bereavement
To the sacks of shit at 20th Century Fox,
Despite what commercial rewards may result from disaster films in which some terrible occurrence such as a falling meteor or global warming threatens the world, the transformation of the X-Men franchise from a well respected, classy, exciting and poignant series to one of aforesaid disaster flicks was entirely unnecessary. Jean Grey (or the Phoenix) is not an asteroid, and the characters which surround her in the X-Universe are not 2-dimensional disaster film cannon fodder. If you backstabbing moneygrubbers believe that these characters must be reduced to cannon fodder in order to intensify the threat presented by the Phoenix, either (a) you have a dire lack of creativy or (b) no respect for the source material from which you grub your money. And if death or depowerment is truly the only way to handle a situation, then give the director and the scriptwriters enough time to handle the tragic elements properly. In art, death means nothing if it has no substance--random incinerations do not a tragedy make.
Furthermore, in response to your obvious belief that, in order to have a successful run at the box-office, a movie must follow a standard disaster film formula and must completely do away with the integrity of its source material, I would like you to please turn your eyes to your own pocket, which still runneth over from cash produced by your first two outings into the X-franchise. These films were extreme commercial successes (clearly not lacking in "mass appeal"), and yet somehow still managed to stay nearly completely true to the heart of the X-Men comic book series. Changes, of course, were made--changes that were necessary for the series to become compatible with the film medium. I assure you that transforming the X-Men franchise into a redux of disaster sensation Armageddon was completely unnecessary in regards to the "medium." Moreover, I fear that in your attempt to mass-market an already mass-marketable product, you may have completely alienated those who made the success of your product possible. If the first X-Men comic Stan Lee produced had been merely a disaster formula, do you honestly believe that countless numbers of comics, TV shows, theme park attractions and, last but not least, movies would have been produced? Stan knew better, and you should have as well.
You may ask why it is you who I point my finger at: Why not the new director? Why not the actors? I blame you because, for the most part, the movie is good. With the occasional misstep, Brett Ratner has assembled a decent and often more than decent piece of work. The problem is that this film is simply not an X-film. That was your job. As producers, you have two distinct responsibilities when it comes to franchises: make sure the product can make money and, more importantly, make sure that what it is you create will continue the integrity of its precursors. Ratner tried--he maintained and improved upon several "signatures" of the X-Men series. You, who hold the power to make important decisions about the very core aspects of a film, did not try. I can't even say you failed because, in order to fail, one must attempt. Your complete lack of any attempt whatsoever to maintain the integrity of the X-Men series is so plain to see that it really needs to elaboration.
In conclusion, I would like to congratulate you on your successful completion of what is sure to rival Armageddon and The Day After Tomorrow in the dumb disaster film arena. I would also like to congratulate you on your complete incineration, Phoenix-style, of the heart, soul and integrity of the X-Men series. You've killed the X-Men franchise with no reason. You gave us so much with the first two and now all that's left of the entire series is the dust of beloved characters--some who never even had the chance to shine onscreen but were beloved nonetheless--blowing out of your greatest fans' hands. And I can only wonder--how on earth could you have possibly gotten the first two so incredibly right and the last one so unspeakably wrong? I suppose you producers must enjoy your Godly status--surely you must take pleasure in your power to "giveth and taketh away." It's a shame, really. That's all it is--just an uncannily disheartening shame.
Cordially,
A Disillusioned Enthusiast in Possession of Both Sense and Sensibility,
Gary S. Jaffe
Despite what commercial rewards may result from disaster films in which some terrible occurrence such as a falling meteor or global warming threatens the world, the transformation of the X-Men franchise from a well respected, classy, exciting and poignant series to one of aforesaid disaster flicks was entirely unnecessary. Jean Grey (or the Phoenix) is not an asteroid, and the characters which surround her in the X-Universe are not 2-dimensional disaster film cannon fodder. If you backstabbing moneygrubbers believe that these characters must be reduced to cannon fodder in order to intensify the threat presented by the Phoenix, either (a) you have a dire lack of creativy or (b) no respect for the source material from which you grub your money. And if death or depowerment is truly the only way to handle a situation, then give the director and the scriptwriters enough time to handle the tragic elements properly. In art, death means nothing if it has no substance--random incinerations do not a tragedy make.
Furthermore, in response to your obvious belief that, in order to have a successful run at the box-office, a movie must follow a standard disaster film formula and must completely do away with the integrity of its source material, I would like you to please turn your eyes to your own pocket, which still runneth over from cash produced by your first two outings into the X-franchise. These films were extreme commercial successes (clearly not lacking in "mass appeal"), and yet somehow still managed to stay nearly completely true to the heart of the X-Men comic book series. Changes, of course, were made--changes that were necessary for the series to become compatible with the film medium. I assure you that transforming the X-Men franchise into a redux of disaster sensation Armageddon was completely unnecessary in regards to the "medium." Moreover, I fear that in your attempt to mass-market an already mass-marketable product, you may have completely alienated those who made the success of your product possible. If the first X-Men comic Stan Lee produced had been merely a disaster formula, do you honestly believe that countless numbers of comics, TV shows, theme park attractions and, last but not least, movies would have been produced? Stan knew better, and you should have as well.
You may ask why it is you who I point my finger at: Why not the new director? Why not the actors? I blame you because, for the most part, the movie is good. With the occasional misstep, Brett Ratner has assembled a decent and often more than decent piece of work. The problem is that this film is simply not an X-film. That was your job. As producers, you have two distinct responsibilities when it comes to franchises: make sure the product can make money and, more importantly, make sure that what it is you create will continue the integrity of its precursors. Ratner tried--he maintained and improved upon several "signatures" of the X-Men series. You, who hold the power to make important decisions about the very core aspects of a film, did not try. I can't even say you failed because, in order to fail, one must attempt. Your complete lack of any attempt whatsoever to maintain the integrity of the X-Men series is so plain to see that it really needs to elaboration.
In conclusion, I would like to congratulate you on your successful completion of what is sure to rival Armageddon and The Day After Tomorrow in the dumb disaster film arena. I would also like to congratulate you on your complete incineration, Phoenix-style, of the heart, soul and integrity of the X-Men series. You've killed the X-Men franchise with no reason. You gave us so much with the first two and now all that's left of the entire series is the dust of beloved characters--some who never even had the chance to shine onscreen but were beloved nonetheless--blowing out of your greatest fans' hands. And I can only wonder--how on earth could you have possibly gotten the first two so incredibly right and the last one so unspeakably wrong? I suppose you producers must enjoy your Godly status--surely you must take pleasure in your power to "giveth and taketh away." It's a shame, really. That's all it is--just an uncannily disheartening shame.
Cordially,
A Disillusioned Enthusiast in Possession of Both Sense and Sensibility,
Gary S. Jaffe