“James Bond Theme” – Monty Norman and John Barry (1962) The James Bond Theme is based on an earlier melody Monty Norman composed for a play, originally inspired by Bad Sign, Good Sign. Despite legal battles over its authorship, Norman’s creation became one of cinema’s most recognisable pieces, while John Barry’s orchestration gave it the unmistakable brassy punch that we now associate with Bond. This theme laid the foundation for the franchise’s musical legacy.
“Goldfinger” – Shirley Bassey (1964) Shirley Bassey’s soaring vocals made Goldfinger an instant classic. Despite technical challenges during its recording and producer Harry Saltzman’s dislike of the track, it was released unchanged. The result is one of the most iconic Bond themes, embodying the franchise’s glamour and intrigue. For many, it remains the defining Bond song.
“On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” – John Barry (1969) This instrumental theme introduced a synthesiser to Bond’s world, marrying futuristic sounds with Barry’s signature orchestral grandeur. Often overlooked, it is a dynamic piece that stands out in the series for its boldness and innovation. Its brassy, pulsating energy mirrors the film’s tension and style, earning its place as a standout.
“Live and Let Die” – Paul McCartney and Wings (1973) Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney created the first rock-inspired Bond theme. Its fusion of orchestral drama, reggae interludes, and explosive rock gave the franchise a fresh edge. Paul insisted on performing the song himself, fending off suggestions that another artist should sing it. The result is a thrilling, genre-blending masterpiece that redefined Bond’s soundscape.
“For Your Eyes Only” – Sheena Easton (1981) Sheena Easton made history as the first performer to appear in the opening credits of a Bond film. The romantic ballad reflects the emotional undercurrents of the film, while Bill Conti’s score perfectly complements her tender performance. Interestingly, Blondie had also penned a theme for the film, but producers chose Easton’s version, which aligned more closely with Bond’s aesthetic.
“The Living Daylights” – a-ha (1987) a-ha’s The Living Daylights merges the synth-pop energy of the ’80s with Bond’s signature orchestral elements. Despite reported creative tensions between the band and John Barry, the track’s electric vibrancy remains a highlight. It encapsulates Timothy Dalton’s gritty take on Bond while nodding to the franchise’s evolving identity.
“GoldenEye” – Tina Turner (1995) Written by Bono and The Edge of U2, GoldenEye balances modernity with Bond’s classic flair. Tina Turner’s sultry, powerful vocals pay homage to the grandeur of earlier themes while ushering in a new era for the series. Its cryptic lyrics and dramatic arrangement complement Pierce Brosnan’s debut perfectly.
“The World Is Not Enough” – Garbage (1999) Garbage delivered a unique take with this alternative rock-inspired theme. Shirley Manson’s haunting vocals and the song’s orchestral flourishes evoke the Bond mystique while exploring a darker tone. The lyrics, written from the villain’s perspective, provide a compelling twist that enriches the film’s narrative.
“Skyfall” – Adele (2012) Adele’s Skyfall channels the essence of classic Bond themes while infusing a modern sensibility. Her insistence on reading the script to align the lyrics with Bond’s journey paid off, creating a track that is as poignant as it is grand. This song marked a triumphant return to form for Bond, winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song—the first Bond theme to do so.
“No Time to Die” – Billie Eilish (2021) At just 17, Billie Eilish became the youngest artist to record a Bond theme. Written with her brother Finneas, the track captures the sombre tone of Daniel Craig’s final outing as 007. Its understated melody and haunting lyrics reflect Bond’s emotional struggles, serving as a fitting farewell to Craig’s era.
Honourable Mentions and Misses
Some Bond themes, like We Have All the Time in the World by Louis Armstrong, hold a special place for their emotional resonance, while others, such as Madonna’s Die Another Day, feel experimental to a fault. While Die Another Day embraced electronic influences, its heavy use of autotune and techno I don’t enjoy.
For me, instrumental pieces like On Her Majesty’s Secret Service stand out for their innovative blending of tradition and modernity. Tracks like GoldenEye successfully merge past and present, capturing both the nostalgia of Bond and the excitement of reinvention.
My Favourite Theme Song
Choosing a favourite Bond song is no easy task, but for me, Skyfall takes the crown. Adele masterfully captures the essence of Bond, making the song personal and deeply tied to the character’s journey. Winning an Academy Award cemented its legacy, and it set a trend for the franchise, leading to two more Oscar-winning themes. For its emotional depth, cinematic scale, and unforgettable delivery, Skyfall remains unparalleled.
Marvel’s move into streaming has had mixed results, so expectations going into Agatha: All Along were low. Secret Invasion is widely considered one of Marvel’s worst shows, and Echo didn’t fare much better, though it had some interesting ideas. Loki was a stroke of creative genius, transforming a villain into a complex protagonist, while What If retold familiar stories with new twists. She-Hulk offered tongue-in-cheek fun without taking itself too seriously. Ms. Marvel was a lighthearted, humorous addition, and Moon Knight was a refreshing take on mental health and inner struggle. Hawkeye balanced its serious and fun moments well, while The Falcon and the Winter Soldier brought a buddy-cop vibe but faltered with a lackluster plot. WandaVision kicked off Marvel’s Disney+ era with a spark of creativity that, outside of Loki, Moon Knight, and What If, has mostly been unmatched.
WandaVision was a burst of creativity, and Agatha: All Along is a spin-off that builds on this success. Both remind me of what Marvel can achieve when it’s focused on telling good stories. Agatha: All Along taps into what made WandaVision feel so fresh but goes in a more traditional direction while keeping its unique spin. Where WandaVision explored a new sitcom style in each episode, Agatha takes a similar approach but doesn’t center on it as much, achieving a pace that feels just right. The show picks up after WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, so there’ll be light spoilers for both.
Marvel has lost its shine recently, struggling to recreate the highs of Avengers: Endgame, and many recent projects missed the mark. But I’m happy to say Agatha: All Along nails it. If you haven’t watched WandaVision, go check it out—it’s solid TV. WandaVision tells a self-contained story arc, so you don’t need to follow the whole Marvel Cinematic Universe to enjoy it.
Kathryn Hahn stars as Agatha Harkness, and she’s absolutely perfect in the role. Agatha is a centuries-old witch who’s spent ages studying magic and is deeply curious about the source of Wanda’s powers. She finds out that Wanda is the Scarlet Witch, a wielder of chaos magic. The Mind Stone only boosted Wanda’s natural powers, which Agatha explores further in Wanda’s world of magic. So, Agatha: All Along feels like a natural continuation of Wanda’s story following Multiverse of Madness.
The show opens after these events, though I’ll keep it light on spoilers. The great thing is, you don’t really need to know all of this to enjoy Agatha. It’s a stand-alone story that doesn’t require much backstory. Everything’s laid out in the first episode, so even if you’re not caught up, it doesn’t matter.
What unfolds is a story about witches, magic, and a quest.
Agatha wants her powers back after Wanda took them. A mysterious teen releases Agatha from the hex that trapped her in Westview at the end of WandaVision. He wants to journey down the Witches’ Road, a series of trials that will grant any witch her deepest desire. The teen’s true identity is hidden by a magical spell, adding intrigue to the story. Agatha begins gathering a coven of witches, each with unique skills, and after singing Down the Witches’ Road, the path opens. But Agatha’s enemies are hot on her trail, eager to eliminate the weakened witch. The show cleverly weaves in foreshadowing and hidden details that are easy to miss at first glance. For example, episode titles are lyrics from the Witches’ Road ballad, a touch that might go unnoticed but adds rewarding layers for observant viewers.
