I love the first Singer film but it kind of was a missed opportunity to not get to see Cyclops, Jean, Storm first joining/forming the team, to get to see that while still having a reasonable runtime you would probably have to have the first film not also have the Brotherhood, maybe not have Magneto, not focus much on another villain, the villain relatively simple and standard like maybe Juggernaut, I think we will get something like that in a new version.
I wouldn't be surprised if Feige goes back to the X-Men's Silver Age roots, and starts with a villain like Sauron (+ Sinister), just to establish a completely new tone and feel for these films
It could almost be like an inverse of what Fox did-- starting with a darker, more grounded tone and slowly working towards those more fantastical elements. The MCU could do the opposite
I love X1 but I would hesitate to sell it as nailing the heart and soul of the X-Men.
That just cannot be true when the ensemble of characters and their interpersonal relationships is lacking. It established some things quite well but it wasn't ideal.
The women of the team (Jean, Storm, Rogue) barely interact with each other, and Scott and Wolverine are at odds with each other over their love interest. I will give it credit for showing us Scott as a leader though, something the studio refused to give us again. Still, he is presented as too rigid and standoff-ish, especially from Wolverine's POV, he needed more moments like when he smiled at the kid in the train station and his speech to Xavier. It's not quite enough though. There's a perfect opportunity here for the trinity to actually mentor Rogue, their most recent recruit, in some way, but this doesn't really happen. Storm sorely lacks lines and when she does speak she's usually meek as a mouse, far from the commanding leader-to-be she's supposed to be.
If you focus on what it does give us, of course the rivalry in ideology between Xavier/Erik is strong, the Wolverine/Rogue relationship is moving, and he and Jean have good chemistry. But it leaves the other characters hanging, as I believe Roger Ebert pointed it out way back then (admittedly he wasn't a big fan of this series).
I completely agree. These were/are my complaints as well, as a fan. But looking back on it now, I just don't think there was a whooole lot of room for some these things, with how the movie was structured. There are a lot of moving parts in X1 and it's a miracle that the movie works as well as it does.
Would I have liked to seen Cyclops in a bigger role? Absolutely. Would I have expanded on Storm's character? You already know I would. But both of them (and Jean) do serve a purpose in the movie, and that is to a) represent the X-Men's ideology and b) assist Logan's development. I think X2 did a better job with Storm & Jean, and you do get hints that there is a friendship between them. But Singer clearly wasn't interested in Cyclops at all, so he was literally* benched in X2, which was some bullcrap.
But ultimately, these films are centered around Logan's journey as this outsider (audience surrogate) being thrust into this conflict between two (three- X-Men, Brotherhood, and Humanity) warring sides, and I just think it was done sooo well. Logan starts the trilogy as an aimless vagrant who doesn't give a crap about anyone or anything (and that's how he perceives himself, until the Professor & by extension the X-Men, give him purpose and show him there is so much more to who he is, and that there is greatness in his potential as a hero)-- and ends it as the leader of the team. When Logan takes command in X3, it makes you want to cheer, because we've seen this man go through hell & back to earn this position, and this level of respect. It's completely earned, and I buy it.
I also love the emotional journey of Rogue and how realistic it feels; I completely buy the resolution to her arc. Not every story, not every arc, has to have an "ideal" ending. It was a happy ending for
her, and that's all that mattered.
The escalating conflict between Bobby and John was also done well and tied perfectly into the wider escalating conflict with humanity, and how it's radicalizing of both sides, forced people to choose
what they are fighting for, in this war.
And ofc the brilliant, iconic performances of Sr. Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen.
I know these films weren't perfect but they did
a lot right, and imo, captured the "heart" of what made X-Men the franchise it is. But thankfully, there is room for the MCU to capitalize on other aspects, that Fox didn't focus on.
