Second Look - Fantastic Four (2015)

Following the failure of the second Fantastic Four film, Rise of the Silver Surfer, Fox would later announce a reboot of the series (seemingly for the purpose of holding onto the rights as the MCU was taking off), simply titled Fantastic Four (2015) (Fant4stic). This film, directed by Josh Trank of Chronicle fame, would be the subject of an infamously troubled production that exposed the limitations of studio secrecy regarding comic book films, resulting in a box office disaster that I witnessed firsthand in the theater. Although I did not like the movie when it first came out, enough to believe it made the 2005 film look like a masterpiece by comparison, I decided to revisit it alongside the original duology, opting to stream it through Max. Needless to say, my opinion did not change much in the decade since my first viewing.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Note: This review contains spoilers for Fantastic Four (2005) and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

Early 2000s Marvel films have an interesting place in superhero film history. For every cultural phenomenon like Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy or the original X-Men film trilogy, we also received middling releases like the original 2005 Fantastic Four, which still proved profitable enough to receive a 2007 sequel, Rise of the Silver Surfer (Silver Surfer), from the same director, Tim Story. Silver Surfer itself represents an interesting point in the cinematic landscape of the time: It released one year before Iron Man forever changed the approach to superhero films, one month before Transformers revived a dying brand (for better or worse) and four years before Chris Evans joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as Captain America. Although Silver Surfer itself did receive slightly better praise than the first film and did make a profit, it still earned less than its predecessor, which led to Fox axing plans for a third film.

Rewatching the film now, it’s not hard to see why the franchise wouldn’t have continued and why it didn’t leave much of a lasting impact. However, I don’t feel quite as negative towards it as I did when I saw it in the theater as a young and impressionable teenager. After all, the 2015 reboot proved that the quality could, indeed, get worse.

Fantastic Four (2005) + Extended Edition

Following the merger between Disney and 20^th Century Fox, several Marvel properties and characters previously licensed by Fox are now scheduled to make their way into the MCU. Following Deadpool & Wolverine, 2025 seems dedicated to reintroducing the Fantastic Four for the third time, with Dr. Doom appearing in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, followed by the team’s first solo film in 10 years, The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Though our interest in the MCU itself has waned, in anticipation of this upcoming release, we still thought it appropriate to look back the first attempt to bring the Fantastic Four to the big screen (not counting the shelved 1994 film) in 2005, simply titled Fantastic Four. While the film generally holds up pretty decently after 20 years, it still shows its age in some respects.

Stubs - Elektra

Elektra  (2005) starring Jennifer Garner, Goran Višnjić, Will Yun Lee, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Terence Stamp Directed by Rob Bowman Screenplay by Zak Penn, Stuart Zicherman, M. Raven Metzner.  Based on Comic book characters by Frank Miller. Motion picture characters by Mark Steven Johnson. Produced by Arnon Milchan, Gary Foster, Avi Arad. Color Run time: 97 minutes. Superhero USA

If you watched the recent Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) and saw Jennifer Garner dressed up as a superhero and were unfamiliar with the character she’s playing, you might be tempted to watch Elektra (2005), in which she portrayed the titular character. Or, if you watched the much-assailed Daredevil (2003), you might want to see what happened to the Elektra character that was believed dead but apparently wasn’t, in which case you might also be curious about this film, the supposed continuation of her story.

Daredevil (+ Director's Cut)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Daredevil.

In a post-MCU world, it can be difficult to remember a time when Marvel had licensed their properties to other studios in the 2000s, even more so the films that didn’t reach the same notoriety as some of Fox’s thirteen X-Men films or Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy at Sony. One of these films was Daredevil, starring Ben Affleck and released by Fox in 2003. Although it received mixed reviews from critics, it still saw some success at the box office, earning $178 million against a budget of $78 million, and spawned the Elektra spinoff film, itself a box office bomb. Based on the reviews at the time, as well as negative word of mouth and Ben Affleck earning a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor, I went in expecting a cinematic trainwreck on par with other duds like Batman & Robin or Fant4stic. Instead, I saw a film that, while flawed in execution, represented a bold step forward for grounded cinematic takes on comic book superheroes.