The series is filled with references to witchcraft, and “Death’s Hand in Mine” stands out as the single best episode Marvel has released on Disney Plus. It all works thanks to the breadcrumbs, top-tier writing, and spot-on direction. Patti LuPone’s performance as Lilia is a masterclass and some of her best work to date—she delivers an unforgettable portrayal that truly elevates the series. The ending wraps things up beautifully, giving a satisfying close to a truly compelling bit of storytelling.
The finale reveals the teen’s identity and dives into Agatha’s tragic, complex character arc. She’s evolved from villain to a morally grey, deeply nuanced character, and by the end, you can’t help but root for her. Her backstory here feels rich and compelling, and her shifting motivations add layers to her struggle. Her evolving relationship with the teen character adds to the drama and emotional depth of her journey.
It turns out the teen is far more than he seems, adding a teacher-student dynamic that drives the plot forward. He’s essential to Agatha’s journey, not just a plot device, but a character in his own right who adds purpose and momentum to the story. Earlier ideas unfold into a larger, more complex story that ties everything together in a satisfying way. While the open-ended finale leaves room for a second season, it also strengthens Agatha’s character arc by keeping her journey ambiguous. The ending adds weight without compromising the fun, setting the stage for future possibilities in Vision Quest or other spin-offs.
Overall, Agatha: All Along is worth watching, both for newcomers and WandaVision fans alike. The main drawback is the likely wait between this show and its next installment. With Vision Quest slated for 2026, it’s unclear how it will connect to Agatha: All Along. A possible sequel focusing on the Teen character would make sense, but there’s no confirmation of it in production yet—only rumors of early development. Marvel’s patchwork approach to TV and movies often leads to a lack of cohesion, with writers working in silos rather than a unified plan. However, I can’t fault this when the storytelling stands on its own. Agatha hints at Marvel’s ambition to move past the multiverse arc, laying the groundwork for a new chapter, and in doing so, delivers a refreshing, memorable story.
Small disclaimer: I haven’t seen Joker or its newly released sequel. However, the sequel has garnered mixed reviews so far. From what I understand, the first film focuses on a character who adopts a Joker-like persona—a mentally ill individual who transforms and commits violent, shocking acts. This is odd because the film is called Joker but isn’t actually about the Joker. The character is inspired by the Joker, even borrowing some of his iconic look. It was a fresh take on the character, but only in name; unlike the comic book Joker, Arthur Fleck never aspired to be the “Prince of Crime.” Though I haven’t watched it, this is the impression I have of the first movie. Todd Phillips’ grounded vision of Gotham, much like Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, offers a more realistic take on the mythos. Just to be clear, it’s called Joker, but it’s not about the Joker, even though it borrows from the source material.
Maybe that’s why it should have had a different title—something more reflective of its intent, rather than evoking expectations of a traditional comic book film.
I never had any desire to see Joker or Joker: Folie à Deux. So, what changed my mind? The answer is the negative reaction to the sequel—it made me curious. Reports of people walking out during screenings caught my attention. How could a film that made $1 billion have a sequel that fails to match that? People have told me the movie is bad, which only piques my curiosity further. Based on what I know of the plot, it seems to be a darker, more sombre film than the original. The first movie was an action-packed drama-thriller, while this one is described as a musical courtroom thriller. Dealing with the consequences of the first film is something rarely seen in movies these days. I can see why this might divide audiences, especially those expecting a conventional, action-packed Joker. That choice is also part of the reason I want to see it—it seems like a very bold move from conservative Hollywood. The marketing seems to completely avoid highlighting that shift in tone.
Before I watch Joker: Folie à Deux, I need to watch Joker—the film that looks like him but isn’t really about him.
Joker Review
At its core, the film is rather unpleasant to watch—it’s about witnessing terrible things happen and watching a man spiral into decline. Arthur always seems just one breakdown away from doing something truly dangerous. We soon get a glimpse into his mental health issues, and it’s clear that the support he’s given isn’t nearly enough for what he needs. Everything he does feels like a performance—smiling and laughing to mask the pain. The violence in this movie feels personal, and you can’t help but feel bad for everyone involved. Joaquin Phoenix is outstanding in this role, not just following the script but embodying the character fully. His facial expressions change on the fly, giving off an air of menace followed by moments of guilt, which makes his performance deeply unsettling yet captivating. Anybody who has struggled with mental health issues can see part of themselves in Arthur. That’s what makes it so compelling. Compared to other DC comic movies, this is far lighter on action, focusing more on the drama. Each action has consequences, slowly leading to his further decline and drift into insanity. Everything that happens adds up. The film takes on a much darker tone, shifting from portraying a somewhat sympathetic character to a more menacing one. Yet you can still sense that Arthur exists underneath it all, which makes it even more chilling.
Unwittingly, Arthur becomes the Joker, making this a Joker origin story that’s not really about the Joker but uses his image. Yes, that includes the Batman origin story, linking him to the Joker indirectly by influencing the events that lead to the death of Bruce Wayne’s parents. To me, it’s obvious that Arthur never wanted to be the Joker. Society as a whole helped create and give him that name. I don’t quite buy the idea that this movie isn’t about the Joker when it borrows so much from the source material. It’s a refreshing, self-contained story that works, but it doesn’t leave much room for a follow-up. I’m not sure what to think about it—how do you continue Arthur’s story? Arthur in prison, perhaps? Do you fully make him the Joker, or do you continue his long drift towards becoming the Joker? Sorry—not the Joker, but someone who looks more and more like the Joker. Maybe they could take a different route, like exploring Harley Quinn treating Arthur, only to descend into insanity herself.
Joker: Folie à Deux
Before watching it, what intrigued me was the shift in genre to a musical thriller, reflecting Arthur’s ongoing struggle with trauma. If you watch Joker, you’ll notice that Arthur is a performance- and theatre-driven character who wants to be a comedian. So, it’s not a stretch to shift the focus towards a more musical element. While I’m unsure if “eccentric” is the right word to describe him, his tragic, shock humour remains central to his character.
My expectations going in were pretty low, but I think it’s a far stronger movie than the first. The musical set pieces replace any action scenes, breaking up the film and adding a much lighter tone to an otherwise dark movie. However, anyone describing this as a full-on musical is misrepresenting it—the musical sections are a small part of the film. For Arthur, it feels like he’s constantly on stage, with the singing and dancing serving as performances to shield himself. He’s not a singer, and that’s deliberate—his eccentricity shines through as he clings to this tragic, self-imposed role.
Some might argue that this film doesn’t progress his character much, but it’s clear he’s still resisting fully becoming the Joker. The institutional abuse he endures is implied rather than shown, but he suffers more from the consequences of his own actions. Yet, he never fully becomes the monster people expect. Instead, he offers a performance when things get tough. Some of the most powerful scenes are those where you see Arthur’s vulnerability; he’s just a scared man, and the film often feels like he’s being dragged along by forces beyond his control.
The pacing is much stronger in this movie. It feels like Arthur’s dream about being in prison, with the musical sections representing his fantasy escape. His character arc makes sense, and by the end, he finally seems to regain control, only for it to be taken away again. If you watch closely, the entire film hints at this—foreshadowing the ending multiple times, which is why I think it’s a dream. Lee’s character, waking up from the same dream, is a truly painful moment, and it explains the title perfectly. I’m not sure if Lee is meant to be a metaphor for the audience, but it certainly feels that way.
This isn’t a bad movie—in fact, I think it’s far better overall than the first. That might be an unpopular opinion, but it feels more cohesive and enjoyable. The challenge of expanding such a self-contained story is significant, but Folie à Deux manages to do it well.
