From a historical perspectiveBryan Singer’sX-Men, along withSam Raimi’sSpider-Man, is an essential movie for blockbusters. It started the new age of superhero cinema, taking what was a cheesy and limited genre and trying to usher it into a more realistic and immediate space with the help of bold narrative moves and new strides in digital effects. And yet the thing that has hurt theX-MenTrilogy the most aren’t dated VFX or the leaps forward made by films likeThe Dark Knightand the MCU. What hurtsX-Mennow is how much it feels like a missed opportunity.
There are three major problems with theX-MenTrilogy. The first is how the narrative eventually undid these movies so that, technically, in the world of theX-Men, these stories no longer exist. If you move forward in the franchise, you’ll eventually hitX-Men: Days of Future Past(spoilers ahead for that movie). In that film, Wolverine’s consciousness goes back in time to the 1970s to prevent Mystique from assassinating Dr. Bolivar Trask, which sets off a chain reaction that leads to the near-extermination of mutant-kind. Wolverine is overly successful, saving not just mutants, but characters who died in previousX-Menmovies like Jean Grey and Cyclops. We don’t know what exactly changed, but however it went down, it’s not like it was in the originalX-MenTrilogy. You’re watching stories from a timeline that no longer exists. It feels like Singer has disowned these movies before you even start watching them.
A larger problem is that Bryan Singer and Brett Ratner, in addition to being two guys accused of sexual assault, are not particularly interesting directors. Unlike Sam Raimi, who is usually willing to let you know you’re watching a Sam Raimi movie, Singer and Ratner don’t have a distinctive visual style. They’re competent journeymen, which, to be fair, is what 20th Century Fox was looking for at the time. There was no room to really rock the boat because the ship was still under construction. The studio played it safe, and it’s not like audiences automatically flock to something just because it’s different (2004’s dullThe Punishermade $33 million while 2008’s far superior and visually dynamicPunisher: War Zoneonly made $8 million). However, the films now look staid and uninteresting, and while they benefit from the 4K upgrade, onlyX2really has the show-stopping moments where you’d use the disc to show off your system.
But the largest problem forX-MenTrilogy is that Singer, and to a greater extent, Ratner, don’t really understand whatX-Menis about. The core ofX-Menis about outsiders, about minorities, and how a majority population reacts to a minority. Singer’sX-Menmovies have that, but they never probe too deeply. Yes, the conflict between Professor X and Magneto is still there, and inX2, Singer devotes a whole scene to a “coming out”, replacing the critique of racial discrimination of the original comics with a critique of homophobia of the present day. But can you look at any of theX-Menmovies and see films that are really about us-vs-them? Because they need to be blockbusters, mostX-Menmovies are about superpowered mutants versus superpowered mutants, which has become increasingly tedious over the years.
Watching theX-MenTrilogy now, it’s harder to look at them as their own individual movies without seeing how much the superhero genre has surpassed them. Again, they’re important in what they contributed, but they’re missing elements—both from a visual standpoint and a thematic standpoint—that would give them staying power. To put it another way, a film likeLoganwouldn’t have the same impact if the character of Wolverine hadn’t been built out over these movies. And yet when it comes to what I want to rewatch, I’d much rather sit down withLogan, a movie that actually has things on its mind and a great visual aesthetic to boot, than ever seeX-Men: The Last Standagain.
Which brings us back to the question of whether or not you should upgrade to theX-MenTrilogy in 4K, and it’s hard to make the case that you should. I guess if you’ve never owned these movies and you’re a completist forX-Menmovies, then these are the way to go (although who knows if movies likeX-Men Origins: WolverineandThe Wolverinewill ever get the 4K treatment). But if you already have the Blu-ray ofX-Menand/orX2, there’s really no good reason to go back for the 4K upgrade. Yes, they look a bit nicer, but they also feel a bit more dated, and no visual upgrade can change that.
