A Defense of FOX

A Defense of FOX

With the release of THE WOLVERINE, alot of articles have been posted on this site, with Trollapalooza (I'm copyrighting that) going on in the comments. Well, I'm here to defend FOX from some of the complaints.

Editorial Opinion
By WeaponX93 - Jul 29, 2013 06:07 PM EST
Filed Under: X-Men

Just to clear things up, I am in no way associated with FOX. These are all of my personal opinions based viewing films. I'm going to avoid going into the "Fantastic Four" films because FOX is more of the X-Men company.

As the teaser suggests, I have been on several X-Men film related articles, be it THE WOLVERINE, DOFP, or X-FORCE, and have seen the troll comments. I call them trolls because they post no facts, just continually repeat the words "Bastardize" and "Rape." For the record, I am not going to compare a absolutely horrible crime committed by people less than animals to some a**hole fanboy saying "I didn't like what they did to that character." Is FOX completely innocent? Absolutely not. There are a ton of things I question about them. So now, I present similar problems between MARVEL and DC movies to the ones harped on by FOX haters.

1. Hate for Singer
What has Singer done to anyone here? Did he come to your house and slap your mommy around? Kill the people in your village? Let your pets out of the gate? I mean come on. Sure, his Superman movie wasn't loved worldwide (personally I didn't find it that bad), but his X-Men films started the trend for comicbook movies. Without X1, we wouldn't have had Spiderman. X2 is one of the greatest CMB's of all time. If you google "Bryan Singer plans for xmen 3" you'll get an article from Screen Rant in which Singer explains how X3 would've went had he not left, and in my opinion, it is far superior than what we got from Ratner. Also, Singer was heavily involved in "First Class," which people on here seem to love, and some claim revived the X-Men series.

2. Wolverine is the Star
More prominently in X2, but overall a lot of attention has been paid to Wolverine on film. He has had solo films, team films, and even a cameo. Sound familiar? Iron Man has appeared in 3 solo films, a cameo in "Incredible Hulk," and was made the star of "Avengers," and will no doubt play important parts in A2 and A3. Why? Because they are popular characters. Sure, it gets tiring, but if the money's good, why stop?

3. First Class Wasn't the Original Team
Tell me where Giant Man and Wasp were for Avengers? Or tell me why Captain America, Hawkeye, and Black Widow were on that team? Sure, they're important, but its not the original team from the comics. I'll admit, "First Class" must've had a Roulette Wheel of mutants and whoever it landed on was on the team, but it wasn't a bad movie. It certainly wasn't the best, but it was decent enough to make people forgive the previous movies, if only for a short time.

4. The Bastardization of Characters
I'll admit, what happened to Deadpool was terrible. But aside from the mouth being sewn and optic blasts, there was nothing that far off. In the comics, his healing is derived from Wolverine. While his teleporting was taken from Wraith in the movie, he did teleport in the comics. While the sword-claws were bizarre, he is a sword master so it didn't bother me much. I'm not going to spoil "The Wolverine" but what happened with the Silver Samurai was no different than what Mandarin was in Iron Man 3. A lot of characters aren't used to their full potential in FOX films, but with the announcement of "X-Force," and who knows what'll happen after DOFP, there can be several team/character movies that can happen. Also, Bane went from being a nonspeaking, green, Hispanic, brute, mindless drone being controlled by a woman to a articulate speaking, white, slightly british, mindless brute being controlled by a woman. Why isn't Nolan being hated? Why wasn't Selina Kyle referred too as Catwoman? Even the beloved Joker from "Dark Knight" was not a direct adaptation from the comics. He was more of a deranged lunatic in make up than a psychotic clown, but most people loved him. (I found his performance a little overrated, but that's a story for another time).

5. Bad Casting
"Hugh Jackman's too tall." "Wolverine's a musical star? WTF." As I said in the comments on another article, Hugh Jackman is extremely dedicated to the role. And I'd guarantee that we will NEVER find an exact 5'3" hairy, muscular, gruff actor with dark hair. It ain't happening. If some of you are willing to change the orientation or skin color of major characters, why would height matter? Or background? Chris Evans was a comedy star, and had two failed CBM's before nailing the role of Capt. America. Heath Ledger played a gay cowboy, and no one critiques his Joker. Personally, I find Hemsworth too young to play Thor, but you don't see me on every article saying his movie is going to be s**t. I didn't even know who Henry Cavill was, but he was a pretty good Superman.

6. No Costumes
This one apply's specifically to Wolverine critics. X1 happened right after the critically panned Bat-Nipples. I don't know the reason for the black leather, but Singer obviously had a reason for not going for the classic suits. And that only matters now because MARVEL pulled the Avengers' costumes off wonderfully. No one criticized Nolan's Batman for not wearing gray spandex, or MOS Superman isn't in tights and underwear. In "The Wolverine," he had given up. There was no need to wear any type of uniform, as he wasn't there as a hero, he was there as Logan.

In closing, I know this article won't change a lot. I mainly wrote this to vent, as I am sick of trolls bashing good movies. Yes, X3 and "Origins" are very flawed, but the other X-Movies range from decent to great. "The Wolverine" was an incredible film, yet had haters before it was even released.