Conclusion
Overall, I enjoyed Joker: Folie à Deux far more than the first film. While it was never going to appeal to mainstream comic book fans, the original’s success still baffles me. This sequel feels more like a continuation of Arthur’s story—a fitting conclusion to his character arc—rather than a typical sequel. The film defies expectations in many ways, from its musical elements to its avoidance of traditional fan service. Even though I’m still puzzled by the decision to call this series Joker when it feels so different from the comic book character, the direction Todd Phillips takes makes sense within this unique vision of Gotham and Arthur Fleck. It may not satisfy everyone, but as a character study and a bold cinematic experiment, Folie à Deux stands out as a compelling and well-crafted follow-up.
I love Christmas / winter music because it reminds me of my late Dad. He always enjoyed this festive season, especially the food, gifts, atmosphere, music, and family gatherings. He and my mum also liked to decorate our house and make the children happy. After she passed away, he tried to keep up the tradition. I cherished the moments when we were all together, even though our family became smaller over time.
That’s why I want to share some joy with Christmas / winter music. I made a Spotify playlist with a mix of less-known and familiar songs. I will explain why I chose each song and what it means to me. So relax, listen, and enjoy.
Classical
These are songs that are composed or inspired by classical music. Beautiful music that creates a sense of wonder and awe. These are some pieces that capture that winter and holiday season.
“Winter” from “The Four Seasons” by Antonio Vivaldi (1723)
Listening to this I can imagine myself outside, in wintry chilling winds with first bits of snowfalling. Back indoors sitting next to a cozy warm fireplace after experiencing the cold outdoors. Creating an enchanting story, a joy to listen to.
“Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1892)
Song from the Nutcracker suite op.72a 1892, which is an adaption of the Nutcracker and the Mouse King 1816. Christmas Eve at the bottom of the Christmas tree, in a child’s imagination. Something magical about this score is plum fairy dancing as you listen. Makes me remember staring at the bottom of the tree as a kid and dreaming the same thing.
“The Snow is Dancing” by Claude Debussy (1908)
4th movement from Children’s Corner out of 6. Dedicated to Claude’s daughter, snowflakes in the air gracefully moving. With vivid and atmospheric sound, the song is about his love for his daughter. Seong-Jin-Cho version is below.
Winter Wonderland” by Felix Bernard and Richard B. Smith 1934
A classic that has been covered by various artists. Overall cheery song features a well-known catchy melody and rhyme. I decided to go with the original version without lyrics which was added at a later date.
For me, this song creates a snowy park with kids playing in the background, a couple building a snowman and a sleigh being pulled around.
“Sleigh Ride” by Leroy Anderson (1948)
I went with the original instrumental version, covered and adapted into various genres over the years. Iconic bit of music that has inspired so many Christmas-themed moments. Cheerful song that pulls along for the ride, and recreates the sleigh ride.
Childhood
The following two songs have a special place in my heart.
“Walking in the Air” by Howard Blake (1982)
Raymond Brigg’s picture book The Snowman 1978, was adapted to film in 1982. Carton’s musical adaptation of that picture book. A sequel was produced 30 years later, snowman and the Snowdog. Every Christmas I would watch it, with my parents until they both passed away. I still remember my nan coming around for Christmas and watching it with me. Watching it allows me to remember all the Christmas in the past and how much they meant to me. It is the most personal and important song on this list.
Grant Kirkhope – Freezeezy Peak (Banjo and Kazooie) 1996 alternviete version is here
I have fond memories of playing Banjo and Kazooie on the N64. I still own my original N64 given to me as a Christmas gift. Every time I listen to that game soundtrack I’m transported back in time playing that in the living room at Christmas. This track is for a winter-themed level, which was one of my favourites growing up. I have included the original and redone version from Grant himself off the Rejiggyed album.
Banjo and Kazooie Rejiggyed version
Modern Christmas standard
Collection of modern Christmas standard songs. Some well-known ones to more cult classics. Start with some new wave, synth pop main covered in pop goodness finishing up with rocky dessert.
“Christmas Wrapping” by The Waitresses (1981)
This song is about surprises and how romantic moments can happen when you’re not looking. Rather charming song grounded in what the holiday season is in practice. How stressful life can be around the holiday but at the same time people can get enjoyment from small things. It was never a hit song on release but has become a bit of a cult classic over the years. Part of the new wave rock genre but influenced by 80s hip hop and rap.
Last Christmas by Wham 1986
Okay last song was pretty obscure, Wham mega hit however is not. I have memories of hearing this on the radio, in retail shops and everywhere. Classic 80s sound wrapped into a Christmas theme, a song about a broken heart.
Christmas in Hollis” by Run-DMC (1987)
Why not wrap up the year with this Christmas classic? A catchy song that just lifts the mood. My first CD was a RUN DMC cover, this song was on the back of my mind making the list.
“All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey (1994)
Mariah Carey made one of the best love songs of all time which happens to be a Christmas song. Not many modern songs become Christmas standards. Mariah has refreshed the song over the years and invited artists to perform it with her. In many ways, she has become the pop queen of Christmas.
Christmas Lights by Coldplay 2010
A second song about breakups on Christmas Eve. Coldplay here provides a festive song, mixed with that well-known coldplay sound. One of the few modern Christmas songs I enjoy. Every time I listen to Coldplay I think about my mum so that’s why I added it.
“Snowman” by Sia (2017)
Much more downbeat low-tempo song, what I love about this song is the music video. Similar to the Waitresses song I have included. Would say it bit more hopeful and focused on being in love. Going to end up being part of the Christmas standard with time.
Folk
Something old reimaged
“Carol of the Bells” by Mykola Leontovych (1914)
This song is based on the Christmas carol, by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych. It has been adapted with lyrics added at a later date. Popular carol and song in its own right these days, having been adapted and reused over the decades. I included this song to show my support for Ukraine and decided to share two different takes on the song.
Mannheim Steamroller version
Trans Siberian Orchestra version
“Winterbird” by Aurora (2016)
Writing this list I wanted to include some winter songs and found this. Aurora creates a dark, slow very minimal song. Lyrics are full of references to nature and the harsh reality of it brings back to reality. A really powerful song about how the environment around us influences emotions. I’m really glad I did some research and found this gem.
Rock
“Winterlude” by Bob Dylan (1970)
Bob Dylan is one of the greatest songwriters, to me Winterlude is a song about the simple joys and pleasures of winter. Winter gives us time for reflection before the year’s end. Something different once more.
“Imagine” by John Lenno (1971)
Okay, not technically a winter or Christmas song. Imagine is a minimal yet powerful song. Idealist piece of music that feels in tune with common themes around Christianity. Given the challenges the world faces, this song gives me hope during struggling times.
I was thinking of including This Is Christmas by John Lennon.
Cover section
Christmas at Ground Zero is a song by “Weird Al” Yankovic (1986)
It is a comedy Christmas song, dark humour and parody of Phil Spector-produced Christmas songs. Given the decline in the quality of Christmas songs over the years I feel like this earns a spot. This is also what happens when you force somebody who makes comedy songs to make a Christmas record.
This is a cover of a 1966 folk rock song, by Simon and Garfunkel. released in 1966. Bangles covered the song for Less Than Zero. Gerard Way with Ray Toro covered the song in 2019 for the TV series adapted from his comic book series. Umbrella Academy, the same name as the comic book, Netflix production.
