X-Men: 9 Things That Must Happen In The Next Film
The franchise can still be saved. After all, the third one is always the worst.
The X-Men “prequel” films started off strong, with Matthew Vaughn's First Class introducing fans to a whole new cast playing some of their favourite characters. Days Of Future Past was great too, succeeding with the insane task of trying to make sense of the X-Men timeline (and also bringing back the original cast).
Sadly, X-Men: Apocalypse has largely been regarded as a misstep, featuring a boring villain, a convoluted story and a seriously contrived Magneto conflict. But all is not lost yet: despite its failings, there are still many great ingredients to work with, including a bunch of interesting new mutants introduced in Apocalypse.
The prequel series is still very much salvageable, and there are a host of ways a fourth film might do this. From ditching actors who no longer want to be there to carving out a more interesting villain, here are nine things that must happen in the next X-Men film.
9. Remove Or Recast Jennifer Lawrence's Mystique
One of the most striking things about X-Men: Apocalypse is just how clear it is that Jennifer Lawrence doesn't want to be there. In the past, Lawrence's portrayal of Mystique has come across as passionate and incensed, but in Apocalypse something isn't quite how it used to be.
Whether unhappy with the script or dissatisfied with being tied to a behemoth franchise, Lawrence's performance stood out as one of the worst in the entire film, the actress trawling through her lines barely able to crack a smile. Compare that to the younger mutants like Tye Sheridan's Cyclops, Sophie Turner's Jean Grey and Evan Peters' Quicksilver, all of whom were enthusiastic and likeable (despite Sansa Stark's dodgy American accent).
When it comes to a fourth film in the “prequel” series, the removal of Mystique from the main plot may not be a bad thing. For a start, it'd provide room for one or more of the younger mutants to step up. However, after seeming done, Lawrence has recently expressed openness to the possibility of returning, but if she did it'd probably be best to reduce her role substantially, or to have her act as a mentor to the younger heroes. Four films in, a change in roles would be more than welcome.