X-Men 3 versus Fantastic Four 2

[X-Maniac]

With Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer out tonight/tomorrow, and many of us having seen it already, there will inevitably be debate about which is 'better' in people's opinions, and what each got right/wrong that the other didn't. Both are Fox movies about Marvel superheroes, so it will be interesting to see what people think of the treatment by the director, studio and writers...

Although I've posted my views elsewhere in this forum and the FF forums, I thought a thread here might be a good idea.

In my view:

1) Both movies 'suffer' to some extent from brisk editing to fit 90-minute runtimes -- just 5 or 10 minutes more would allow a lot of extra footage and breathing space.

2) FF2 has the issue of including Doom and Silver Surfer, much as X3 included Magneto/the cure and the Dark Phoenix. In both cases, characters suffered - namely Doom (some of his appearances are just brief clips!) and Phoenix.

3) FF2 is more humorous in Act 1, but then gets much more serious, more epic. It had an epic feel that was sometimes lacking in X3 due to the Phoenix's limitless power never really being showcased.

4) The emotion is perhaps deeper and stronger in X3, with Jean Grey's scenes in particular. Momentous and tragic scenes in FF2 sometimes do not get enough time on screen.

 

[Neto Magnus]

All I know is that FF2 is going to make it or break it for me in terms of future Marvel movies. With the way these movies have been turning out lately, I might as well become a DC fan.

 

[Goddessreicho]

I hear that. Thought I'd never say it tho. I am still in shock about the disastrous outcome of SM3. Not too shocked about the results of X3. And now from what X-maniac is saying it looks like FF2 is a carbon copy of all the mistakes of X3.

Fabu.

Well, I supose it's better than being a triplicate of X1/X2 (seeing how those were the same movie :P)

Btw, America doesn't get FF2 till midnight.

 

[flavio_lebeau]

I know almost nothing about FF2...

 

[X-Maniac]

And, as I was at the Fantastic Four advance screening on Monday, and ensuing press conference, and managed an unscheduled photoshoot in the hallway... here's some photos...

My photo of the lovely Jessica Alba (who plays Invisible Woman):

X-Maniac meets Michael Chiklis (who plays Thing in FF)

X-Maniac with Jessica Alba:

As I look so starstruck and chipmunk-cheeked in the above photo, as well as bleached white by standing too close to my camera's fierce flash, here is the real me in my natural setting:

 

[Seen]

I think X3 was guaranteed more emotion because it was building up on the themes and emotions of the characters two movies previously. You really felt for characters such as Logan, Xavier, Jean, etc etc.

Whereas with Fantastic Four and its sequel you really only have one movie besides this new one, and so you don't have enough character development to really genuinely care about anyone yet. I mean, still, you care, but when you build on something for three movies, it really gets you, versus two. However, if a FF member died at the end of this movie (which won't happen, but hypothetically speaking) it would probably generate an emotional response, much like Jean Grey's death in X2, but that won't happen.

Also, the Fantastic Four are just a more light-hearted bunch of superheroes compared to the X-Men, which represent darker themes and darker emotions, which tend to be more seriously dealt with. And thus, you have a deeper impact at the end of the day.

 

[Seen]

And, as I was at the Fantastic Four advance screening on Monday, and ensuing press conference, and managed an unscheduled photoshoot in the hallway... here's some photos...

My photo of the lovely Jessica Alba (who plays Invisible Woman):

X-Maniac meets Michael Chiklis (who plays Thing in FF)

X-Maniac with Jessica Alba:

As I look so starstruck and chipmunk-cheeked in the above photo, as well as bleached white by standing too close to my camera's fierce flash, here is the real me in my natural setting:

Lucky bastard. For a second I thought you were The Thing's distant brother or something.

 

[Neto Magnus]

yea I purposely avoided any news of the FF2 movie. I only saw the teaser. I'm hoping that by not being spoiled, I might enjoy it more.

I was trying to think when was the last good Marvel movie and i think its SM2. Cuz after that we got Blade 3, Elektra, FF, X3, Ghost Rider and SM3. All these movies were formulaic, boring and just plain dissapointing cuz they all had such great potential.

 

[Neto Magnus]

And, as I was at the Fantastic Four advance screening on Monday, and ensuing press conference, and managed an unscheduled photoshoot in the hallway... here's some photos...