Bangales version
Gerrad way version
“A Mad Russian’s Christmas” by Trans-Siberian Orchestra (1996)
Trans-Siberian Orchestra is a well-known big Christmas and winter-themed band. Covering various bits of music, adapting them even creating new music inspired by classical songs. Picking a single song was going to be hard, Wizards of Winter is my default but I wanted to highlight a different song. I picked a rock opera song instead, which from a full suite,
Oh Holy Night by Apocalyptica 1996
Apocalyptica is a Finnish symphonic metal band that consists of four cellists and a drummer. This version is rather a traditional cover of the Christmas classic. Christmas carol was originally composed by Adolphe Adam in 1847. Showcase of talent mixed with a passion for music with this cover.
Jingle bells by James Lord Pierpont 1857
Jingle Bells started as a winter song about sleigh riding that slowly morphed into a Christmas song. Written by James Lord Pierpont in 1857. Guitar solo metal cover adds to the long list of covers over decades. Charlie Parra Del Riego brings new life to this classic song.
Merry Christmas Everyone” by Shakin’ Stevens 1985
This song reminds me of my dad, standing on the doorstep as Santa collecting for local charities drove past. He loved Christmas and acted like a child at that time of year full of joy. A tradition now linked to the carnival around gunpowder plot celebrations. I remember him dragging me to the front door even as an adult to wave back.
Obscure jazz
Winter wonderland harmony – Christmas star piano 2023
I found a song on Spotify called Christmas Star Piano, which is a cryptic name designed to keep them anonymous. YouTube is saying that James Smith is the composer so I don’t know. Released two albums on Spotify both are calming jazz music for winter. I wanted a Jazz song and found this obscure diamond. Spotify: Silent Night and Yuletide Harmony Christmas Music Delights.
Skating by Vince Guaraldi Trio (1965)
Less obscure this comes from A Charlie Brown Christmas which is a classic. Captures the mood of skating on a frozen lake and a beautiful piece of music history.
So season greetings and happy Christmas, hope you enjoyed the music.
After writing some thoughts on the Marvel cinematic universe. Wanted to give a blog post on other movies that exist. Before the MCU other superhero movies existed, wanted to reflect on that. Loads of possible films to discuss, the list is rather long. So only going to focus on the ones I consider important. Quite a few that I consider as important you’re welcome to disagree with me.
Superman 1978
Offering a template for the future of the superhero genre. Richard Donner set the blueprint that Tim Burton would follow, both contributing to the genre as we know it. Genre owes much to these two directors, the current boom started in the 2000s follows the template. Genre owes Richard Donner and everybody else a huge debt. Worth repeating just how important this movie turned out to be.
Watching this movie today it has aged a bit but overall feels similar to modern movies. Brings Superman down to earth, grounded in reality. Something nobody had tried before to do, some silly comic book moments still believable within the story.
Mario Puzo’s original script was vastly different compared to the final product. Richard did a rewrite and gave us one of Donners most important contributions to film. Starts with an origin story, and deep storytelling along with complex characters with drama. The result is creating something new and refreshing.
Attention to detail along with laying the groundwork for the man of steel to appear after 45 minutes. Sharing an adaption that is proud to tell an accurate comic book origin. What Richard Donner did was show the world the potential, leading others to borrow from his playbook.
Batman 1989, 1992 – Tim Burton
Tim Burton directed Batman 1989, and Batman Returns 1992. Tim’s vision is darker stylised and more realistic, a take on Batman’s origin. This feels like a Burton film, his fingerprints are all over this. He is focusing on the psychology of the character over being comic book accurate. Radically different compared to what came before, focusing on darker stylised elements of the comics. Some people dislike this approach but takes very core themes from comic books. Borrowing themes and ideas over using direct stories, new take on old stories.
Warner Brothers took a huge interest, playing a major part in creating an action hero Batman. The biggest most obvious criticism is just how many people get murdered by him. Thus it is not a very comic book-accurate flick at all. I don’t think Burton is fully to blame for this more executives following what the 1980s looked like. Superheros are untested and the studio really wants to make it a success but not got much faith in it. Why did I include it?
Complaints often focus on it not being comic book-accurate. That was never the goal or point behind it. What you instead get are major psychological themes that underpin and form the Batman universe. Showing it in a new fresh light compared to before along with pushing the norms. Okay took a while but the modern dark version of Batman couldn’t have happened without it. Batman Returns gives you an idea of what the future could look like.
Tim Burton had made his Batman movie but when Batman returned he would get greater creative freedom. The result was Burton agreed to do another one. Pushing his stylised horror meeting the universe of Gotham. Really digs deep into the stylised horror and, a much darker tone overall including the story. The main villain is the Gotham elite, much darker direction compared to dark last movie. The Penguin costume pushes that, opening is more like a horror movie. Still filled with action the top gadgets and everything else. Takes creative risks, Gotham is a dark, timeless alternative design that is bigger. Speaking of which that design would go on to influence modern Batman for decades to come including cartoons.
Parents complained to McDonald’s about Batman Return’s dark nature. Mismatch in terms of the partnership with McDonald pulling the partnership. The terms for the further partnership were Tim Burton could not be the director. Warner Brothers fired him from the 3rd movie, producer in name only.
Batman & Robin
This movie was so bad it changed comic book movies for the better. Watchable but my god it is awful crap. Sadly however far strong junk compared to some of the 2000s movies that got made. So awful at times you just have to laugh at it.
Fox Xmen 2000, 2003, 2006
The Superhero genre was largely unproven, small number of successful films followed by failure. 20th-century Fox had little faith in X-Men being a major hit. The surprise commercial success of Xmen started boom times for superheroes. Hollywood jumped on the bandwagon, using various Marvel properties film rights it owned after Marvel wanted to create movies. Unlike Batman or Superman, the studio was embarrassed by the source material. Steering away from the source material, the meta costume joke is easy to miss in X-Men. Takes important themes but the story is different from the comics. Overall style with feel is lighthearted and family-friendly with more adult tones. Borrowing the best ideas but not being shoehorned by the comic book story. Character development adds to the overall story and special effects are used as plot devices. The human vs mutant conflict is a long story arc that finally pays off in the last movie. Watchable if flawed trilogy but still important showing the genre could be a box office success. Did show that the genre had box office legs and loads of movies followed the formula.
More Batman, dark knight trilogy 2005, 2008, 2012
Christopher Nolan’s dark knight trilogy used Richard Donner’s template to refine it. Borrowing heavily from both Richard and Tim’s previous works. A modern realistic take on the character, grounded in the real world. Not limited but embraces expanding on that idea. Attention to detail here that most films don’t come close to matching. A scene with a bomb timer that is the same length as the timer.
Inspired by the comic book source material, it is a love letter full of detail. Not embarrassed telling an accurate comic book origin story, similar to Superman. Christopher’s trilogy is a story split into three parts, it was never intended to be a trilogy. Therefore each part just adds to what came before and adds what is necessary. The final chapter is a perfect ending for the story arc. Created during the middle of the comic book box office boom fanatic piece of history. Showing that when Hollywood takes risks by respecting the source material magic can happen.
Hollywood today is full of green screen computer-generated imagery (CGI) using fake backgrounds. Saving studios on production costs during shooting, don’t have to do duplicate costly reshoots. Nolan instead opted for physical locations with effects. Any CGI is limited and sparingly used. Lighting to costume design shows the benefit of this old-school approach. An excellent script with set design, and special effects that look real are rare today. Nolan treats Batman with respect and creates three of the best movies ever made. Instead of playing safe, it takes risks to explore themes nobody else considered. The mental health of Batman is the obvious one. Tim Burton’s effort can’t begin to hold a candle to this.