Second Look - Deadpool 2 (All Three Cuts)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Deadpool and Deadpool 2.

Deadpool 2 sits in a unique position within the X-Men film series. Not only did Fox greenlight this sequel by the time the first film released, but after its premiere in May 2018, it would receive two additional cuts within the same year: the direct-to-video extended Super Duper Cut in August and the theatrically-released PG-13 Once Upon a Deadpool in December. Due to a lack of an official word on the matter, one could conclude that Fox wanted to make as much money as possible ahead of the Disney/Fox merger that completed in March 2019, but in any case, Deadpool 2 did break additional box office records on in its initial release, including highest-grossing R-rated film of all time (by just $3 million over Deadpool) until 2019’s Joker.

Since I’ve made it no secret that I’m a fan of Deadpool, it should come as no surprise that Deadpool 2’s existence piqued my interest enough that I watched all three cuts of the film as they came out. Although I still liked the film after rewatching it in the context of the rest of the X-Men films, I now find that the difference between Deadpool and Deadpool 2 feels more like the difference between Shrek and Shrek 2: while the sequel has more narrative complexity and shows more technical competency than the original, it doesn’t age as well due to the dated humor rooted in the exact moment it came out.

Second Opinion - Logan (+ Logan Noir)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Logan and X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

As the X-Men film series started going beyond the original trilogy, it was natural that the fan favorite Wolverine would receive his own solo films with the rough X-Men Origins: Wolverine and the improved The Wolverine. This would be later followed up on with the R-rated third film, Logan, and although Deadpool’s own R rating did not factor into Logan’s, Deadpool’s success paved the way for further R-rated superhero films in the Hollywood landscape, as well as Logan’s own critical and financial success. While I had barely any familiarity with the X-Men films on my initial viewing, extending only to the first two Deadpool films and maybe the original X-Men film, I thought it was one of the best comic book films I had ever seen, enough to also watch the alternate version, Logan Noir. During my recent deep dive of the X-Men films in release order, I found it interesting to rewatch Logan again in the context with the rest of the series, finding it to still be just as good as I remembered.

Second Look - Deadpool (Film)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Deadpool

Back in 2016, the original Deadpool film left a major impact, as it not only stood out within the superhero landscape at the time, but also altered Hollywood’s perception of the R-rating when it raked in a massive profit (~$782.8 million against a budget of $58 million) and broke several box office records, including the highest-grossing R-rated film ever made. However, the film faced a tough road before it saw the light of day. Although the idea of a Deadpool film with Ryan Reynolds attached had floated around since the 2000s, it hit some resistance at multiple points, including Tom Rothman (chairman of Fox Filmed Entertainment) rejecting the film, believing it wouldn’t be successful, and having his mouth sewn shut in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Origins). Origins still proved successful enough that a Deadpool project moved forward, though it didn’t get greenlit until some test footage leaked onto the internet to a very positive reception. Even then, however, Fox gave the project a much smaller budget than usual for a superhero film, an amount Ryan Reynolds once described as the “cocaine budget”.

At the time I first saw Deadpool, as someone already a fan of the character, I found it a breath of fresh air in the otherwise serious superhero landscape between the MCU, which had just finished Phase Two and would start Phase Three that year, and the DCEU, which would finally have a second movie in the gloomy Batman v. Superman after the dreary Man of Steel. Watching the film again now, in the context of viewing the entire X-Men film series in anticipation of Deadpool & Wolverine, I still enjoy it and appreciate its significance to the history of comic book films, but I admit that it lost a little luster with time.

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Following the release of The Wolverine, the next film in Fox’s X-Men series, X-Men: Days of Future Past (DOTP), returns to the greater ensemble cast. Released in 2014 while the concurrent Marvel Cinematic Universe was in the middle of Phase Two (both figuratively and literally), this film notably beats Marvel Studios to the time travel punch by five years, serving as a soft reboot of the X-Men films (while incidentally serving as the literal middle of it) by setting up an alternate timeline. While I was aware of this film as it came out, I did not end up watching it until I began my earnest viewing of the series as a whole, though I did know about the timeline reset going in. While it actually does a good job with this premise, there are places where it gets a little muddy.

