{"id":8026,"date":"2015-12-04T22:56:37","date_gmt":"2015-12-05T03:56:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hardwoodandhollywood.com\/pop-culture-spin\/?p=8026"},"modified":"2016-03-07T15:08:30","modified_gmt":"2016-03-07T20:08:30","slug":"top-comic-book-adaptations-no-29-x-men-bryan-singer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hardwoodandhollywood.com\/pop-culture-spin\/2015\/12\/04\/top-comic-book-adaptations-no-29-x-men-bryan-singer\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Comic Book Adaptations: No. 29 – X-Men (Bryan Singer)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"X-Men-HD-Movie-2000-4\"<\/a>It was the year 2000 and Bryan Singer\u2019s <\/span>X-Men<\/span><\/i> saved us all.<\/span><\/p>\n

The earth had made three trips around the sun since Joel Schumacher almost destroyed comic book cinema with <\/span>Batman and Robin<\/span><\/i>. The genre was on a downward spiral and the character who had been the champion for earnest live-action comic-book adaptations now had rubber nipples on his Batsuit.<\/span><\/p>\n

But then a film that had been in development for over a decade came along and changed everything. This is the beginning of the modern age of comic book movies.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to look back in hindsight and lay the credit mostly at the feet of Hugh Jackman who would become the star of the franchise that discovered him. Apart from being far larger than his comic-book counterpart, Jackman embodied the character. Despite what critics say, his charisma earned he and the most popular character in the X-Men universe all the movie love they have received. <\/span><\/p>\n

Still, in my book (or article), the casting of Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart is what sold this movie to non-fans. They brought gravity and legitimacy to their performances and to the film as a whole. On the backs of those three men and director Bryan Singer, comic-book movie history was re-written.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, if this movie was so important and those characters were all perfectly done (Jackman\u2019s tallness aside), why isn\u2019t this movie much higher on the list? Two reasons: First, there are other films in the franchise that tell better stories and second; <\/span>X-Men<\/span><\/i> did a disservice to a few of its most important characters – most specifically the female characters.<\/span><\/p>\n

After writing the <\/span>Spider-Man<\/span><\/i> review, it occurred\u00a0to me that a logical explanation for this is simply that having Storm and Rogue flying around and capable of lifting cars and even buildings would have cost too much money, especially in the early days of CGI. But it sure is a bummer that two of the most powerful characters from the source material get relegated to sidekick \u201cgirl\u201d parts.<\/span><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t blame either actor. Halle Berry and Anna Paquin aren\u2019t exactly Viola Davis and Kate Winslet, but they performed admirably considering what they were given. Rogue remained an interesting character because of the \u201caffliction\u201d nature of her mutation, but my most charitable interpretation is that technical limitations completely ruined Storm. The worst part about this is, seven movies into this universe and the problem has still yet to be rectified. The <\/span>casting of <\/span>X-Men: Apocalypse<\/span><\/i><\/a> has me excited that this streak may finally be coming to an end.<\/span><\/p>\n

Though it set some unfortunate trends – including the ones I\u2019ve mentioned – and continued the trend of telling a generic story not derived from the comics, <\/span>X-Men <\/span><\/i>still nailed the heart and soul of what these mutant freaks are all about. Often credited as a remark on gay rights because of the time it was released, the X-Men have always been about inclusion in the face of all kinds of xenophobia.<\/span><\/p>\n

The movie opens with a young Eric Lensher discovering he can bend metal when he rips apart a gate with his mind trying to save his family from being sent off to concentration camps during World War II. We then cut to modern-day Jean Grey, testifying in congress about what it really means to be human and to have rights.
\n<\/span>
\nAll of these other things I\u2019ve mentioned are important when comparing one work of art to another, but in those first two scenes, Bryan Singer\u2019s <\/span>X-Men<\/span><\/i> saved us all.<\/span><\/p>\n

Complete 35-part list for best comic book adaptations ever!<\/p>\n

Part 1 – Daredevil<\/a> \/ Part 2 – The Dark Knight<\/a> \/ Part 3 – V for Vendetta<\/a>
\nPart 4 – The Flash<\/a> \/ Part 5 – Sin City<\/a> \/ Part 6 – The Crow<\/a>
\nPart 7 – Agent Carter<\/a> \/ Part 8 – X-Men: Days of Future Past<\/a> \/ Part 9 – Captain America: The Winter Soldier<\/a>
\nPart 10 – Guardians of the Galaxy<\/a> \/ Part 11 – X2: X-Men United<\/a> \/ Part 12 – Iron Man<\/a>
\nPart 13 – The Avengers<\/a> \/ Part 14 – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)<\/a> \/ Part 15 – Superman (Richard Donner)<\/a>
\nPart 16 – Hellboy<\/a> \/ Part 17 – The Incredible Hulk<\/a> \/ Part 18 – X-Men: First Class<\/a>
\nPart 19 – Spider-Man 2 (Sam Raimi)<\/a> \/ Part 20 – Thor<\/a> \/ Part 21 – Ant-Man<\/a>
\nPart 22 – The Dark Knight Rises<\/a> \/ Part 23 – Spawn<\/a> \/ Part 24 – Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – Season Two<\/a>
\nPart 25 – Avengers: Age of Ultron<\/a> \/ Part 26 – Batman Begins (Christopher Nolan)<\/a> \/ Part 27 – Captain America: The First Avengers<\/a>
\nPart 28 – Batman (Tim Burton)<\/a> \/ Part 29 – X-Men (Bryan Singer)<\/a> \/ Part 30 – Spider-Man (Sam Raimi)<\/a>
\nPart 31 – Smallville: Season One<\/a> \/ Part 32 – Hellboy II: The Golden Army<\/a> \/ Part 33 – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2, 3<\/a>
\nPart 34 – 300<\/a> \/ Part 35 – Man of Steel<\/a>\u00a0\/ Extra Part – Final Thoughts<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It was the year 2000 and Bryan Singer\u2019s X-Men saved us all. The earth had made three trips around the sun since Joel Schumacher almost destroyed comic book cinema with Batman and Robin. The genre was on a downward spiral and the character who had been the champion for earnest live-action comic-book adaptations now had<\/p>\n

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