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gamecreatorjj
gamecreatorjj - 7/29/2013, 7:01 PM
I agree, I really don't get the hate with Fox when it comes to X-Men, (I understand FF and Daredevil. I mean, through Fox, Singer jumpstarted the CBM genre, without X-Men, we would be years behind, and it's a good movie to boot. Then he also made X2, and bullsh*t if it doesn't compare to today's standards, it's better than every MCU film (sparing Avengers, but its damn well close. Then Fox goofed, they made Last Stand and Origins, both hoernedous films, and after that I understand if people hate Fox (I mean 50% of X men films would be garbage) But then they gave use First Class AND The WOlverine. Both have their own tones and unique stories and keep from falling into the idea of the standard action movie, unlike a lot of MCU. I mean when it comes down to it, Fox has produced 4 great X-men films, and 2 utter bile ones. Thats getting 2/3 right, and thats pretty good if you ask me.
OrgasmicPotatoe
OrgasmicPotatoe - 7/29/2013, 7:02 PM
I also don't get all te hate for FOX. I mean, sure FOX is bullshit, but their X-Movies are decent. Not a lot to complain about when compared to the others.
MoonDoggyX
MoonDoggyX - 7/29/2013, 7:10 PM
I agree with you that numbers 2 - 6 come down to nitpicking and perrsonal opinions and preferences. But you're just plain wrong with number 1, sir!

No, I do not personally hate Bryan Singer, but I do not like his work. What did he do...? Made one bad X-Men film and one ok X-men film. I admit, X2 was verey impressive when released, but it did not age well when compared to newer post batman begins CBMs. And I don't just mean special effects. Sure, compared to Ang Lee's hulk, Schumaker's Batman and Raimi's first Spiderman, X2 is awesome. It's not that good compared to any of the MCU, even the one's I don't care too much for.

Then there's Superman Returns. Arguably one of the worst, unoriginal and uninspired CBM's ever. Just. Bad idea from start to finish. I'm not one to care too much about sticking strictly to the source material, he does not even respect it. He ignored 30 years of Superman stories and made a sequel to DonnerKs films??? That and things like not allowing Comic Books on the set of the X-men movies shows that he doesn't care about the genre of comics at all. How cand he know what fans want or understand what we like about the mythology and character if he completely ignores the source material? He doesn't. And it shows iin his films.
MoonDoggyX
MoonDoggyX - 7/29/2013, 7:24 PM
Even with all the problems, I don't hate fox's X franchise. I just really would rather have Matther Vaughn.... Hell even Brell Rattner directing DoFP. Most of the problems with X3 had to do with the story and script. I think it was very well directed actually had some of the best individuals scenes in any CBM to date. The last battle in X3, minus Wolverine vs Phoenix, was better and more "X-Men" than anything. Singer put up in his 2 films...
WeaponX93
WeaponX93 - 7/29/2013, 7:52 PM
Wow I thought I'd have a lot more hate than this. Thanks guys and girls (there are girls o this site, right?).
@MoonDoggyX
I'd like to believe Singer knew how the audience would like the characters to be, and didn't want a bad interpretation to be presented. However, if that's not the case then I'll look like an idiot, which is ok I'll accept defeat on one.
WeaponX93
WeaponX93 - 7/29/2013, 7:58 PM
@gamecreatorjj
Meat Loaf said it best "Two Outta Three Ain't Bad"
MoonDoggyX
MoonDoggyX - 7/29/2013, 8:40 PM
@WeaponX93 - sorry if I didn't say before, but great job on your article. I hope you don't think that any of my Singer hate was directed towards you. He's already got the job directing DoFP, so I honestly hope he knock's it out of the park this time... Either way, I'll be in theatres to watch crash or soar.
tvor03
tvor03 - 7/29/2013, 8:54 PM
The reason for the leather uniforms was because Singer and Laura Schuler Donner saw the X-Men as more of a covert ops team. And for a team that wanted to work in the shadows, bright yellow and blue outfits wouldn't make much sense.

I never had beef with the Fox X-Men films. I didn't like Origins, with the terrible cgi claws, bad Deadpool, and shoehorned Gambit. But the rest were cool. I even liked X3. I didn't like Cyclops dieing, but it wouldn't be that hard to bring him back. And Kelsey Grammer was awesome as Beast. Really looking forward DOFP.
WeaponX93
WeaponX93 - 7/29/2013, 8:57 PM
@MoonDoggyX
Thanks. And no I didn't feel any hate. There are many reasons to hate him. You listed several valid reasons to. I guess I'm biased because I'm more of an X-Men guy. I just like his X-Men movies more than the two that came after. But yeah, no hard feelings!
Wallymelon
Wallymelon - 7/29/2013, 9:20 PM
yooo i loved the article, but Bane wa smisrepresented in both films. Bane is a criminal mastermind. he's a genius and hes a bad ass. they just used the bad ass part and turned him into a pawn.
superherofan21
superherofan21 - 7/30/2013, 12:20 AM
I understand some of the complaints out there, but Fox is really stepping up their game with their comic book movies. I thought First Class was really great. Same goes for The Wolverine. And Days of Future Past looks amazing. I used to think Fox was awful, but I have to admit that they're really trying now. I really hope their next Fantastic Four movie is good.
BigK1337
BigK1337 - 7/30/2013, 9:26 AM
Good points of defense, but I think I have give some rebuttals to your stand (NOTE: I am pretty much neutral on the whole Fox thing with X-Men characters).