Iron Man 2008
The birth of the Marvel cinematic universe started long before Iron Man. In a previous blog post, I have written a section about it along with thoughts on MCU as a whole. Following Richard Donner’s template, Marvel created its superhero formula learning from what worked and what did not. At the time this was a risky move, an unknown hero who was not like other heroes. The studio behind it created a charming flawed character that was relatable. What makes this movie so improve is what comes next. Giant massive story arc along with decade long series of hits. Leading us to the Avengers infinity war and Endgame which pushed how many heroes you could include in one movie.
Logan 2017
Fox X-Men movies are a mixed bag, from watchable junk to rather good. I have written about Fox X-Men and my thoughts here.
Logan is a conclusion to Charles and Wolverine’s story arc. Aged extremely ill Charles Xavier and Logan. It is perfect in so many ways, in how it tackles certain issues. Gives us a bunch of vulnerable, characters with loads of emotion and development. It works as a stand-alone or part of the X-Men ecosystem. The story is an alternative take on the war between humans and mutants. More grounded darker script allows Hugh Jackman and Sir Patrick Stewart to shine. Different approach and style compared to what came before. Genre-based needed a refresh and this darker take is great. Reminds me of what Christopher Nolan did with Batman reboots 2005, 2008, 2012. Logan 2017 came out and went the darker more grounded route to.
Genre as a whole has kept to action but slowly tried to explore other ideas. Honestly, time for another risk to be taken. Deadpool is R rated action comedy gamble but not that big of a risk. Pretty much every single superhero movie is action based.
Time to expand on what I wrote and explain why Logan was included on this list. The much darker side to having superpowers is shown here, gift and curse. Old age with illness are core to the plot, Xavier illness is believable. A character that weak physically from old age, unable to control his powers. Logan acts as protector just like Xavier did. Both are written like old friends, teaching each other bringing out the best in each other. You do see Xavier darker side here pushing Logan towards helping X-32. However it only briefly shown and easy to miss what going on. Flawed character is nothing new but to see vulnerable in a different way. What we get here is two characters sharing a similar experience.
Human and mutant war takes a dystopian twist, mutant kind is killed off by private company seeking to use them as weapons. That subplot turns out be the main real plot. Logan showed a much darker side but was still family friendly filled with adult themes. Age filled with more light-hearted fewer adult themes Logan showed you could be successful with adult themes. X-Men comics are full of them.
Outside of Kickass a black comedy, the genre has largely been action movies. Deadpool is an action comedy filled with violence, Does have some black comedy elements but focuses more on action. Making a movie for adults was a huge risk. Logan was a fresh much darker but family-friendly take.
The finale for secret invasion has aired, well streamed on Disney Plus. Inspired by the comic book story an adaption. TV sequel to Captain Marvel, after saving the Skrulls some settled on Earth. Kree and Skrull war destroyed the Skrull home plant, Earth ended up being the safest place. After the events of Captain Marvel first group of Skrulls settled on Earth until a new planet could be found. Nick Furry with Captain Marvel made a promise they would try to find a new home planet for the Skrulls. In return, the Skrulls worked with Nick to protect the earth against threats. Exploring the aftermath of Captain Marvel and their failure to find a planet.
Marketing presented the show as a spy thriller, which doesn’t feel like it at all. Shows the limits of what a TV show can do within the MCU and an overall glut of Disney Plus.
I’m a casual Marvel fan, first introduced to comic heroes due to the animated TV shows. The majority of my knowledge comes from stories told on the small screen. Growing up I used to watch on Saturday morning Spiderman and X-men a deep rich library of animated TV shows from the 1990s and 2000s. In terms of comic books, I own a small collection of Beano comics. The corner shop only stocked one or two comics I never saw a Marvel one.
History of Marvel
The big two comic book publishers are Marvel and DC. Marvel originally started out as Timely Comics back in 1939. Renamed to Marvel back in 1960 due to the suggestion of one of the employees. I haven’t covered the complete history here. Search for the golden and silver age of comic books if you want to learn more. Ron Perelman purchased Marvel entertainment group in 1989 for $82.5, and within 2 years the stock was listed. Perelman went on a spending spree, shares in Toybiz, trading cards, and distribution Hero’s World all for $700 million. Neil Gaiman writer of Sandman gave a speech in 1993, warning the industry was in a bubble. Months later great comic book crash started, between 1993-1997. A slump in comic book sales, trading cards and merchandise hit hard. Resulting in 75% of comic book speciality stores closing, and a number of publishers being driven out of business.
Facing mounting losses, Perelman had a rescue plan in 1995 he created Marvel Studios. Plan was to bring comic book characters to the big screen, but legal battles and reluctant Hollywood stopped it from happening. First, he needed to buy the rest of Toybiz, merging it with Marvel. Shareholders from the latter resisted, bankruptcy means you can restructure without shareholder consent. Marvel filed for bankruptcy in 1996, indebted by poor choices and declining revenue. A power struggle raged for two years, settled by the courts in 1998. Marvel and Toybiz merged together, and executives were ousted. Perelman along with allies, Carl Icahn shareholder who had resisted the merger gone too. Pushed out by two ToyBiz executives, Isaac Perlmutter and Avi Arad installed a new CEO and management team. The legacy of Marvel Studios would live on and has been a vision for a while.
Warner Bros the owner of DC Comics, Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze 1975 is the first comic book superhero movie.
20th century Fox produced Superman 1978, forming the template for the genre.
Universal produced Flash Gordon 1980, a camp 80s cult classic. Soundtrack by British rock legends Queen.
Universal produced Howard the Duck 1986 based on the Marvel character. Critical and commercial failure.
Warner Bros produced Batman 1992, the start of the golden age of superhero movies. Last movie Batman and Robin was a critical and commercial failure.
Compared to the rest comic book superhero are largely missing until the 2000s. Before going on to dominate the box office. With dreams of entering the movie business Looking at that list, even DC had struggled on the big screen, Superman 1978 and Batman 1992 were only major successes. A handful of cult classics but nothing like MCU today. , Marvel began selling film rights. For years it had been a struggle, Howard the duck was a failure and nobody wanted to take the risk. Until the late 90s, hits like Blade, Spiderman and X-Men, which Marvel had sold the film rights for were a success. Marvel gained very little from these movies in some cases a laughable slice of the revenue. Blade 1998 saw Marvel take home $25,000, it made $131 million at the box office. The budget was $45 million, and commercial success even with mixed reviews. Avard approach had worked but gave away the best part of the business. Why not make your own movies and reap the profits yourself? The idea of the cinematic universe was born with Marvel’s management. Just look at what happened, here is the Marvel list.
The 1980s was the age of the action hero and the 1990s was the hangover. The 2000s belonged to the comic book superhero, the 2010s age of Marvel.
How the MCU got started.
Marvel had survived bankruptcy and bounced back in the early 2000s. Others were finally finding success with Marvel characters, the small share went to Marvel. Why not produce movies under the Marvel banner and reap the profits? This was however highly risky and would require borrowing money to fund it. Board agreed with the plan and created the Marvel studio division. Merrill Lynch $525 loan over 7 years, character’s film rights as collateral the remaining crown jewels. Could spend that money on 10 movies over 7 years, with budgets ranging from $45 million to $180 million. One small problem is certain characters Marvel had sold the film rights to years ago. They were using some of this new money to reacquire Iron Man and more. The first independent production was Iron Man, an unknown character outside of comic nerds’ minds.
