X-MEN REVIEW by Jym Evans
The first thing I want you as a reader of this review to understand is that I know that you can not make a movie 100% accurate to a comic, novel or whatever it is you are interchanging mediums from. Small changes are expected. A good example is the butler on the Iron Man movie, Jarvis. In the movie he is a computer AI Program, in the comic, he is an actual butler. That is a very small change compared to what Brian Singer has done to the X-Men universe. I blame him because he was the writer and director for the first 2. Now we have 4 X-Men movies that are loosely based on the Comic. This is not really a review as it is just me analyzing the differences between the movie and the comic.
Also I might add to non comic geeks out there that there are many parallel universes, cross-overs, and story arcs that change, or retell stories to keep us geeks interested. That is what I am viewing the Movies as. They are a different X-Men version. It is a retelling in a different manner for a new generation of fans. I just want people to know the real stories and the real characters I have loved since childhood and that the Movie version is not the only version. (Most people will see the movie and never read the comic, and there are some real big differences)
This has been a long time coming... my review of these movies I mean. I have had hard feelings for a long time. In fact, I stopped my Wolverine collection after almost 20 years of collecting in the shadow of these movies. I have re written this review many times because the ones I did in the past were very ugly as that I was venting.
The only characters I feel they cast right was Wolverine, Nightcrawler and Professor X [Characters were correct, their story lines were not]
The Original X-Men:
First of all, the original X-MEN were:
Cyclops / Scott Summers,
Angel / Warren Worthington III,
Beast / Hank McCoy,
Iceman / Bobby Drake,
Marvel Girl / Jean Grey.
But in the movies Ice man is just a student (a kid) until later in part 2, Angel and Beast don't even show up till part 3, and the name Marvel Girl is never mentioned at all.
In X2 and X3 they tried to tie in the Dark Phoenix Saga which is WAY too complex to tie in to a movie. (See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wi
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Story Lines: Why change the story and ignore so much source material?
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X-MEN (First Movie)
I liked the Magneto ‘turning people to mutants’ story. I see it as an added story to the already existing stories we have. Where they go wrong is when they try to tell origin stories. I am mostly talking about Wolverine’s story in these movies (including the Prequel). The way the movie portrays it, is not how he came to the X-Men. In the comic he was part of a Canadian superhero team called ‘Alpha Flight’ ( http://www.comicvine.com/a
X2: X-Men United
Okay, the Movie X2 was loosely based on the 1982 Graphic Novel "X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills" written by written by Chris Claremont.
[Wikipedia] Several elements of the novel's plot — most notably the name of the villain, William Stryker; the fact that the X-Men team-up with Magneto, their arch-rival; and the use of Professor X to mentally kill all the mutants on earth — were used in the second X-Men film, X2. There are also differences in the storyline, however, the main one being that in the movie William Stryker is a military scientist rather than a minister (although, in both versions, he has a mutant child, though the child had already died prior to the events of the novel; also the comic's Stryker was once involved in the military). Another major difference is regarding William Stryker's back-story: in the film he is responsible for Wolverine receiving his adamantium bones and claws; in the comic, they had never met prior to the events of the novel. These elements came from screenwriter Zak Penn, who was hired to write drafts of the film. [/Wikipedia]
So once again the main story change is Wolverine’s. Not only was Stryker not involved in the Weapon X program, it was a Canadian program and not American. (I cover A LOT more of this in my ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ review: http://www.facebook.com/no
X3: The Last Stand
The film is loosely based on two X-Men comic book story arcs: writer Chris Claremont's and artist John Byrne's "Dark Phoenix Saga" in The Uncanny X-Men and writer Joss Whedon's and artist John Cassaday's six-issue "Gifted" arc in Astonishing X-Men. I guess it just bothers me that they went in this direction, a story arc, instead of staying with the ‘main’ Comic story.
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Characters: Miscast Strangers of the Cinema.
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Some of these characters are just miscast (Storm and Rogue mostly) but some of them were just not accurate at all as far as story placement and time line. Here are a couple of assessments.
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Detailed Comic History: http://www.comicvine.com/s
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COMIC STORM: is prominent leader of the X-Men. Ororo Munroe / Storm was worshiped as a rain goddess in Africa. She is tall and has a dominant personality; a true leader.
MOVIE STORM: is a "background character" and the only hint of her stepping up to lead the x-men was in part 3 simply by saying that the school will stay open. She is meek and quiet. She is short and sensitive. I think first of all that they miscast this character. Hollywood wanted the hottest most popular black female actress instead of an actress that looks the part and can act. Halley Berry did no research on this character and has never read the comics. In fact she said that she wanted to do her own spin on the character... way to go Halley, now we have a weak, short, nobody Storm.
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Detailed Comic History: http://www.comicvine.com/r
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COMIC ROGUE: , she is the X-Men's self-described southern belle. A runaway, she was adopted by Mystique but turned to the X-Men when the aftereffects of her repeated use of her mutant power - particularly the permanent absorption of Ms. Marvel's psyche and Kree powers threatened her sanity. In the Comic, Rogue met Wolverine in Tokyo (where he was preparing for his marriage to Mariko Yashida) She was part of the Brotherhood of Mutants before she joined the X-Men.
MOVIE ROGUE: a confused runaway that just wants to fit in somewhere. This character was miscast; this British actor has no idea how to do a Mississippi southern belle accent. In the movie Rogue was taken in by Logan [Wolverine] in the comic she was approached by Mystique, who sought her out on the advice of her precognitive partner Destiny and took her in as a daughter. In the Comic, Rogue met Wolverine in Tokyo (where he was preparing for his marriage to Mariko Yashida) I could keep going about rogue. But I won't because there is just too much more...
