1. Pick The Story That Needs To Be Told
I read the leaked script for X-Men Origins: Magneto, eventually scrapped in favour of First Class. It wasnt terrible. It wasnt good. It was unremittingly, utterly and completely, totally average. As First Class eventually proved, we didnt need to see every instant of Erik Lehnsherrs life to understand it. We go from 1945 Erik, a boy frightened of his own power and terrified of Shaw, to 1962 Erik, a blank and remorseless killer. We know hes killed dozens in the interim Nazis and their sympathizers, presumably. Some believe he joined Mossad to get trained in killing, though judging from Fassbenders accent choice, Im more in favour of the IRA. Regardless, we know he is to be feared. Hes similar to the Magneto we see in the original X-Trilogy, with one notable thing missing. Its the presence of Charles Frances Xavier. We know that the history and relationship between the two is complex, multi-faceted and fascinating (and judging from the fanfic, kinky as heck). The emotional core of the film is the relationship between Charles and Erik, and then the brother-sister relationship between Charles and Raven. By telling a story that the audience already knows the ending of, the film becomes a tragedy. We know that Charles youthful enthusiasm and beliefs will be dashed aside. Erik will reject Charles and eventually become the bitter villain of X-Men and even 40 years later mutants will still live on the fringes of society. This was the story that needed to be told not X-Men Origins: Magneto, or X-Men Origins: Professor X. Besides the emotional core of the movie, X-Men films have always functioned as ensemble pieces with varied side characters. So these elements, a dash of tragedy and a heap of foreknowledge, result in an excellent prequel and all-round decent film. So what went so wrong with X-Men Origins: Wolverine? Click "next" below to continue reading 4 ways how not to do it;