Fox’s X-Men universe has been going strong for 16 years, but with very mixed results. The nine total films (six X-Men, and two Wolverine, with one more on the way) have been box office successes, but critical and fan reception have, for the most part, been lukewarm.
The franchise started off strong. A combination of respected veterans and talented newcomers made up the cast, character origins (aside from Rogue) were well represented, and the first two films had a good balance of action and drama.
And then things started to head downhill. X3 completely screwed the Phoenix saga. First Class was a mild improvement, but bland. Wolverine’s two solo films, with a plethora of mistakes, managed to make people not give a damn about comics’ most popular mutant.
Then the pendulum swung back in the right direction with Days of Future Past. The chilling tale of Trask, Sentinels, and mutant extermination was extremely well done. It looked like Fox, and director Bryan Singer, had finally found their groove, and truly understood where the X-verse needed to go.
And then the Apocalypse happened. No, not yesterday’s election results. I’m talking about bringing the X-Men’s greatest villain to the screen. En Sabah Nur is an absolutely epic character, and bringing him to terrifying life should have been easy. The way he looks, sounds, moves, speaks, thinks – all of these were laid out very clearly in the comics and cartoons. One only needed to follow the idiot-proof instructions to have a massive success.
And we all know how that turned out. Despite the fact that they hired phenomenal talent Oscar Isaac to play the world’s first mutant, he was still written and presented in so many wrong ways. Faith in Fox once again took a nosedive.
Which leads us to the present. Deadpool, loosely connected to the X-verse, was a massive hit, because it was actually done right. The film had a director and star who both knew exactly what fans wanted to see, because they are fans themselves. And the upcoming Logan, Hugh Jackman’s final outing as Wolverine, is looking like it’s going to be a solid swan song for the beloved Australian actor.
With so much back and forth, what should the future hold for the X-Men? Rumors say a complete reboot. The Gambit film seems to be stuck in development hell. Continuity has gone the way of the dodo. Several stars of the current timeline, including Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, and Nicholas Hoult have reached the end of their end of their multi-film contracts. Director Bryan Singer has chosen not to return to the franchise. And writer/producer Simon Kinberg is working on a new script to “reconfigure” the series.
Many of us have been hoping that this mixed bag of success and failure would lead the X-Men back into the Marvel fold, where they could be incorporated into the MCU films. Unfortunately, a reboot makes this less of a possibility.
So, what’s next for our favorite mutants? Only time will tell. Logan’s plot and reception, Deadpool 2 (featuring Cable)’s success, and Gambit’s very existence may end up being deciding factors. We all know that Fox is going to follow the money.
What do you think they should do? Continue on the current path? Another soft reboot, a la First Class? Or just hit the reset button completely, and start from scratch? Tell us what you think below!
Source: THR