X3 Script Review (I Just Died A Little)
Hey guys, it's Donnie...Well this is one of those times when you have to decide what kind of person you really are. Are you a purist or a spoiler lover? I've attached a link to a script review of X3 over at Ain't It Cool. The review is by one of Moriarty's new spies. If you want to get the opinion without the spoilers, read the stuff in white and skip over the blue box.
CHECK THIS THEN COME BACK FOR MY $.02
I've always been a purist, I tend to put myself under somewhat of a self-imposed media blackout for a lot of films, including the last two Matrixes (Matrices?) and Batman Begins, and let me just say that it totally paid off in the case of Batman. The script for that thing has been online for over a year and I resisted and I'm glad I did.
That being said, after about two days I broke down and read this script review and here's why: The script the reviewer read was, to my understanding, the first two acts only of the first draft of the infamous six day script by Zak Penn and Simon Kinberg. Now, presumably, there have been a few drafts since then, and so while the overall story is probably more or less the same, plenty of stuff has probably been changed AND/or cut out since this draft.
And let's hope so, because this thing reads like a goddamn trainwreck.
There, I said it. I'm not dooming X3 outright just yet, but I'll say this. If this was the script they were gonna shoot, then Brett Ratner would be the least of this movie's problems.
Look, it seems like you've got some stuff here that genuinely works and makes me really excited. The way they seem to have written Beast as a politician first and scary monster guy second makes Kelsey Grammer a fantastic choice, and I'm seriously excited to see Angel, whom I don't even know all that well (and has yet to be cast) but just sounds cooler than cool in this script. Unfortunately, that's about it. The rest of it sounds like a total retread of plotlines and themes from the first two flicks, including the father that hates his mutant son and tries to "fix" him. Characters we've invested a lot of time and energy in over the first two films are relegated to almost minor roles and characters we don't care all that much about (portrayed by actresses who have no love this franchise anyway) are pushed to the forefront. Plus, oh yeah, someone loses their powers making them kind of useless and two other characters that just should not die unless you're planning on ENDING THE FRANCHISE do, in fact, die. Yes I know who they are, and no, I'm not gonna say unless you ask nicely. Suffice it to say, it's fucked up, and they must be trying to end the series to make way for Wolverine's spinoff movie and whatnot, which is even dumber.
I really have to agree with Moriarty on one point. The rush to get this thing made isn't on Marvel, it's totally Fox's move, and considering how much Fox has already dragged its feet on getting this movie off the ground, they might as well just let this thing simmer for a while and make sure they get it right. Look at it from their standpoint: You're a bigwig at Fox. Star Wars just ended and DC/Warners just launched a great new Batman and your big comic property of the summer, Fantastic Four, is probably gonna be the albatross of the summer. So you're looking at the next two years and you've got Spidey3 hitting in Summer 2007 and DC is rebooting Superman next June and all you've got in the pipeline is Ghost Rider. So what do you do? You push to get the next X-Men movie to not only compete with Superman Returns but to beat it to the box office. Otherwise you're gonna spend the summer is the shadow of Supes.
Well, I hate to break it to you Fox, but you're gonna spend the summer in his shadow either way, just like you're gonna spend this summer in Batman's shadow. So you have two options: Option 1: Get over it. You're gonna have to give the next two summers to DC/Warners. You'll come back in 2007 with a new Spidey and if you put the time in you could rework the script, get rid of the Rat, snag someone more talented (my pet frog Theo is available) and have a truly great X3 ready for the late fall/early winter AND you'll be the only major comic property in the theater. Option 2: You get all pissed off because Bryan Singer left and his new Superman looks really fucking good and you decide to take the franchise he pretty much built from scratch with dubious studio support, the franchise that helped breath new life into the comic movie business, the franchise that has the greatest potential for multiple sequels and spinoffs, the franchise that made you more money than any other property you have save Star Wars and Spidey, and you can essentially run it into the ground out of spite.
What do you think they're gonna do?
CHECK THIS THEN COME BACK FOR MY $.02
I've always been a purist, I tend to put myself under somewhat of a self-imposed media blackout for a lot of films, including the last two Matrixes (Matrices?) and Batman Begins, and let me just say that it totally paid off in the case of Batman. The script for that thing has been online for over a year and I resisted and I'm glad I did.
That being said, after about two days I broke down and read this script review and here's why: The script the reviewer read was, to my understanding, the first two acts only of the first draft of the infamous six day script by Zak Penn and Simon Kinberg. Now, presumably, there have been a few drafts since then, and so while the overall story is probably more or less the same, plenty of stuff has probably been changed AND/or cut out since this draft.
And let's hope so, because this thing reads like a goddamn trainwreck.
There, I said it. I'm not dooming X3 outright just yet, but I'll say this. If this was the script they were gonna shoot, then Brett Ratner would be the least of this movie's problems.
Look, it seems like you've got some stuff here that genuinely works and makes me really excited. The way they seem to have written Beast as a politician first and scary monster guy second makes Kelsey Grammer a fantastic choice, and I'm seriously excited to see Angel, whom I don't even know all that well (and has yet to be cast) but just sounds cooler than cool in this script. Unfortunately, that's about it. The rest of it sounds like a total retread of plotlines and themes from the first two flicks, including the father that hates his mutant son and tries to "fix" him. Characters we've invested a lot of time and energy in over the first two films are relegated to almost minor roles and characters we don't care all that much about (portrayed by actresses who have no love this franchise anyway) are pushed to the forefront. Plus, oh yeah, someone loses their powers making them kind of useless and two other characters that just should not die unless you're planning on ENDING THE FRANCHISE do, in fact, die. Yes I know who they are, and no, I'm not gonna say unless you ask nicely. Suffice it to say, it's fucked up, and they must be trying to end the series to make way for Wolverine's spinoff movie and whatnot, which is even dumber.
I really have to agree with Moriarty on one point. The rush to get this thing made isn't on Marvel, it's totally Fox's move, and considering how much Fox has already dragged its feet on getting this movie off the ground, they might as well just let this thing simmer for a while and make sure they get it right. Look at it from their standpoint: You're a bigwig at Fox. Star Wars just ended and DC/Warners just launched a great new Batman and your big comic property of the summer, Fantastic Four, is probably gonna be the albatross of the summer. So you're looking at the next two years and you've got Spidey3 hitting in Summer 2007 and DC is rebooting Superman next June and all you've got in the pipeline is Ghost Rider. So what do you do? You push to get the next X-Men movie to not only compete with Superman Returns but to beat it to the box office. Otherwise you're gonna spend the summer is the shadow of Supes.
Well, I hate to break it to you Fox, but you're gonna spend the summer in his shadow either way, just like you're gonna spend this summer in Batman's shadow. So you have two options: Option 1: Get over it. You're gonna have to give the next two summers to DC/Warners. You'll come back in 2007 with a new Spidey and if you put the time in you could rework the script, get rid of the Rat, snag someone more talented (my pet frog Theo is available) and have a truly great X3 ready for the late fall/early winter AND you'll be the only major comic property in the theater. Option 2: You get all pissed off because Bryan Singer left and his new Superman looks really fucking good and you decide to take the franchise he pretty much built from scratch with dubious studio support, the franchise that helped breath new life into the comic movie business, the franchise that has the greatest potential for multiple sequels and spinoffs, the franchise that made you more money than any other property you have save Star Wars and Spidey, and you can essentially run it into the ground out of spite.
What do you think they're gonna do?
1 Comments:
Unfortunately... My "inside source" tells me that they are pushing it. Shooting starts Sept/Oct as of now.
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