# X-Men: Days of Future Past **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 5, 2012, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-days-of-future-past/630531 "2012-08-05T18:07:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-days-of-future-past/630531/1 "2012-08-05T18:07:08Z")
It has been announced that the next X-Men movie will be _Days of Future Past._ I am reasonably excited about this. I have not bought a comicbook since 1985. I still have them around here some where. But I still remember that story line. Its probably my favorite story in all of comics. It seemed so dark and adult at the time. Less like a comicbook, more like good science fiction. I hope they don’t [screw it up.](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-harnick/x-men-days-of-future-past_b_1734539.html) ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-days-of-future-past/630531/2 "2012-08-05T19:57:31Z")
I believe the _Dark Shadows_ movie trumped the use of “Nights in White Satin” as a theme song, however. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-days-of-future-past/630531/3 "2012-08-05T20:10:02Z")
Big flop a’comin’. “Days of Future Past” worked as a comic story because it was based on an extrapolation of the (then) current storyline, which had had established characters with an established history known by most fans. Which X-Man movie will this version be based on…or are they going to establish a whole _new_ current storyline to extrapolate from? edited to add: I see now that it is a sequel to “X-Men: First Class”. How many of the characters, and how much character history, match up between that movie and the original “DoFP”? ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-days-of-future-past/630531/4 "2012-08-05T20:33:20Z")
Eh–it doesn’t really matter who the character cast is. The basics of X-men/Brotherhood story are timeless. The pitfall is going to be “Isn’t this just ‘Terminator’ with mutants?” Because… basically it is. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-days-of-future-past/630531/5 "2012-08-05T20:38:26Z")
It _absolutely_ matters who the character cast is, because the strength of that story came from the emotional investment we had in the characters at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-days-of-future-past/630531/6 "2012-08-05T21:47:24Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > It _absolutely_ matters who the character cast is, because the strength of that story came from the emotional investment we had in the characters at the time. It matters only to those you read and remember it. That is a small percentage of the movie going public. I don’t care if they follow the story to the letter. I doubt they can. I just hope they do a decent job. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-days-of-future-past/630531/7 "2012-08-05T21:53:03Z")
I would have gone with a modern day story using the Sentinels as the main villain. They’ve appeared as background but never been the main story. And giant robots are a natural for the screen. Then once you’ve established the Sentinels in a present-day story (and presumably defeated them) you can do _Days of Future Past_ as the third movie. Now that the viewers know who the Sentinels are, you can base a story on an alternate future where they won in the second movie. Plus as a bonus, you’ve got the three settings - past, present, and future - working as a theme for the overall series. Honestly, Hollywood, do I have to do all the thinking for you? ---
**Author:** ![Bakhesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Bakhesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bakhesh)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-days-of-future-past/630531/8 "2012-08-06T15:39:08Z")
I find myself losing interest in the X-men franchise in general, because, even though they have managed to churn out a couple of decent movies in their time, their complete lack of continuity seems like an insult to the intelligence of their fans. XMFC was an enjoyable movie, but on repeated views, it is riddled with plot holes (presumably as Fox rushed the movie out in less than a year). Doing DOFP as a sequel to XMFC is going to mangle it beyond all recognition. I just wish Fox would let the franchise die and let the rights return to marvel (but can’t see this happening any time soon). ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-days-of-future-past/630531/9 "2012-08-06T15:47:48Z")
> [@Bakhesh](#): > > I find myself losing interest in the X-men franchise in general, because, even though they have managed to churn out a couple of decent movies in their time, their complete lack of continuity seems like an insult to the intelligence of their fans. > > XMFC was an enjoyable movie, but on repeated views, it is riddled with plot holes (presumably as Fox rushed the movie out in less than a year). Doing DOFP as a sequel to XMFC is going to mangle it beyond all recognition. I just wish Fox would let the franchise die and let the rights return to marvel (but can’t see this happening any time soon). I just view First Class as more of a pseudo-reboot than a straight prequel. Some things match up, some don’t. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-days-of-future-past/630531/10 "2012-08-06T16:51:27Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I would have gone with a modern day story using the Sentinels as the main villain. They’ve appeared as background but never been the main story. And giant robots are a natural for the screen. > > Then once you’ve established the Sentinels in a present-day story (and presumably defeated them) you can do _Days of Future Past_ as the third movie. Now that the viewers know who the Sentinels are, you can base a story on an alternate future where they won in the second movie. Plus as a bonus, you’ve got the three settings - past, present, and future - working as a theme for the overall series. > > Honestly, Hollywood, do I have to do all the thinking for you? Seems so. I agree that the Sentinels need to be well-established before DoFP has any hope of succeeding. