Days of Future Past "We Need You To Hope Again": A Fan's POV

[Lightning Strykez!]

"We Need You To Hope Again"
An Essay By Lightning Strykez!​

I really appreciate this comment from the recently released "Top 25 Most Anticipated Films of 2014" Hit Flix article:

Fox has had such an uneven track record on this series that we don't blame fans for their skepticism, but we are starting to get seriously optimistic about not only this film, but what it could mean for the entire "X-Men" universe.

I am one of those skeptical fans. In my heart of hearts I want this franchise to succeed so badly. And even though I have had my gripes with certain Singer-driven creative choices, I must readily admit that this franchise was in its best condition under his management. Hindsight is 20/20 and I wince when I think about what this franchise could've been if Singer hadn't sought out that Warner Bros. project (the one that ultimately damaged this franchise's momentum while simultaneously benefitting zero peoples' careers at the Superman Returns franchise). Studio politics. But as I said, hindsight is 20/20 and a huge door of opportunity has been opened.

It's been 10 years since Singer's beloved X2 was released. He's had literally a decade to sit on the sidelines, watch this franchise stumble, hear the fan outcry and think of ways to bring it back to greatness. I sooooo want to believe that Days Of Future Past will be the result of 10 years worth of Bryan's ruminations: a film that will not only tell a brilliant story with emotion, but one that will deliver a break from some of the "realism", embracing the fantasy these mutant stories are revered for.

Ironically enough, at the end of the first DoFP trailer, a worn Charles Xavier beseeches his younger self by saying "We need you to hope again". Well, I feel as if that statement was almost an understated pledge to my own heart strings. I am tired of waiting. I am tired of being skeptical. I want to be a True Believer in this franchise again. I want to hope again.

Essay/ Rant Over.

For those of you who have some skepticism, what are you hoping for? Could FOX's grossly "uneven track record" finally be behind us in days of the past?

 

[FilmNerdJamie]

You might not like what Singer did. But its pretty lazy and reeks of Monday Morning Quarterbacking to say his leaving was "foolish." He did what anyone else in their right mind would have done under those conditions.

But it doesn't matter since all parties are friendly again.

 

[Mysteryman]

If Singer had not left,
I doubt FC would have been made .

 

[FilmNerdJamie]

You know... I have a weird feeling X-Men 3 might have disappointed if he made it. At least after our huge expectations walking outta X2.

 

[GuestStar2004]

I wouldn't say singer was totally innocent in the X3 situation, I think him and fox are both to blame for that situation

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

You might not like what Singer did. But its pretty lazy and reeks of Monday Morning Quarterbacking to say his leaving was "foolish." He did what anyone else in their right mind would have done under those conditions.

But it doesn't matter since all parties are friendly again.

Are you...calling me a lazy Monday Quarterbacker? That...reeks.

My point is that hindsight is 20/20. No one benefitted from that decision. FOX, WB, Bryan, Brandon Routh, James Marsden, etc., all saw little if zero advancement in their careers. And one of WB's most successful franchises was significantly wounded--and this franchise is still struggling to resuscitate itself from X3.

We all make decisions in life that we look back on and wish we either hadn't made, or handled differently. That's why we call them foolish. That's my opinion of those collective business decisions made by FOX, Singer and WB. Perhaps you don't agree with my assessment. But anytime two mammoth franchises like Superman and The X-Men are critically and financially reduced, somewhere, somehow, someone made a series of foolish decisions.

However, I agree with you: thankfully all of the children are playing well together again in the same sand box.

 

[JackMercy]

Stop living in the past.

...which is precisely what the upcoming film is all about.

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

Stop living in the past.

...which is precisely what the upcoming film is all about.

Actually, I thought the movie was about how the past dictates the future?

 

[def28]

For those of you who have some skepticism, what are you hoping for? Could FOX's grossly "uneven track record" finally be behind us in days of the past?

For me the bad track record was mostly done when FC was released. My favorite X Flick. Funny enough, it features non of my favorite characters. I want to see all of the previous complaints on character focus and unwanted deaths/cures left in the dust after this film. Time for that to be done with. I really want to see this expanded X-men Universe Fox hopes to make, where multiple X-Men will have their time to shine in and out of action, not just one or two watching the others get all the character arcs and fight scenes. Storm, Angel, Rogue, Cyc, Emma, Gambit, Deadpool, Iceman all deserve better in future films.

I know DOFP will not deliver all that, but I do think it will set that up for the future, while giving us a great follow up to FC and more science fiction elements then the previous films that are there in the books. While Im skeptical that I will have problems and this may not be as good as I think (I don't always care for Singers creative decisions) , Im not skeptical on the choice of making this film. Ton of potential here to get fully on track. Just hope its used.

 

[psylockolussus]

You know... I have a weird feeling X-Men 3 might have disappointed if he made it. At least after our huge expectations walking outta X2.

It could have been similar to the Sm3 situation with Sam Raimi but at least with Singer, I think we would have gotten a better film and Cyclops wouldn't be killed so early in the movie.

