X-Men SE with NEW footage..... (1 Viewer)

[Ron Reda]

We have learned that the extra scenes to be filmed for the Special Edition DVD will involve flashback scenes for those characters, much like how you saw Magneto at the German camp.

Hmm...aside from the new extras, if this is the only difference between the new SE and the theatrical version, I may not upgrade.
:rolleyes

 

[JonZ]

I hate the idea of filmed NEW scenes to be added to a older film. I dont like the idea for Star Wars, X-Men or any other movie.

This is a trend that needs to end.

Fox should have had more faith in their product and creative team and given Singer the freedom he needed to do the film he wanted in the first place.

 

[John Berggren]

There are many reasons to beleive the X-men SE will represent the movie that Bryan Singer wanted to make in the first place. I think the Charlie Rose interview on the current disc includes his comments about having the film moved up 6 months by Fox, and how he was really working under the wire.

He's been saying since the day the movie came out in theaters (perhaps even before) that he'd like to complete it in the future, and when X2 was greenlit he indicated he'd use that as a chance to do just that.

X-men is an awesome film, and I'll be first in line to buy the new SE.

 

[John Bryant]

If they release this with the new version only, with all the extras, I will gladly buy it. I don't think this is a case where changing the film is going to damage it in any way. If you want the theatrical cut, just hold onto your old versions. That's what I will be doing.

 

[Steve_Knutzen]

I think that in this case, adding footage to the film shouldn't be a big concern. X-Men is only the few years old, Star Wars was twenty when new footage was added to it. I agree that this new footage will help make the picture what Brian Singer originally intended it to be.

 

[Dan Brecher]

Singer seemed highly reluctant to ever re-visit the film frankly. Those of us on the HTF meet in 2000 at Fox certainly got that impression from him, and you see his frustration at the idea of their being multiple versions of X-men in the outtakes easter egg found on Usual Suspects SE. He was pleased with the released version...

The reason for the new footage is to expand upon elements of story that X2 explores. It's not stuff they wanted in the first film but had to cut due to time and budget constraints... The footage wont be of major significance I shouldnt think, since it is foolish to think all seeing X2 will have seen the expanded DVD release.

The new SE cut of the film will likely serve as additional character development that is explored further in the sequel. It's possible X2 make reference to moments we'll see in the expanded cut of the first film but be done in such a way that one didn't have to see the new scenes to understand it all (which begs the question, what's the point of the expanded cut...)

John Ottman will also be doing a new score.

Not according to Ottman.

Dan

 

[Rob T]

Not according to Ottman.

Well, I heard through SHH that he'd be doing a new score a while back, but his webmaster said that it wouldn't be happening. I haven't heard anything about it lately from Ottman himself.

 

[Dan Brecher]

I think it was a chance happening (I'd rather it didn't happen out of respect to Michael Kamen frankly). From what I recall time restraints have made it impossible for him to be involved in the expanded version.

Dan

 

[Tim_Prasuhn]

I did read somewhere that Ottman was going to fiddle with the editing as well.

 

[Sam Davatchi]

I hate seamless branching.

Why? It’s a strange declaration because Seamless Branching has no effect on the viewing of the movie you want to see! It’s not like a forced option or like a non-anamorphic transfer. How does it affect you?

 

[Dan Hitchman]

I, for one, thought the movie needed some serious retooling. It was a great idea to add more dramatic elements to an action picture, but it was not fully fleshed out as it should have been. This could have been more like an epic of Superman (the original with Chris Reeves) proportions, but it seemed rushed and choppy in many scenes, like seeing a highlight reel of the characters and their interactions to the plot (as slim as it was) and each other.

I'll be interested to see what the director's cut has in store for us.

Dan

 

[Anthony Thorne]

Sam, re: my dislike of seamless branching, see my explanatory post further up. Like DVD-ROM content, it's something I never use, so I'd just as happily see it dumped. 'Hate' is probably too strong a word, but if the upcoming BLADE RUNNER S.E attempts to meld all multiple cuts into a complex, seamlessly branched soup, I won't be jumping up and down with joy.

I've never even seen X-MEN up till now, so whatever expanded cut Singer springs on us next year will be my first and only experience of it. I won't mourn the loss of seeing the theatrical version, but I respect the idea that others may feel very differently about this.

 

[Sam Davatchi]

DVD-ROM content, it's something I never use, so I'd just as happily see it dumped.

