The X-Men film franchise is not made for the fans.
Weird statement eh? It makes sense to me. I have read almost every interview with the cast and crew, I watched the trailers, and read almost every snippet of news about X-Men: First Class. Everytime, I see one of these posted, I always see a lot of hate slinged towards the film. A lot of you have wondered why FOX has ventured so far away from the comic book and are outrage by the fact that they have.
Here's my take on all that. Say what you will about the cast. Yes, we all know we are not getting the original team. We could have gotten it, had FOX opted to reboot the series, or better yet had Marvel won back the rights. But we won't get it, and here's why. Simply put, FOX does not care about what fans think of this film. They are not oblivious to our opinions of the franchise. They know that a lot of us have lost faith in them giving us a version of the X-Men that we deem suitable, so therefore they have decided to instead just continue their version of the franchise in a way that suits the previous movies. They know that they can probably bet on general public viewers watching the movie, so no need to worry about the fans right?
On the other side of the table, we have another Marvel team getting a film next year in the form of The Avengers. This movie to me is goin to be special. Why? Because it is going to be something made for fans. Marvel is actually taking the time to introduce certain heroes before the big team up next year. Yes, the general public will probably get a kick out of this too, but I really think this movie is going to be something for the fans. I would also add that building a studio that focuses only on CBMs is a testament to how dedicated Marvel Studios is to it's fans.
While, I do not not know how Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger will play out, I have faith that they will stay true to what fans know and love about the characters. Marvel Studios already gave us 2 Iron Man movies and a Hulk movie that did just that. Sure, some things are altered and taken out, but overall, we still have an Iron Man who built a suit of armor to save his life and defeat his terrorist captors, and a Hulk who smashes. Plus, the trailers and info I have read on Thor and Cap already have me convinced of this. After seeing Wolverine being made less violent, Cyclops turned into a wimp before being murdered, and Xavier killed, I can't say the same thing for the X-Men series.
So which one of these franchises will end up winning audiences over? If I had to guess, it will the heroes being put out by Marvel Studios. The characters and the team they will form is a new way of doing super hero movies. The X-Men movies could do well also, seeing as how people know the brand by now. At the same time, First Class is the 5th movie in the series. The X-Men series is old and has a lot of baggage by now. Audiences may be ready to move on.
It should also be noted that some of Marvel's movies including The Avengers are very much things that fans want to see. While I think, Thor and Cap will do fine with general audiences, I think the bulk of people seeing these movies will be comic book fans. I sometimes wonder how much appeal these guys will have to average movie goers. Iron Man works well, because he reflects today's world. In a world, where our generation is hooked to gaming consoles, smart phones, and Kindles, Iron Man is easy to get into because he is all about tech. Add to the fact, that he is a global hero fighting terrorists in many cases, and you have a very relavent hero. I think the nobility of Steve Rogers will make Captain America a hero who people can emphathize with, and Thor learning humility will be a good story too, but I wonder how much non comic book fans will relate to them. Cap is set in World War 2 and Thor is a god. Iron Man is a regular human being. A smart one in an armored suit, but still only a man. Yet Marvel is giving Thor and Cap a shot because we the fans want them to.
So there you have it. We will see how things play out with both franchises, but that's what I think will happen. Sound off below.