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Detailed Comic History: http://www.comicvine.com/m
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COMIC MAGNETO: Magneto is a mutant capable of generating magnetic fields, which he uses to control ferrous metals (iron, steel, etc.). His magnetic fields have been measured at over 200 tesla, and no firm upper limit to the intensity of the fields has been established. Magneto can also produce electricity, possibly through electromagnetic induction. (He can shoot lightning from his hands)
MOVIE MAGNITO: A frail old man who survived the Holocaust. Leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants. Has no real power other than controlling metal. Wants to turn people in to mutants? There was enough of the real character in this portrayal, but could have been much better.
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Detailed Comic History: http://www.comicvine.com/m
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COMIC MISTIQUE: Mystique is a mutant, a shape shifter able to alter the formation of her biological cells at will and thereby assume the form of other humans. Originally, it was clearly stated that Mystique's powers were limited to appearances only; she could not assume the powers of the people she morphed into or alter her body to adapt to different situations. In addition, she could not change her overall body mass in order to change into a person larger or smaller than she is. She has the ability to create the appearance of clothes out of her own body. Mystique was shown in at least one instance transforming a metallic part of her costume into a functioning blaster pistol. Whether this was a function of her powers or of the costume piece itself is unclear. As a side effect of this power, her natural aging process has been suppressed (if not completely halted), as she has retained her youthful figure despite being alive for over eighty years. (Some sources say she is over a century old.) Oh did I mention that she wears clothes? There is a lot more to the Comic Mystique like being Nightcrawler's Mother and Rogue's foster mother. I am going to keep moving.
MOVIE MISTIQUE: Mystique is played by Rebecca Romijn and, unlike her comic book incarnation, is a member of Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants. Her true form is serpentine, having scaly skin and reptilian eyes. She is also a nudist, although this is not purely to accommodate her powers, as she is capable of producing the illusion of being clothed but doesn't. Additionally, Mystique is not Rogue's foster mother; they meet each other for the first time when Magneto kidnaps Rogue. In the films, she has the ability to duplicate retinal patterns (as shown in the first film), and duplicates Deathstrike's handprint simply by shaking her hand in the second film. In the third film she was shown to seemingly alter her mass by taking the form of a child. She can not do any of that according to the comic.
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Detailed Comic History: http://www.comicvine.com/s
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COMIC SABERTOOTH: Sabretooth [Victor Creed] is a mutant who possesses bestial superhuman physical abilities, most notably a rapid healing factor, razor-sharp fangs and claws, and hyper senses. He is a savage sociopath responsible for numerous deaths both as a paid mercenary and for his own, personal pleasure. In the mainstream comics Sabretooth and Magneto have never come together in any real capacity. There is alot of depth to this character. He is intelligent and very cold when it comes to human life. He has a very close and personal past with Wolverine that I will not mention here.
MOVIE SABERTOOTH: Sabretooth was depicted as a hit man man for Magneto. He had no personality just a brute that grunts and is strong. Rawr.
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Detailed Comic History: http://www.comicvine.com/l
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COMIC LADY DEATHSTRIKE: Lady Deathstrike is a CYBORG with superhuman strength, speed, and agility. Deathstrike's skeleton has been infused with adamantium, rendering her skeletal structure practically unbreakable. Initially, it was a mystery as to how Deathstrike survived this process, as it is generally believed that without a healing factor, the process would be fatal to a human. Later, in the pages of Uncanny X-Men, it was shown that Lady Deathstrike, along with former Hellfire Club guards Cole, Macon, and Reese (the three of which had been nearly killed by Wolverine) were transformed into cyborgs by Spiral in her "Body Shoppe." It was during this process that Deathstrike gained her adamantium augmentation.
MOVIE LADY DEATHSTRIKE: Played by Kelly Hu, In X-Men II, Deathstrike is a mutant with a healing factor and super-strength who is given adamantium bones and claws by Weapon X. Little is known of her personality as she spends the film under Stryker's mind control. She is killed by Wolverine who injects her with liquid adamantium.
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Detailed Comic History: http://www.comicvine.com/w
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COMIC WILLIAM STRYKER: Reverend Stryker was a Christian fundamentalist televangelist who saw himself on a mission from God to destroy the mutant race.
MOVIE WILLIAM STRYKER: Colonel Stryker, played by Brian Cox, was a rogue army colonel with an equally fervent desire to destroy mutants, stemming from his mutant son's causing the death of his wife, and the failure of Professor X to help him. Obviously Brian Singer completely changed this character and decided to add him to Wolverine's new origin. (Brian Singer's version of Wolvie's back story that highly vexes me, if something isn't broke, don't fix it!!!)
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All in all, these movies were pretty good with the exception of all of the miscast Characters and the made up back stories. (Mostly how Logan joined the X-Men, and what is sad is that that is what the first movie was centered around until Magneto sprayed the Statue of Liberty with pink ectoplasm and made it walk, oh wait was that Ghost Busters 2?..lol)
As long as I view these as just a different story arc I can stomach what they did to Wolverine. But Wolverine deserves his own movie, Not a X-Men Prequel, but real close to the mark actual story. Like I would love for them to make a Weapon X movie. It would be a R rated Horror movie! (Based on Marvel Comics Presents #72-84 in 1991)
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