Yes, but it’s not a personal DVD. There are other people who use it and want it, so it is a good idea to satisfy as many people as possible when it doesn’t affect the others. It’s not like satisfying the pan and scan people with releasing a pan and scan only version and affecting the widescreen people.

 

[T r o y]

Here's hoping we will get that DTS track on this issue that we wanted on the first release

 

[Eugene Hsieh]

Sam, re: my dislike of seamless branching, see my explanatory post further up. Like DVD-ROM content, it's something I never use, so I'd just as happily see it dumped. 'Hate' is probably too strong a word, but if the upcoming BLADE RUNNER S.E attempts to meld all multiple cuts into a complex, seamlessly branched soup, I won't be jumping up and down with joy.

I've never even seen X-MEN up till now, so whatever expanded cut Singer springs on us next year will be my first and only experience of it. I won't mourn the loss of seeing the theatrical version, but I respect the idea that others may feel very differently about this.

Huh? On a dual layer disc, there's nothing inherently wrong with seamless branching. Everyone has the choice of what he or she wants to watch. It's certainly theoretically better than having 4 versions of the disc you have to choose from in the store. OTOH, there have been too many discs out there that have wonky seamless branching and too many players that screw up with them.

However, if it's done right, I think it's a GREAT feature, and WILL be jumping up and down for joy.

 

[Rob T]

http://www.darkhorizons.com/news.htm
Comic Con: X2: Bryan Singer and his impressive looking entourage showed up to talk about the "X-Men" sequel and screened a clip cut from scenes shot so far in the first few weeks of filming. The reaction to the clip was so good it played twice, what we could see were from two select sequences. Scene 1 was set around Magneto's plastic cell with Magneto tied to his chair at one point whilst another had Prof. X trapped either inside or outside the cell, half out of his wheelchair and banging on the door. Scene 2 showed the raid on the X-Mansion with helicopters flying over, lots of SWAT guys moving about, Brian Cox smiling to camera in the underground hallways, Pyro setting a car on fire, and a shirtless claws out Logan running full tilt through the X-Mansion swiping his claws. I was part of a roundtable interview with Singer after his presentation and whilst the full interview won't be up till later, I can give away a few hints. They're currently into week four of shooting, with production scheduled to continue through till early October. Despite the many Net rumours indicating new scenes for a special upcoming DVD of the first film were being shot (ie. the Storm and Cyclops origins), Singer confirmed there's ZERO truth to those rumours. He did confirm though the Danger Room scenes have been cut.
So I guess there will not be new scenes.

 

[Eric Fisher]

The "added scenes" were actually in the novelization of the film. That means they were probably last minute cuts from the script. Does that make them truly "new"?

 

[Youssef]

X-Men was a average movie and I am amazed at how well it did do. First of all the action sequences in the film are purely GARBAGE! And lets not forget the laughable villains such as Toad. Watching him onscreen makes me laugh every time. And Mangeto's horendous costume was something else for me to laugh at. I like Ian Mckellan but he should not have been casted as Magneto b/c he's too small and too old.

 

[RobertCharlotte]

he should not have been casted as Magneto b/c he's ... too old

Care to explain why he's "too old"?

Magneto was in a concentration camp when his powers (we are led to believe) first began to manifest themselves. My understanding of X-Mythology leads me to believe that mutant powers first begin to manifest themselves at adolescence. So let's be generous and say he was 12 at the time. Let's just average out all the potential years he could have been in the concentration camp and say it was 1942. Therefore, we're estimating that the character was born in 1930. Ian McKellan was born in 1939. So he's already way too young to play Magneto.

The movie came out in 2000. Age if movie was supposed to be set in 2000: 70. Age if movie was supposed to be set in the infamous "not-to-distant-future": over 70. (I honestly can't remember if it said anything about when it was set, sorry).

 

[Josh Lowe]

I liked X-Men and would like to see an SE because I was never really that impressed with the original DVD transfer. I thought it was oversaturated and murky. Also, the menus are really bad.

As far as critical points with the movie - My only real gripe was Sabretooth. They absolutely ruined that character. Sabretooth's character is highly intelligent, loyal to no one but himself, ruthless, etc. Physically he was fast and agile, even more so than Logan, perhaps. Singer turned Sabretooth into a lumbering idiot who was nothing more than a 2 bit henchman.