The Wolverine

Note: This review contains spoilers for X-Men, X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand.

Despite the cold reception X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Origins) faced on release, the X-Men film series continued going strong and development began on a follow-up film simply titled The Wolverine, based on the original Japanese arc of the Wolverine comics. Although development began in 2009, with Darren Aronofsky later set to direct, it ran into certain production troubles along the way. These troubles included a delay brought on by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, Aronofsky’s departure and finding a replacement director willing to take on the lengthy commitment. In spite of these obstacles, the final film released in 2013 to higher critical praise than Origins and greater box office returns, earning $414.8 million against a budget of $100-132 million.

Considering how much Origins had missed the mark, I knew going into The Wolverine that there would be some improvement, especially after seeing some fans characterize it as an “apology” for its predecessor. What I didn’t quite expect, however, was that The Wolverine not only held up very well after over a decade, but is easily one of the stronger films in the franchise.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Note: This review contains spoilers X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Despite X-Men: The Last Stand’s mixed reception among fans and critics, the X-Men property still proved lucrative enough for Fox that they greenlit the film series’ first prequel and spin-off, X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Origins). The final film, which came out in 2009 during the earliest stages of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, went through a rather troubled production and received the lowest critic scores in the series up to that point, with most criticism aimed at the lackluster script. While Origins does have its fans, I can’t say I disagree with the criticisms, especially with one contentious aspect in particular. I’ll also freely admit that while aspects of a film’s production shouldn’t necessarily factor into a review, it’s difficult in this case to ignore just how much of a negative impact an out-of-touch executive can have on the finished product.

X2

Note: This review contains spoilers for X-Men

Like many other superhero films, both past and future, 2000’s X-Men proved so successful that Fox immediately commissioned a sequel, X2 (also marketed as X2: X-Men United). While the production didn’t proceed without its own hiccups, including budget cuts, rewrites and on-set disputes, Director Bryan Singer’s concept of a more personal angle and having a human villain persisted throughout the writing process, with the initial outline based on Chris Claremont’s X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills graphic novel (which we haven’t read at the time of this writing). When X2 finally released in 2003, it received rave reviews, with critics considering it a rare time when a sequel surpassed the original (although this sentiment wasn’t universal). As a modern viewer experiencing the full X-Men film series for the first time, I found myself agreeing with the critics of the time and thought the film actually aged pretty well and felt like a breath of fresh air from other superhero films from recent memory.

X-Men

The early 2000s proved to be quite the boon for superhero films, with the Spider-Man and X-Men films proving that the genre could be financially successful if put into the right hands. While I did grow up during this time, I didn’t have much of an interest in X-Men at the time outside of the X-Men: Evolution cartoon on Kids’ WB (I was more interested in Spider-Man at the time), only ever feeling motivated to watch a select few of the X-Men films years later. After recently watching all three X-Men cartoons at the time of this writing (X-Men The Animated Series, X-Men: Evolution, Wolverine and the X-Men) in their entirety (with X-Men: Evolution still being my personal favorite), I felt more motivated to actually watch the film series in earnest from the beginning, with additional motivation from the upcoming release of Deadpool 3 as well as Spider-Man: No Way Home setting a precedent for the MCU now requiring intimate knowledge of outside film continuities. After rewatching the original X-Men film from 2000 that started it all, I found it to be a solid beginning for the series, one that is still enjoyable over two decades later.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Note: This review contains spoilers for Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.

Whether or not you’re familiar with middle grade fiction, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of Percy Jackson & the Olympians, a novel series by Rick Riordan about a young demigod named Percy Jackson. The series proved popular enough that a film based on the first book, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (The Lightning Thief), was released in 2010. The film, directed by Chris Columbus, did well at the box office, but was criticized, even by the author, for the way it deviated from the source material. It was actually around when the film released that I first became aware of Percy Jackson, although I didn’t do anything with that knowledge at the time because both the Harry Potter and A Series of Unfortunate Events series had reached their end around that time and I thought I had outgrown middle grade fiction. As an adult, however, when I rediscovered the joy of reading middle grade fiction, I finally dipped my toe into Percy Jackson and read the first book in time for the Disney+ adaptation, which I enjoyed. Afterwards, I decided to try watching the film just to see how badly it had apparently handled the same material. By the end, I realized that my past self was right in not watching it.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (2012)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010), Rodrick Rules and Dog Days.