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-days-of-future-past/630531/11 "2012-08-06T17:16:56Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Seems so. I agree that the Sentinels need to be well-established before DoFP has any hope of succeeding. Why? I’ve heard that a lot, but no one ever explains why this particular “villain” needs an entire movie of set up. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-days-of-future-past/630531/12 "2012-08-06T17:21:54Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > Why? > > I’ve heard that a lot, but no one ever explains why this particular “villain” needs an entire movie of set up. Without the background stories of both the heroes and the villains as a foundation, _DoFP_ wouldn’t be remembered at all. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-days-of-future-past/630531/13 "2012-08-06T18:00:46Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Without the background stories of both the heroes and the villains as a foundation, _DoFP_ wouldn’t be remembered at all. …doesn’t a movie audience already have that familiarity as this is a sequel? Presumably this isn’t going to be a whole new cast of characters. Xavier, Magneto, Mystique will be there. Does it HAVE to be Kitty who goes back in time? Does it HAVE to be Senator Kelly who does or does not get assassinated? Does it HAVE to even have Wolverine in it (arguably if they can get him to do his ten minute Future cameo it will be a huge boon)? No. The plot can be DoFP, but the story doesn’t have to be an exact (and basically impossible) retelling. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-days-of-future-past/630531/14 "2012-08-06T18:06:04Z")
Based on every other X-Men movie up to this point, I’m confident they absolutely _will_ screw it up, massively. Maybe after that they can screw up the Brood storyline. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-days-of-future-past/630531/15 "2012-08-06T18:33:05Z")
Seems like it will be a confusing mess. They already did a time jump with the last movie being set in the 60’s. Now the plan is to set a movie after the one in the sixties, before the trilogy set in modern times, with characters from both time periods traveling from a far future time period to the new movie set in an intermediate time period? I got confused just writing that sentence. I don’t see how an audience that doesn’t closely follow the X-men franchise is going to figure it out. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-days-of-future-past/630531/16 "2012-08-06T18:52:39Z")
> [@Bakhesh](#): > > I find myself losing interest in the X-men franchise in general, because, even though they have managed to churn out a couple of decent movies in their time, their complete lack of continuity seems like an insult to the intelligence of their fans. > > XMFC was an enjoyable movie, but on repeated views, it is riddled with plot holes (presumably as Fox rushed the movie out in less than a year). Doing DOFP as a sequel to XMFC is going to mangle it beyond all recognition. I just wish Fox would let the franchise die and let the rights return to marvel (but can’t see this happening any time soon). I agree with enalzi. I thought it was pretty clear that _First Class_ was a reboot of the story line rather than a prequel of the original series. Sure, there’s a lack of continuity between the movies, just as there’s a lack of continuity between the comic books and the movies or between the Ultimate series and the mainstream series. Or are you saying there were plot holes within _First Class_? If so, you’re probably right (most action movies have plot holes) but I don’t recall any particularly glaring ones. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-days-of-future-past/630531/17 "2012-08-06T18:55:20Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > Why? > > I’ve heard that a lot, but no one ever explains why this particular “villain” needs an entire movie of set up. Keep in mind that the majority of the movie viewers haven’t read the comic books. They only know the Sentinels from what they’ve seen on screen. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-days-of-future-past/630531/18 "2012-08-06T23:08:16Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > Based on every other X-Men movie up to this point, I’m confident they absolutely _will_ screw it up, massively. Maybe after that they can screw up the Brood storyline. But what do you mean by screw up? Not follow the original comic book storyline? Or not make an enjoyable movie? I think the studios have given up on pleasing the fanboys (for want of a better term) simply because there is no pleasing them. They pick apart any inconsistancy between the movie and the source material. I was a big fan of the X-Men in my youth. But quite frankly thats far enough in the past that I just vaguely remember some of the story arcs. They make movies for those who go to see movies. The number of people that remember exactly what happened in a comic book in 1983 is a much smaller number. I’m hoping they do a good job with what was well written source material (in my 15 year old mind). I don’t care if they don’t follow the story exactly. In fact I don’t see how they can. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-days-of-future-past/630531/19 "2012-08-06T23:31:14Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > But what do you mean by screw up? Not follow the original comic book storyline? Or not make an enjoyable movie? Well, for my tastes, they’ve failed on both counts, but I understand the movies have been popular. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-days-of-future-past/630531/20 "2012-08-06T23:45:47Z")
Note to all scriptwriters: Either make up your own story or hew closely to the original. One or the other. I want to go all stabby on any writer who “borrows” a title and a few plot points. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-days-of-future-past/630531.md?page=2)