1. Wait, I thought it was Blade who started the whole comic book movie trend. I mean without that film's success, Marvel wouldn't have the balls to make the X-Men films.

2. Last I check, Marvel Studios didn't made Iron Man the main focus of Avengers. In terms of spotlight stealing characters with an attitude, the Hulk seems more like the Avenger's Wolverine with the similarity in reception (hell their cameos were even the best part of the movie they appear in).

3. True, but than again Avengers actually did have majority of their key founding members. But since Days of Future Past is coming, there is a possibility of that team appearing so I will drop this point.

4. Wow this is a huge one, but here it goes:
- You know who else is a sword master with healing factor and teleporting abilities? An anime character (but more specifically a Bleach character). If Deadpool had retained his mouth and only had the healing powers, he would of still been in character.
- True on Mandarin . . . well at least if you are in the camp that Mandarin is a person and not an identity that can be used by anybody similar to the whole Red Skull or Baron Zemo. Still, I pretty much can see Aldritch Killian's Mandarin being more true (only to the Extremis story) than the Super Powered Silver Samurai armor (it seems unnessessary to give the character a mech, when all he needs is a badass samurai suit with a sword that can shift elements).
- Last I check, people did complain about the changes made to Bane with the mask, voice and race. It later on turned out as a good thing as he was still in character as the menacing criminal/terrorist who manage to break Batman. Some of the changes Fox made (Deadpool, Cyclops being dead, Rogue acting weak, adamantium bullet amnesia, etc) weren't that well like.
- Also, last I check, in the comics Catwoman was first referred to as the Cat. In DKR, she is also referred to the Cat through archives. Just saying.
- Wait, there is a difference between a lunatic in clown make up and psychotic clown? Cause I play a shit load of Twisted Metal to know that there isn't.

5. But what about the other cast mates of X-Men? There is no denying that some of them aren't right for the character. Besides, you have to admit it is time to find a new Wolverine actor; especially with DOFP coming very soon, so it is a good time to introduce a new Wolverine.

6. Custom-Made Samurai Suit. Seriously, that movie actually had the chance at making an awesome allusion to Wolverine iconic costume by making it a samurai suit for him to use. And guess what, it is justifiable. In the movie, he lost his powers to heal making him vulnerable. He needs a form of protection from all the Yakuzas and ninjas that attack him. So he gains a suit from Yukio or something that is made for the fighting preference for Logan. And to tie to the movies theme of Logan's identity as the Wolverine, the armor itself will be designed in a similar color scheme to the costume Wolverine wear in the comics and use the idea of the suit representing the warrior.

I mean, they gave Captain America justified reasons for wearing red,white,and blue in two Marvel movies; how hard is it just to give a good reason for Wolverine to have his costume translated to big screen? Video games like Marvel Allience 2 and Deadpool manage to make a great realistic portrayal of Wolvie's attire.

But other than that, I support your defense you are making.
WeaponX93
WeaponX93 - 7/30/2013, 7:44 PM


@BigK1337
Thanks for your support. I respect your views as well. If you don't mind, I'd like to counter-argue your counter-arguements.
1. Yes Blade was important, but I believe X-Men set the tone for the more "cartoony" comicbook characters. Blade is actually more realistic, in my opinion, than the X-Men or Spiderman, simply because of his powers/backstory.
2. Iron Man was given two very important scenes. First, he was the only one who could've fixed/saved the Helicarrier. Second, he was the only one who could've stopped the nuclear bomb. Similarly, in X-Men, Wolverine was the only one who could've saved Rogue, and in X3 the only one able to get close enough to kill Jean. I'll agree their cameos are better than 90% of the movies they cameo-ed in.
3. Fair enough.
4+5.Yes, there are terrible cast choices, but the majority of nitpicks are towards Jackman. And maybe I'm a Jackman fanboy but I'd like to see atleast one more Wolverine solo outting before he hangs it up. Also, Bane turned out good but wasn't 100% true. And the General Audience wouldn't make "The Cat" connection. Maybe you got me on the Joker, I've just always liked Nicholson's interpretation where he was way over-the-top cartoony. Not that Ledger's is bad. Also, TwoFace wasn't very split-personallity-ed either.
6. I never thought of it like that. That's actually a really good, well thought out idea. I loved how the DP game made that outfit, and even Frank Cho's SAVAGE WOLVERINE book had a cool look to it. You beat me on this one

TheWolverine08
TheWolverine08 - 7/31/2013, 4:57 PM
Exactly bro. Awesome article.
TheWolverine08
TheWolverine08 - 7/31/2013, 4:58 PM
@Nomis please read this.
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