With the success of Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010) and Rodrick Rules, a third installment was inevitable. This third film, Dog Days, released in 2012, meaning the entire original trilogy came out within the span of only three years. While impressive in its own right, this release schedule also runs the risk of diluting the end product for the sake of meeting such tight deadlines. Unfortunately, for all of its charm, Dog Days’ quick turnaround results in the least focused of the original live-action trilogy, as though they had rushed it out so they could keep the same cast before they got too old.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2011)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010) and Rodrick Rules.

As the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney proved to be popular, so did its 2010 film adaptation, leading to an annual sequel based on the second book, Rodrick Rules. Although I have not actually read any of the books, the first film turned out to be a lot better than I had expected after I watched it to see what the fuss was about, which got me interested in seeing the sequel. After having done so, I feel Rodrick Rules improves on the original enough to make it possibly the best of the original trilogy.

Anastasia (1997)

Looking back on the career of former Disney animator Don Bluth can be an interesting experience. While he did manage to do well early in his solo career, his reputation started to decline after All Dogs Go to Heaven failed to compete against Disney’s The Little Mermaid, as well as his follow-up feature Rock-a-Doodle being not as well received. When Fox attempted to compete against Disney (years prior to the merger) by opening up their own animation department, Fox Animation Studios, Bluth was brought at the helm and his career found a bright spot with the studio’s first film, the acclaimed Anastasia (1997). Unfortunately, the failure of their second theatrical film, Titan A.E., led to the entire studio shutting down and Bluth to all but fall off the face of the Earth. Along with Anastasia’s acclaim came the long-standing misconception that it was Disney film due to sharing a number of elements with their output at the time; while it actually is a Disney film now by virtue of their ownership of Fox, it is, for all intents and purposes, a Fox Animation Studios film and not an entry in the Disney Animated Canon. This confusion is what eventually led to me watching Anastasia out of curiosity, though it was pulled from Disney+ by the time I got around to it and I had to watch it on demand through Starz, and I ended up enjoying it more than I anticipated.

Home Alone

Note: This review contains spoilers for Home Alone.

If there’s one film series that could be considered a staple of ‘90s pop culture, it’s Home Alone. The original 1990 film came out a couple years before I was born, however I vaguely recall watching it, as well as its first two sequels, at least once on home video when I was younger, at a time where I didn’t have much of an attention span. With the idea floating around that it’s a Christmas movie on the grounds that it’s set around Christmastime, as well as Disney+ releasing a sixth installment, I decided to revisit this movie to see what the fuss was about. While flawed, it’s not hard to see why some consider this a holiday classic.

The Peanuts Movie

Note: This review contains spoilers for The Peanuts Movie.

My own experience with Charles Schulz’s Peanuts comic strip has been somewhat minimal, having read one collection of the comic and watched a handful of the TV specials, so I’m not too much of an expert on Peanuts lore. That said, I still enjoyed what I knew of it, so when The Peanuts Movie was announced from the now-defunct Blue Sky Studios of Ice Age fame, I was somewhat curious about it because of the animation style, and especially after hearing a lot of positive word-of-mouth. However, I would not end up seeing it in a theater and it wouldn’t be until years later when I finally watched it through Disney+ to satisfy my own curiosity. Once I finally did watch it, I was amazed by its faithfulness to the source material and loved every minute of it.

How to Train Your Dragon 2

Note: This review contains spoilers for How to Train Your Dragon.

Four years after the release of How to Train Your Dragon, DreamWorks Animation released the first sequel, How to Train Your Dragon 2, but distributed this time through 20th Century Fox instead of Paramount Pictures. Interestingly, Dean DeBlois, who co-directed the original film, agreed to direct this film on the condition that he could turn it into a trilogy. Additionally, DreamWorks Animation had overhauled their animation and lighting software during the production, which gave this film the honor as their first to use it. The end result is a sequel that feels different from the original, both in tone and storytelling, but is still great to watch on its own merits.