 

[Great Mind(s)]

Its hard to imagine it being worse with Singer involved. It might have been TDKR to TDK which imo is inferior but still worthy of the franchise

 

[xrs13]

Part of me wants to believe that The Singer X3 would have featured more cyc, if he decided to take James onto superman then perhaps he was ready to give him more but didnt get what he wanted so jumped ship. Who Knows, We can just be excited for DOFP

 

[GuestStar2004]

Part of me wants to believe that The Singer X3 would have featured more cyc, if he decided to take James onto superman then perhaps he was ready to give him more but didnt get what he wanted so jumped ship. Who Knows, We can just be excited for DOFP

Rumour is singer was trying to get more of the X-men cast into superman returns, sounds to me like singer was doing it to either screw fox over or basically say ha you have to wait now

i doubt it was a case of YOU LET ME GIVE CYCLOPS MORE TO DO OR I'M GONE!

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

Well, hopefully that plan to rejuvenate Scott will be realized in DoFP. Although at this point I truly don't know what to expect. I am hoping for it but the deletion of Rogue doesn't exactly suggest that reuniting the OT cast is a top priority.

 

[Figs]

Its hard to imagine it being worse with Singer involved. It might have been TDKR to TDK which imo is inferior but still worthy of the franchise

I'm willing to bet this is how it would have turned out. X2 was great, for it's time. I still love it but it's not as great as it used to be compared to a lot of the more recent comic book films.

Singer seemed to have had an actual vision for the film from interviews I've watched and read. Vaughn, who from what everyone says now(the blame used to go to Ratner but it somehow switched over to Matthew)is the one to blame apparently for the film being a mess. Funny thing is that Ratner shot so much footage that he said himself he was having trouble with what kind of tone and vibe he wanted the movie to have. It all depended on what scenes he inserted or cut out of the film. That is a sign of not having a vision which I don't think is good for any film.

 

[Steyin]

I'm so skeptical about this film that I doubt we'll see Sentinels in action for more than 10-15 minutes.

 

[Malik]

They don't need to take up more than 20-40 minutes. The robots in the comic made very few appearances. Dofp is mainly about racism any way.

 

[def28]

These characters are not given powers to fight just for the hell of it. 20 min of total Sentinel scrren time in an over 2 hour movie would be disappointing imo. The Sentinels (should) play a key factor here. Allegories are built in , and the Sentinels play into that. It's near impossible to get rid of. They need to be explained in the past as well as the future so they should have plenty of screen time here. They need to be shown as a major terrifying threat to all mutants. Pretty big deal, and they should be lurking around every corner.

 

[MarvelU]

They don't need to take up more than 20-40 minutes. The robots in the comic made very few appearances. Dofp is mainly about racism any way.

Well, the difference is that The Sentinels were well known in the comics by the time the Days of Future Past story hit the shelves. In the movie this is the first time they will introduce the Sentinels and thus they need to establish what their purpose is and what became of them into the further future. Thus the Sentinels will have some decent amount of time in the movie. Plus the reason the Sentinels exists is due to discrimination.

 

[By your Command]

I'm with Lightning, I'm one of the skepts, I've always loved the X-Men, and the first two X-Men movies are movies I can watch over and over again, they're magnificent, they speak to me, they are highly quotable, love their soundtracks, you name it. But since X2 the movies just haven't clicked with me, while "First Class" was an improvement (and I definitely understand while some even love it more than the old ones), the movie didn't do much for me, it was kinda good, but it felt horribly rushed (I'm not only speaking about production, I mean the end result), "The Wolverine" while it didn't felt rushed, I can say that my favorite part of the movie was the post-credits scene, so it's not exactly high praise, I'm keeping my expectations on check, and I'm trying harder than ever not to spoil the movie for myself, and hopefully come May I'll be a surprised happy camper.

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

I'm with Lightning, I'm one of the skepts, I've always loved the X-Men, and the first two X-Men movies are movies I can watch over and over again, they're magnificent, they speak to me, they are highly quotable, love their soundtracks, you name it. But since X2 the movies just haven't clicked with me, while "First Class" was an improvement (and I definitely understand while some even love it more than the old ones), the movie didn't do much for me, it was kinda good, but it felt horribly rushed (I'm not only speaking about production, I mean the end result), "The Wolverine" while it didn't felt rushed, I can say that my favorite part of the movie was the post-credits scene, so it's not exactly high praise, I'm keeping my expectations on check, and I'm trying harder than ever not to spoil the movie for myself, and hopefully come May I'll be a surprised happy camper.

Well, with Bryan Singer back in the driver's seat I can only hope for a return to form for the franchise.

 

[By your Command]

Well, with Bryan Singer back in the driver's seat I can only hope for a return to form for the franchise.

Of course, I forgot to add that LS, Singer back in the helm is reason enough for a nice confidence boost. I really hope to be back here in 4 months dissecting every scene of the movie with a big grin on my face.

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

Of course, I forgot to add that LS, Singer back in the helm is reason enough for a nice confidence boost. I really hope to be back here in 4 months dissecting every scene of the movie with a big grin on my face.

Me too. They have soooo much riding on this film. Every subsequent film coming next will be standing on this one's shoulders, so it better be damn good!

 

[Sun_Down]

Singer and Fox share blame for X3. Singer maybe deserves a little more of the blame (I defended him in the past, but really, he didn't leave Fox much choice).

But we can all agree that Singer has delivered the two best X-Men films to date, with the exception of First Class. I'm glad to have him back, especially since I never thought it would happen. Yes, there have been some "WTF?" moments in the press leading up to this thing, but overall it has me excited.