Kevin Feige’s love of comics saw him land a producer role for Xmen, Spiderman, Daredevil, and Hulk. Characters whose film rights were sold to different studios. He became president of Marvel Studios in 2007. Playing a key role in the oversight of the Iron Man movie. Briefly, the iron man had no script during filming, the lead actor was questionable. On a budget of $130 million, it made $585 million. Kickstarting the MCU was a success, followed by the Hulk which was not. Disney purchased Marvel for a dizzying $4.3 billion in 2009.
Avi Arad said “It’s a cheap price!” “It’s nothing! It’s a very strong brand, and we planned on this brand. It wasn’t a fluke.”
MCU’s all-time earnings are now $29.6 billion. That is only half the story just consider how much merchandising sales and Disney got a bargain. Disney in recent years picked up Lucasfilm in 2012 for $4 billion, and 20th-century Fox in 2018 for $71.3 billion. Marvel has turned out to be the wisest investment. House of Mouse was already a copyright giant before buying all of the above.
Marvel cinematic universe
Kevin Feige’s job creating a universe similar to the comic books. Nobody else had tried anything like it, even DC Comics had avoided it. All studios made self-contained stories, rarely sharing the same universe. The concept was simple characters would get solo movies with shared experiences. Jumping between titles before a crossover team-up to fight a big bad. Easy to forget just how fresh and different that approach was. Super risky one movie fails the whole chain is broken and the plan is ruined. Slate is planned ahead of time and years in advance.
Phase 1 – The Avengers 2008-12
• Iron Man
• The Incredible Hulk
• Iron Man 2
• Thor
• Captain America: The First Avenger
• The Avengers
6 movies over 4 years, take the time to tell the story. Nick Fury played by Samuel L Jackson seeks out heroes to form the Avengers to defend the Earth. Appearing in post-credits with the proposed team. Each movie is an origin story, sharing supporting characters. Avengers team up to take down Loki, Thor’s brother from taking over Earth.
Phase 2 – Age of Ultron 2013-15
• Iron Man 3
• Thor: The Dark World
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Avengers: Age of Ultron
• Ant-Man
6 movies over 2 years, clear ramp-up in production. A couple of new characters are introduced, Guardians of the Galaxy and Antman. Tony Stark is traumatised and creates a backup plan called Ultron. Designed to shield the Earth against threats when the Avengers can’t come to Earth’s aid. Ultron attacks the group and tries to destroy the world. A couple of plot points which form the fountain of phase 3 are introduced here. Infinity stones in guardians, one is retconned and shown to be the source of Loki’s power. Ant-Man gives us the quantum realm. Mind stone is part of the vision, Tony’s stark answer to Ultron.
Phase 3 – Infinity Saga 2016-2019
12 movies over 3 years, let us discuss the 6 movies at a time.
• Captain America: Civil War • Doctor Strange • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 • Spider-Man: Homecoming • Thor: Ragnarok • Black Panther
Civil War deals with the fallout from Ultron, splitting up of the Avengers. The first time we get Spiderman in the MCU. Sony after seeing the success of MCU reached an agreement, Marvel studios produce solo movies and a revenue split happens. In return, spiderman can be used in the MCU. Doctor Strange gives us the first magic user and another stone. Black Panther gives us loads of lore. Concepts like the multiverse along with higher universe powers are hinted at.
• Avengers: Infinity War • Ant-Man and the Wasp • Captain Marvel • Avengers: Endgame • Spider-Man: Far From Home
Infinity War and Endgame two-part ending to infinity stone saga. Thanos until this point made various small post-credit cameos now he gets loads of screen time. Thanos is revealed to be the big bad behind some major events. More than a match for the Avengers. Antman and Captain Marvel both provide some backstory and fill in the blanks. Spiderman Far from Home deals with the aftermath of an endgame. Endgame wrapped up the infinity stone storyline nicely.
Phase 4 2021-2022
The unfortunate timing of pandemic-related restrictions meant nobody could go to theatres. Thus delaying and impacting box office performance. Starting to accelerate an existing trend, the traditional media business model was under threat. Briefly streaming makes less profit per show or movie compared. More on why streaming has hurt the MCU later. Focus clearly switched to Disney Plus TV shows acting as pre-sequels until a film. One example WandaVision ties into Doctor Strange 2. Lesser known characters were given the spotlight given this change in focus.
WandaVision
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Loki
What If
Hawkeye
Moon Knight
Ms Marvel
She hulk
Were By night
Guardian of the Galaxy Holiday Special
The shows are not that bad but don’t really move the story forward or share a plot. Loki is the first multiverse-centred show, quite good overall. Standing above the rest is mainstream enough but suits the character. The fundamental problem is Kang really has no real connection to the rest of the world. Moon Knight is another surprise treat. What IF and WandaVision is not bad. Rest of the shows I barely remember if I have watched them. Flooding the market with TV and movies, no story narrative.
Big screen
Black Widow
Shang-Chi
Eternals
Spiderman no way home
Doctor Strange 2
Thor 4
Black Panther 2
Black Widow should have come out after the civil war. Feels out of place with retconning for the sake of it. Shang-Chi is average with no real risk-taking and formula approach to the MCU. Eternals were dull and boring, and the important plot was just wasted.
Spiderman’s no way home is almost perfect, ending his origin story that is a perfect ending to his story arc. Bringing back past villains and redeeming, fixing past mistakes. First-time Multiverse is on the big screen outside of an animated Spiderman movie. Doctor Strange 2 just missing something, I can’t put my finger on it.
Thor’s Love and Thunder, which is silly and dull takes the character backwards. Worse than the brilliant Ragnarok, just average. Black Panther 2 which is rather good and gives us a black female lead.
A decade of MCU could argue that oversaturated the box office market. Switching from 2 to 3 movies per year. Comic books after any big cross-over event always wipe the slate clean by resetting the world. It was always going to be difficult to create a new storyline and tie everything together. Phase 1 had the Avengers forming together in the background, and phase 2 infinity stones were discovered with Thanos cameos. Last part everything comes together. The structure of phase 4 feels deeply flawed considering what came before it. At the start of the multiverse saga, we get details but no real storyline connecting the dots. Phase 4 feels similar to pre-MCU, are other factors I will discuss in a bit.
“You Can’t Top Pigs With Pigs” Walt Disney
To make matters worse MCU is rather formulaic and refuses to take risks. After 20 films which are similar in terms of story and content. Movie one is an origin story, some sort of team-up that happens, or funny heroes exist. Frankly, most of the MCU is dull or boring these days. The multiverse storyline just stays in the background for half the phase, nothing happens to advance anything. One or two good movies but the quality overall feels like it has dropped.
Phase 5 2023-2025
Maybe it is unfair to say but feels like Marvel is muddling through. Before we had a clear sense of direction now I don’t know. Compared to how Thanos was introduced and that long story arc it just feels disjointed. Part of this is due to the TV shows which have far more lore-building.
TV
Secret Invasion
Agatha
Daredevil
Echo
Ironheart
Big screen
Antman 3
Guardians of the Galaxy 3
The Marvels – Novemberer 2023
Deadpool 3
Captain America 4
Thunderbolts
Antman gives us the first big screen appearance of Kang. A rather strange choice considering he is more of a comedy relief character. Just a weird choice to include him as Antman’s villain, in Loki he is far more menacing. Result Kang feels like a B-tier less threatening character. Guardian Vol 3 is a far stronger movie, with a perfect ending for everybody. Moving the story forward, future plan is clear a new team is being formed at the end. I have low expectations for the Marvels but we will see.
Phase 6
Three unannounced projects are due for release, summer blockbuster and winter hit. Who is going to form a new Avengers team is unclear at the moment. Disney has already cancelled around 40 projects to cut costs. The blade is rumoured to be one of the movies here.
