The X-Men movie series, spanning 20 years from 2000 through to 2021, consisted of several team-up movies and spin-offs. While many of these films received acclaim amongst fans and critics alike, some possess unpopular opinions regarding certain choices.
From the belief that the series focuses too much on certain characters to their criticism of highly-rated movies in the series or defense of poorly-rated ones, it is no secret that the X-Men movie franchise is arguably wildly inconsistent in of public opinion. These opinions, as rare as they may be, have been discussed at length on Reddit.
Too Much Focus On Wolverine
In the ten main X-Men movies (not including the separate Deadpool movies or spin-off The New Mutants), Hugh Jackman's Wolverine appears in nine of them. Two of these appearances are ittedly minimal, however, it is evident that this character receives more screen time than any other in the X-Men universe, even receiving his own trilogy series.
Not every viewer of the X-Men series appreciates the amount of focus the movies give to Wolverine. Redditor babatazyah, writes: "I think Wolverine gets far too much focus." On one hand, with such a heightened focus on this single character, certain viewers may feel as though other characters are entirely sidelined, particularly in the movies that feature several underutilized characters. On the other hand, though, this amount of screen time allows Jackson's character to receive a lot of character development.
X-Men: First Class Does Not Deserve The Hype
Following the conclusion of the original X-Men trilogy, a new film in the series was released with an entirely new cast. Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class, one of the best prequel movies of all time, saw the story of how the original X-Men team came to be. The film was received positively by critics and fans alike, receiving a 7.7 on IMDb.
Despite such a positive response, not everyone found the film entertaining. Reddit gdcuk, writes: "There are lots of continuity issues. Emma Frost? (Wolverine Origins?) Havok but no Cyclops?" This 's reason for disliking the movie is that the film appears to neglect the continuity of the previous X-Men films, excluding characters from the original trilogy despite the movie being marketed as a prequel. However, First Class was made with rebooting the franchise in mind, and therefore certain omissions such as this can arguably be overlooked.
Too Much Screen Time For Mystique
From X-Men: First Class to Dark Phoenix, Jennifer Lawrence starred in four movies as the mutant, Mystique. As one of the leading stars of each movie, Mystique is developed as a character through her relationship with other of the X-Men, particularly of her childhood friend, Charles Xavier.
In the opinion of Reddit , Best Actress Oscar for The Silver Linings Playbook. Therefore, it is no wonder why the producers chose to give Mystique so much focus, regardless of how certain fans feel about her portrayal.
The Comic Inaccurate Suits Are Good
In every X-Men team-up movie, except X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Dark Phoenix, the characters wear black suits made of leather, which contrast entirely with the yellow suits used in the comics. It's a commonly held opinion among fans that the choice to dress the team in plain, uninteresting suits is a boring one.
However, as with all fashion choices, not everyone agrees on a specific style. Redditor, Lord_Hauki, states: "The black leather suits, I don't really mind them." This is certainly a rarely held opinion, particularly among fans of the comic series on which the films are based. While both opinions are valid, it is arguable that certain scenes would be inherently more visually interesting if the team were to wear the bright yellow suits of the comics.
Logan Should Be In A Different Timeline
The third and final movie in Wolverine's trilogy is 2017's Logan, directed by James Mangold. The movie was released to widespread critical acclaim and was promoted as Hugh Jackman's final outing as the superhero Wolverine after 17 years. The movie is very much a part of the same universe as the previous movies in the X-Men series.
Reddit , Winter_Coyote, believes that "Logan works better if it is its own separate timeline." While this claim has some merit, particularly as Logan is a movie with few ties to previous films in of the overarching plot, it can be argued that the rich backstory of the characters allows Logan to craft a compelling and fitting end to Professor X and Wolverine.
The X-Men Movie Franchise Is Better Than The MCU
The X-Men series is entirely separate from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, despite both being based on Marvel Comics. This separation inevitably leads to a comparison between the two universes, with many fans of either series or of both, vocalizing their opinions on which is better.
One such fan of the X-Men universe, Reddit , Avengers: Endgame is rated at 8.4.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine Is Top Tier
The first film in Wolverine's trilogy, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, was released in 2009 and is widely considered one of the worst films in the entire X-Men series. With an arguably confusing plot, coupled with the first (misguided) adaptation of the character Deadpool, a lot of fans tend to not look fondly on this installment.
Despite such negative fan and critical responses (the movie has an average rating of 40/100 on Metacritic), Redditor gesihafthestrike, argues that "X-Men Origins: Wolverine is the best X-Men movie." This particular fan finds the movie "fun", which is, of course, valid, however, due to the well-documented distaste for the movie in general, it is evident that this opinion is an unpopular one.
The X-Men Should Not Crossover With The MCU
Upon Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox Studios, a large, vocal number of Marvel Comics fans were thrilled about the prospect of characters from the X-Men movie universe crossing over to the MCU. With no more legal restrictions, it became possible for the MCU to either incorporate the existing X-Men characters or create new ones.
While Marvel has yet to openly discuss their plans for the mutants, Reddit member Superb_Kaleidoscope4, argues that there is no need for a crossover, as "X-Men is a franchise big enough to itself." This is certainly a valid opinion, as the 10+ movies in the X-Men franchise prove that there are plenty of stories to tell (or retell, in the case of The Dark Phoenix Saga). However, separate movies and crossovers could exist side-by-side, as a middle ground.
Hugh Jackman Is Not A Good Wolverine
As the actor with the most recurring role in the X-Men universe, and subsequently the character with the richest development, Hugh Jackman's Wolverine is a character that the majority of people enjoy his portrayal of, hence his appearance in most team films and his trilogy.
This sentiment, however, is certainly not expressed by all viewers of the franchise. Redditor, Vindicaddor, writes post-Logan that "Hugh Jackman was a terrible Wolverine. He is a likable actor who played a likable character but that character was nothing like Wolverine." This opinion has some merit, however, it could be argued that Jackman's portrayal of the tortured superhero does not necessarily have to be comic-accurate. In fact, several depictions of the character can exist in their own right.