My photo of the lovely Jessica Alba (who plays Invisible Woman):

X-Maniac meets Michael Chiklis (who plays Thing in FF)

X-Maniac with Jessica Alba:

As I look so starstruck and chipmunk-cheeked in the above photo, as well as bleached white by standing too close to my camera's fierce flash, here is the real me in my natural setting:

damn dude, you're old.

great pics though. I'm jealous that u meant Jessy.

 

[X-Maniac]

Lucky bastard. For a second I thought you were The Thing's distant brother or something.

Michael said he liked my hairstyle!

And isn't Jessica so pretty! I felt a right monster standing next to her!

 

[X-Maniac]

damn dude, you're old.

great pics though. I'm jealous that u meant Jessy.

Heh, I'm 41.... and often so stresed in my job I feel twice that!

 

[flavio_lebeau]

Before Spidey 3, which I thought was great (although with a terrible script), the last movie I enjoyed was X2...

Oh and Congrats X-Maniac. It's good to know Jessica is lovely in person.

 

[Neto Magnus]

Michael said he liked my hairstyle!

And isn't Jessica so pretty! I felt a right monster standing next to her!

LOL you could be his brother...
[YT]0TRQ5_abQ78[/YT]

 

[X-Maniac]

Having said all that, it IS worth seeing Fantastic Four - the humour is mostly funny, the action is great, and for once it involves London as well. Yay!

 

[javon]

Sue's powers??? (spoilers)

 

[X-Maniac]

Sue's powers are great! Love the forcefield stuff. Go and see it and see what you think.

 

[wolfgang85]

i never really compared the two teams. I hate spiderman and Pirates because I just feel thats major competition for X-men but i never felt that way with FF. In fact im excited to see FF2 and I just see those two differently, i will enjoy both movies and be happy they are both going on strong. as for spiderman and potc i HOPE THEY DIE!!!!! MUAHAHAHA
and no i havent seen them because i truly hate them

 

[La_She-Beast]

FF2 comes out in August for me, heh.

 

[javon]

Sue's powers are great! Love the forcefield stuff. Go and see it and see what you think.

Fine

 

[the a1ant]

Good thread idea, X-Maniac I was actually thinking of making a thread like this, too

I'll be seeing the film tomorrow and will give my opinion then.

Edit: Maybe a poll should be added

 

[Storm22]

So which, if you had to pick, do you think is better X? FF2 or X3?

 

[Mike059jig]

X and Alba, Damn you!!

 

[BMM]

Call me crazy, but I enjoyed Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer for what it was, especially when compared to how I feel about its predecessor.

I'm still not sure how I would rate it against The Last Stand though. My opinion's likely to be biased since I'm a bigger fan of the X-Men but more critical of their movies.

 

[the a1ant]

I liked X3 and FF2 equally. Both films have their positives and negatives and both films have so much wasted potential with the storylines they were given. They were good, but not great films, imo.

C+ for both

 

[X-Maniac]

So which, if you had to pick, do you think is better X? FF2 or X3?

I like both movies equally, for different reasons. FF2 has the epic feel that X3 sometimes lacked.

With FF2, we expected more and we definitely got it.

With X3, we expected more and the critics and many people on here think we didn’t get more. The power of the Dark Phoenix needed to be more threatening.

With FF2 we got the same director as before, one of the same writers (and one new one), so there is obviously more consistency. With X3 we got new writers and a new director, so there are more stylistic differences - from the very first scene X3 is markedly different to the previous movie. It flows on from the previous two X-movies, but reaction on here and RT indicate that a lot of people did not like its approach. They should have taken more trouble to align the movie with the previous two - with X2 being so acclaimed, why change a winning formula? While I enjoy X3, and am more a fan of X-Men than FF, they could have made X3 a more solid film - the Danger Room and the Dark Phoenix did not deliver what was expected, the curing of Rogue was wrong, Angel’s arc too brief and the Cyclops situation was clumsily handled. Storyboards of Phoenix destruction and of Magneto addressing the army in Hitler style would have been visually much more thrilling. An extended edition of X3 is a MUST in my view. And I'm not an X3 hater, so imagine how the haters feel!