Fantastic four 2025
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty 2026
Avengers: Secret Wars 2027
My approach to phase 4 / 5
The main story should be told by the movies, TV shows should not be required viewing. The framework I would create is simple, tie up loose ends and end story arcs that make sense. I don’t know enough comic book stories to suggest something here.
Simple reset with new characters and old favourites returning. Nick Fury returning in post-credit scenes with Doctor Strange or somebody else talking about the multiverse. Strange informs Nick about Eternals, which is why he wants to build a space station. Throw in a couple of references about Kang the Conquerer. No need for a big Avengers team-up, just resetting the stage. One phase to rebuild the MCU would be okay. Don’t have to rush things you can slow down.
Phase 5 could be a secret invasion, Skrulls under the influence of Kang. You could kill off major characters here but they are Skrulls. End result Nick Fury decides it is time for the new Avengers squad to return. After finding out Skrulls has been working together with Kang for a while now. However, this new team for phase 6 is unready for Kang. Having not been trained due to Skrulls taking the identity of the Avengers. During all of this Kang is slowly shown in the background. As it turns out he has been behind various events for decades now.
GCI has been common practice and overused in Marvel for a while now. Stretched often overworked artists often doing the effects on the cheap. Part of that is due to the fantasy nature but has to be a better way to do it. Back to basics with GCI just necessary would be good.
Marvel movies are formulaic and family-friendly for the largest possible audience. Earlier I quoted Walt Disney.
“You Can’t Top Pigs With Pigs”
Disney has made a bacon factory, creating similar action-based movies and largely avoiding taking any real risk. Possible that audiences have now had enough bacon after all this time.
The business model of movies and TV
Hollywood’s business model was selling cable channels, advertising and reselling content. For a very long time that proved to be highly successful, reaping huge profit margins. Studios would provide residuals, small payments every time something was on TV or DVD sold. In recent years cable subscriptions have declined and physical media sales have too. Movies are similar, advertising before it is shown and resold once it leaves theatres at a later date. Ticket sales are split, and everybody gets a slice of the pie. After a couple of months, a physical copy is sold. Years later TV channels buy the rights to broadcast the movie and the process starts again. Streaming was viewed as the golden goose that could replace it.
And that has not happened, instead far lower profit margins compared to before. Shareholders have been promised returns that can’t exist without somebody making less. Costs of production have increased, and running costs remain high. Easy-to-cancel service requires loads of content just for people to sign up and keeping them around is hard. Hollywood has tried to cut costs, pushing down pay and conditions. Under existing contracts, residuals are low or don’t exist for streaming. Hoping this would be the new normal companies like Disney started to create their own service, Disney pulled content from other services, and started making dozens of TV shows. Netflix’s endless growth in subscribers gave a false impression anybody could do it. Few have been able to make a profit from streaming. Netflix makes a profit with over 200 million subscribers. That paints a worrying picture of how many services are viable.
Not hard to see services closing or merging together. Companies like Amazon have opened up to the idea of selling their own productions to other services. Box office numbers have not recovered adding to the pain. This is part of the reason why Hollywood has become so risk-averse. Advertising is slowly coming to streaming services as trying to turn a corner. Some of the more successful services are free to watch filled with advertising. Studios are finally taking notice, profit margins are smaller but they make a profit. Disney in many ways has overvalued Disney Plus and oversaturated the market. A glut of content fuelled by cheap borrowed money is coming to an end.
Video Overview from MSNBC by Steve Rattner.
Best and worse of the MCU
Top 3 worse movies
Eternals
Ant-man and the wasp: quantumania
Thor love and thunder
Dull, boring and downright silly. I have already talked about some of these movies.
Top 3 best movies
Black Panther
Avengers Endgame
Iron man
Endgame fantastic ending to the massive story arc that started with Ironman. Makes sense that the start and end are on this list. Iron Man took risks, something that missing in recent years. Black Panther is the perfect character development with a superhero story.
So far nothing has been a box office flop, everything has broken even. The least successful films, still made hundreds of millions against their budget. Even critical panned like Eternals, made $402 million. Smaller profit margin than Marvel would like but still good enough. My worry is that at some point we do get a flop. Hopefully quality can increase once more and MCU slows down.
A little bit about me, I’m a casual fan of Marvel. Animated 90s TV shows introduced me to Marvel. Growing up I used to read The Beano, still have a collection.
20th Century Fox acquired the film rights to X-Men and started making movies back in 2000. 15 films X-Men were produced over two decades. Also owned the rights to Deadpool (2) and fantastic four (3) adding another 5 films to the total. Marvel’s output towards Fox’s second decade was 20+ films, an average of 2-3 per year. Thus a major difference in terms of volume, Marvel created a shared universe and Fox did the traditional sequel. Until Disney ended up buying Fox and reverting the rights back to Marvel. Marvel’s cinematic universe changed the landscape, learning from what came before it. X-men Universe helped create the template, and MCU would later follow.
Fox hired Kevin Feige to be an assistant producer on X-men, his comic book knowledge helped shape the story. Kevin would later become the brain behind MCU and be inspired by Fox’s success. Kevin would later be president of Marvel Studios
Bryan Singer allegations
Bryan Singer’s X-Men was groundbreaking, the first major Marvel adaptation for mainstream audiences. Bryan earned a reputation, for being able to print money and absences due to partying. Last directing gig Bohemian Rhapsody 2018 he was fired due to absences and replaced. Allegations exist against him relating to misconduct and abuse. Hollywood has ignored bad behaviour and enabled abuse. Rather disappointing learning about these allegations which seem ripe within Hollywood. Still, more to do at stamping out the problem.
The X-Men franchise is often seen as mirroring the gay experience and LGBT groups. The movie’s legacy is a detailed exploration of that experience, one Hollywood avoided. Emotion with character development in comic book movies was well unheard of. The first two are groundbreaking, dealing with serious themes with emotion. Bryan Singer (BS) wrote and directed, 4 films which happen to be some of the better ones—a fresh face who was unfamiliar with comics. Thus a strong team of writers and producers helped.
Quick overview and summary of each movie.
Phase 1 – First trilogy
X-Men – 5/10
X2 – 6/10
X-Men last stand – 4/10
*Bryan directed Superman’s returns instead of X3 last stand, Fox wanted him to return.
The main theme here is a conflict between mutants and humans. The last stand gives us what that could look like. Other themes here struggle to be comfortable with being different, mirroring the gay community. Black and white characters Professor X and Magneto both start to look morally grey at times. Putting others in harm’s way for their goals. Bunch of character development, even minor ones. Action scenes are used but not overused. Special effects are part of the development. New characters are given purpose and emotions that the viewer can understand. Bringing something that Superman or Batman never considered to do or the genre. Helping set the standard that many superhero movies would follow in the years to come. Thus pretty good but Age does show, feels very much like a 2000s action movie. Fox had little faith it would work so much compromise. Steering away from the source material, loose adaption compared to say animated TV shows. Remember this was before the days of MCU and mega hits from others.
The trilogy ends with X-Men the last stand, BS setup is wasted. Trades character development for action, special effects over emotion. A war between humans and mutants is an idea BS pushing for a while. Therefore being a natural ending to the story. Execution is wonky, but we do get a teased war between both sides. Almost good just needed more diligent storytelling.
