In the past two years, a bad taste lingered in fans mouths after tasting Fox self-proclaimed successes such as Elektra, Fantastic Four, even Daredevil. Elektra, penned by Zak “never-misses-the-opportunity-to-laud-how-he-would’ve-done-X2” Penn, proved bland, saved only by the animated tattoos of a wasted character and those finding the strong feminism of Jennifer Garner attractive. Daredevil showed how direct-to-movie comic adaptations, or how directorial love, do not make a good movie necessarily. Fantastic Four, perhaps the most monumental failure, exposed the inadequacies of bland direction, the pitfalls of horrid editing, and the overall dishonesty in studio marketing.

Despite this, the trailers released, the pictures shown have all washed away the stain of Fox in any aspect of X3 productions. Brett Ratner’s seemingly humble, yet effective and energetic directing seems to not only unlock new and unique shots for the X-franchise, but simply something a bit more resonating compared to previous films – just from the trailers. Of course, there are still concerns, concerns that will never be satisfied until the movie is finally viewed. A major concern whoever has been length: how long will X3 run?

Recently, it was revealed that X3: The Last Stand will have a running time of 1 hour and 43 minutes, a running time that shocks fans. With so many new characters, so many new stories – one of which is the greatest saga ever to be told in comics – how is this possible? For the first time, we are seeing now unconditional proof of typical Fox decisions coming into this film. Like Fantastic Four, Elektra, and Daredevil, fans are being asked to pay $9 to see a relatively short product. Fantastic Four’s cut credits – almost embarrassing to see – is proof alone of how far studios go to make a movie short.

But we digress. I suppose, to a degree, the impact of a movie’s length should be explored. The X-Men franchise allows us to see two extremes of this dilemma. X-Men 1 was a good film, a solid start to the entire franchise. It did in 1 hour and 30 minutes what many thought was impossible: introduced an entire universe of 60 years. However, to say that this is justification for X3’s running time is pure fallacy. X1, while good, would have been significantly better had some of the cut scenes (which would’ve pushed the film towards 2 hours) been included. Indeed, the entire franchise would’ve been improved if the scene of Jean Grey in Cerebro, talking Charles Xavier about her growing powers and his role in their lives.

However, X2 is sometimes accused of being too long and indeed, the interspersed Xavier/Cerebro/Locating Humans or Mutants scenes seemed very odd and tedious when paced with the rather riveting, crisp, and fast action of the climax.

Most fans were hoping for 2 hours, a reasonable running time. And quite frankly, a necessary one. Kinberg and Ratner are ultimately bound by the studio though in this degree, why? Money.

Shorter show times allow one to have more showings in a single day. Logic would tell you this’d make you more money. However, logic also tells you that this is a sure-fire way to blow your load to early by having many of the people who want to see the movie only see it in its opening weekend and the – a la Fantastic Four – the movie’s performance at the Box Office can slump quickly and surely. Basically, shorter show times also make for an exhausted box office.

Shorter show times also save money in DVD content, DVD formatting, shipping, printing, etc. Overall, studios make more money by charging us $9 still, and charging us $29 dollars still, for SHORTER PRODUCT. It makes no sense. Which leads us ultimately, to my main point.

Fans swallowed a poor Daredevil by Fox. We endured a pathetic Elektra. We attempted to salvage for ourselves – buying the DVD for X3 – the Fantastic Four debacle and wreck of a piss-poor editing job that movie was. All the while, Avi Arad and Fox are blindly pandering on about how well they did, how groundbreaking their vision was, how nice. And what did we do…?

WE. FOLLOWED. ALONG! WE! BOUGHT! IT!

I will not tolerate Fox destroying the X-Men franchise. This is a entity, a concept, a franchise, and a fanbase that has serviced and lined Fox’s pockets for much good. The X-Men have MORE than proven themselves deserving a decent budgets, great talent, the best scripts, and the best length times.

Why this is a manifest is this – it is an incitation to action. So far, the only significant thing we can say X3 has going against it is this running time. It runs the risk of producing a short farce of a film – X3: The Last Stand (The Abridged Edition) where its decent, and if we as an audience fill in the blanks, it’ll actually become a good story. Recently, Eidos Interactive released Tomb Raider: Legend. The video game’s been lamblasted for being amazing, yet ridiciulously short. Eido’s response: “We take it as a good thing that people want more!”

I, for one, am sick of this pathetic, naive, insulting capitalistic *****slapping of consumers and fans. As if we’re stupid enough to not realize that our money no longer buys us the quantity and quality of product that it did when studios didn’t just care about the bottom line, or at least realized the best bottom line is when you’re consumer buys AND is satisfied.

So, honestly fans, we as fans of X-Men – not Fox, not of these movies, BUT OF X-MEN. Of these character who in many ways have defined and influenced our lives. We as X-Men fans have an obligation come May 26th.

See X-Men 3. It could be amazing. It could be horrible. Viewing will tell. But, if it is another Fantastic Four, if it could’ve been better, if we realize that there were things cut, information scrapped, story sabotaged just to fit it into a shorter time span for studio $$, we must as fans make a decision to let Fox know what we think. *****ing and whining and screaming isn’t enough. If this is the case, I want to know how many of you are fans enough of X-Men to actually NOT PURCAHSE THE DVD. This is when we can speak. We were shamelessly deceived by Avi and Fox with the Fantastic Four DVD, lulled into buying for X3. Let it not be the case this time. If X3 is not up to par with the franchise expectations, if its so short and so stunted that we are just appalled, we need to not settle for the DVD. We need to abstain. You want to hurt Fox, hurt them in their wallets. Hurt them by taking away their DVD, which is one of the major incomes for any movie production.

Want to tell them that we won’t take anymore Fantastic Fours, Elektras, or Daredevils, and now they’ve gone too far by destroying a beloved franchise, then we – all the thousands of us – should NOT by the DVD. That’ll send a statement. That’ll send a warning to Fox.

We don’t settle. We’re X-Men fans. Those characters deserve the best. We deserve the best.

But of course, if X-Men 3 rules, buy the DVD. Studios should earn our money, they should not get it based on name alone. Do you really like the image of them saying, “Who cares if it’s good? The fans’ll buy it either way…who cares?”

Studios don’t care about us once we open our wallets. Don’t open your wallet this time. You have a decision to make. Me, personally, if X3 is not up to par, I will not purchase the DVD. I will not make that sacrifice. I will not buy it “just to compelte the trilogy” – I’ll consider the trilogy incomplete and boycott Fox from that point forward.

The degradation in movies is appalling. Its ruined the romance, action, and comedy genres. Don’t let it ruin the superhero one too.

 

I was actually doing a subtle mimic of X3 alone.

But, in the end, I am saying that we have to do something. We're being dicked over as fans. Studios are basically taking our devotion, loyalty, and love of our characters and drudging us through us.

I just think there comes a time where -- barring Avi Arad calling us idiots -- we need to just tell studios you don't deserve us.

 

Guys...Godzilla...Go Away.

Let us concentrate on the now! X3!