The main plot is the cure is created that disables the mutant gene. A private company has created this cure and is offering it for free. This leads to a war between the mutants and humans. Dark Phoenix subplot sees the death of Charles, Cyclops. Could remove this from the movie and let it be part of a new trilogy. Are moments of emotion and payoff, certain characters get the ending that suits them. That just gets overshadowed by the rest, Wolverine killing Jean Grey the potential love of his life, somebody unable to catch a break. Early on Jean Grey ends up Cyclops (Actor was busy). So many forced mistakes, and powers used as jokes or only for action scenes. More for the sake of more which is a great shame. Almost good and a perfect ending to the trilogy.
Spin offs – Wolverine trilogy
X-Men Origins: Wolverine – 2/10
The Wolverine – 4/10
Logan – 10/10
*Origin trilogy a set of prequels was planned, and pre-production started for Magneto film. Some ideas were reused for the first class but the project was cancelled. The writer’s strike helped delay and kill the project.
Wolverine’s backstory was already explored in X2, with the origin already known doing the same plot makes no sense. The result was a rather dull and frustrating mess. I can’t remember the storyline, the special effects look bad and Deadpool. Critics hated it and box office numbers barely made it break even. It only exists due to Wolverine being so popular.
The Wolverine takes us to Japan, former WW2 Japanese wants logan powers so he can avoid death. Logan was a soldier during WW2, a prisoner of war who saved his guard from certain death. After the death of Jean Grey, struggling with being a mutant the old man offers to take his powers away. Making him human and saving the drying man. You get some character development, a little bit of emotion and some decent action scenes. Overall the movie is dumb but fun.
Logan is a conclusion to Charles and Wolverine’s story arc. Aged extremely ill Charles Xavier and Logan. It is perfect in so many ways, in how it tackles certain issues. Gives us a bunch of vulnerable, characters with loads of emotion and development. It works as a stand-alone or part of the X-Men ecosystem. The story is an alternative take on the war between humans and mutants. More grounded darker script allows Hugh Jackman and Sir Patrick Stewart to shine. Different approach and style compared to what came before. Genre-based needed a refresh and this darker take is great. Reminds me of what Christopher Nolan did with Batman reboots 2005, 2008, 2012. Logan 2017 came out and went the darker more grounded route to.
Genre as a whole has kept to action but slowly tried to explore other ideas. Honestly, time for another risk to be taken. Deadpool is R rated action comedy gamble but not that big of a risk. Pretty much every single superhero movie is action based.
Deadpool trilogy almost
A far more faithful adaptation of Deadpool leaked test footage helped green light Deadpool’s return. Ryan Reynolds would return and save his acting career. With shoe string budget of $58 million, the R-rated movie made $782, breaking records. Reynolds’s performance is great, with film style and tone work. The biggest fault here like other super heros movies it is yet another action movie that follows a formula. 2nd movie saw the budget double and take further digs at the X-Men. An improvement over the first movie with a better story. Recycled jokes are a bit of disappointment.
Deadpool 7/10
Deadpool 2 8/10
Phase 2 – Young trilogy
X-Men first class – 9/10
X-Men days of the future past – 10/10
X-Men Apocalypse – 4/10
X-Men: Dark Phoenix – 5/10
The first class was a soft reboot and a bit of retcon set in the 1960s. Similar to how comics work, set in the 1960s. Therefore giving us younger versions of the universe. Redo of characters and storylines that weren’t done well the first time around. Is this movie better than X-Men, answer is yes. The original trilogy is full of compromise and moves away from the source material when it can. Studio that had little to no faith in the genre or X-Men. This on the other hand is a love letter to the comic books. Magento origin is explored here, with major character developments that retcon or give backstory that was missing. Everybody gets a decent amount of screen time and story. Could describe it as pre sequel, just the creation of X-Men we never got to see. The Cuban missile crisis as the backdrop for a possible war between humans and mutants was clever.
Days of the future past build on the conflict between humans and mutants. The comic book story here provides a massive amount of material and is considered one of the best stories. A worse outcome happens with mutants in the future losing the war. Actions of mutants set across various movies causes humans to begin a long war against mutants. A group of mutants plan to send Wolverine back in time to rewrite history. Set in the 1970s takes familiar faces and gives us younger versions yet again. This time around we get to see both younger and older versions. So much character development, emotions just add to the stakes. The goal is clear but internal conflict about how to reach that goal. Redo on the storyline within X2 that was never fleshed out.
Apocalypse is introduced with a post-credit scene, very much MCU. Trying to force a franchise without much thought about how to execute it. Action over story just feels well rather dated compared to what Marvel was doing. Tries to retcon neatly tied up character story arcs just creating a messy plot. Similar to X3 new characters only exist for their powers and have little else to do. Marvel was casting a long shadow and putting huge pressure on Fox. Trying to copy the MCU just made for one bad idea and that’s why this whole thing is bad. Seems to forget and rush everything, more action less character moments, emotions feel flat and don’t carry any weight. Bryan Singer’s Final X-men fails to capture the good bits. The only good part is a tease about dark phoenix along with Charles being more morally grey here.
Dark Phoenix could remove some parts of this movie and everything plays out the same way. Obviously, this film suffered from rewrites towards the end and something else happened. A surprise but I do think this is better than Apocalypse. Does a far better job with the Phoenix storyline. Phoenix causes a civil war between the mutant’s works due to the connection between everybody. What suddenly does not work is how quickly resolved that is. I’m not joking just a couple of lines of dialogue before everybody goes “Okay let’s save Jean Grey”. Thus the conclusion feels weak, character development goes out the window. A side plot with aliens is underused here and only exists for some action moments. The last quarter of the movie just drags the rest of the movie down.
Phase 3 Death of Fox’s X-Men
New mutants 1/10.
New Mutants is a similar story to Logan’s subplot but worse. Bunch of young mutants being held and used for their powers. And I can’t remember finishing it or watching it. I have been told it is total rubbish. Maybe I should rewatch it…..
X-Men and the MCU what happens next?
Marvel’s MCU plan was made before Fox was acquired by Disney. Stand-alone movies won’t happen for a while, the timetable is already full and planned. An odd cameo with reference is all we have so far. A revival of the X-Men animated TV show for Disney Plus is coming soon, now delayed. Picking up the plot from the original. Deadpool has crossed universes before and could be the door opener into the MCU. Hugh Jackman is returning as Wolverine, after saying he would never play that role again. Cost cutting is hitting Disney hard at the moment with various projects being delayed or cancelled. The future outside of Deadpool is uncertain. Veterans of Pixar have been fired after a poor box office performance by Lightyear.
Without doing too much of what went wrong with the MCU, inspired to write that. I hope Disney is willing to take some risks and expand beyond the action with X-Men. So many different stories to tell and don’t have to be pure action movies. At the moment looks far away as the Avengers return and Kang takes the villain spot.
My big worry is we won’t get to see another X-Men movie. The writer’s strike is causing serious delays, two movies have been scrapped in 2025 as stuff gets pushed back. No sign of a slowdown, or reducing the scope of MCU yet. Forumla MCU has followed has resulted in similar styles of movies without much risk-taking. Further flops or failures could put a halt to the X-Men’s possible return in the distant future before it starts. For now, Disney Plus provides X-Men with a home and gives fans something.
*Looking out for X-Men related news in the future after writing this.
A great big world are American duo. Writing a massive hit that was performed on Glee. By total accident I found them by Amee Wilson known as the Queer chameleon. She does have another account. Finding her on Tik tok, before following her on everything else. Everybody is gay is rather cheerfully song. Recently the background for one of her videos, full version behind.
Adorable gay rights anthem that catchy. I can’t stop smiling listening to this song. As a bonus treat here another good gay song. Hayley Kiyoko lyrics can be found here.