The ‘Rogue Cut’ of ‘X-Men: Days Of Future Past’ is the definitive version.
The rogue cut :The best X-Men film just got better, which is saying a lot considering it was already one of the best superhero films ever created.
X-Men: Days of Future Past had a theatrical runtime of 2 hours and 12 minutes, and it packed a lot of great storyline, character drama, and action into that time.
However, it resulted in the loss of an entire subplot — as well as a character’s role in the events — as well as other sequences involving other characters’ relationships.
When fans found out about the omissions, they cried out, “Show us!” X-Men: Days of Future Past – The Rogue Cut is Fox’s response to their demands.
Bryan Singer’s director’s cut has a running time of 2 hours 29 minutes, which is still within the acceptable time constraints for the genre these days, especially for films as ambitious and high-quality as this one.
Let’s take a quick look at Days of Future Past’s role in the franchise and how the new Rogue Cut version is expected to perform before we get into the entire review.
Days of Future Past was the franchise’s highest grossing film at the box office, with more over $748 million worldwide.
The total box office for the series has already surpassed $3 billion.
Of course, the release of the current sequel, X-Men: Apocalypse, next year will push that figure even higher, and I’m guessing it will cement the series’ new standing as one of the genre’s top forces (I’ll have an article on Apocalypse later this weekend, so stay tuned).
The Rogue Cut didn’t get a theatrical release (though it did get a special screening at San Diego Comic-Con this year, where prize-winning fan Joey DiPadova got my personal two tickets after proving his X-Men franchise knowledge — congrats on the win, Joey!).
However, given the series’ track record, success on Blu-ray/DVD/Digital-HD should be certain.
To date, American Blu-ray and DVD sales for the X-Men films have surpassed $700 million (the first five films grossed $553 million as of November 2013, and The Wolverine and Days of Future Past grossed a combined $150 million as of this summer).
This does not include Digital-HD purchases or rental sales, both of which should easily bring the total to beyond $750 million (surely a ridiculous underestimate).
The foreign sales and rental data can then be included, bringing the overall home entertainment market to approximately $1 billion for the entire series, including all Blu-ray/DVD/Digital-HD sales and rentals.
(Earlier this month, I did a more in-depth look at the X-Men franchise’s 15-year history, so be sure to check it out as well.)
The Rogue Cut has a significant advantage above regular home releases because it is a new version of the picture that contains far more than just deleted scenes.
As I previously stated, this is an entirely new subplot with a character who is otherwise absent from the main storey, action sequences that enhance the storey and pacing, a lot more far-future sequences, more screen time for the original cast, and more character development for a few other characters (including more about the love triangle that developed between some of them).
As a result, it features important selling points that most other home releases lack. To be honest, if you haven’t watched the Rogue Cut, you’re losing out on the fullest, most accurate version of the film, in my opinion.
It also helps that this coincides with the franchise’s 15th anniversary, as well as the immediate aftermath of Comic Con, which always shines a spotlight on the genre in general and provided Fox with an opportunity to highlight the X-Men at an SDCC panel.
On top of that, there are new X-Men: Apocalypse disclosures, including new photographs of people in costume from the film.
Despite the fact that home entertainment sales were down overall last year and are expected to drop again this year, certain titles are well positioned to do better, and the Rogue Cut has a number of elements working in its favour to make it one of the stronger performers.
Of course, the fact that the theatrical version of the film was already released to the home market months ago is a disadvantage, but that is why it is critical for this version to emphasise how much it has to offer as a unique experience that goes beyond just another edition with some bonus features.
Let me now explain why the Rogue Cut is the ultimate version of X-Men: Days of Future Past, and why I wish it had been the main theatrical release from the start. Continue reading!
In a nutshell, X-Men: Days of Future Past – The Rogue Cut takes an already fantastic film and makes it even better.
The new footage does not slow the movie down, does not detract from the rest of the movie, and does not make it overly long.
It’s simply superior in every way, and now that I’ve seen this new version, I don’t see the point in watching the older versions that don’t have this extra stuff.
I appreciate the need to keep the running duration short for commercial reasons, since a shorter length allows for more screenings per day in theatres, and a faster tempo can be more satisfying for spectators in general.
However, the Rogue Cut’s 17 extra minutes of footage aren’t nearly enough to prevent an extra daily screening in theatres, and more importantly, the extra footage not only doesn’t slow the pace, but actually speeds it up due to the placement of the most important sequences alongside another specific sequence that is technically action-driven but isn’t.
So, even though the entire length of time in the Rogue Cut scene is longer, it somehow feels faster.
The juxtaposition of the two break-in sequences, both led by the same character but at different ages, is another great technique to show us both sides of this complicated character.
There’s also a conceptual nod to the first picture, thanks to who’s leading the break-in and who’s being rescued, as well as a subliminal remark about why she’s being sought in the first place.
It’s all a reversal, and having it happen in the future while we cut back to scenes of the rescuer as he’s still becoming his “former self” who would later commit the crimes of the first film adds layer upon layer to the meaning and import of not only the future sequence but its placement alongside the past sequence.
Returning to the topic concerning running time, at home, viewers are more willing to accept lengthier film cuts since they can pause it for restroom breaks or a snack.
And, because the Rogue Cut is a lengthier version that doesn’t go past the time limit of many other theatrical releases, I’m guessing it’ll get a particularly warm welcome from audiences, as the additional scenes add a lot of value to the film, making it well worth seeing.
However, I believe that modern audiences are increasingly prepared to sit through lengthier films in order to receive more bang for their money, as long as the film is good and the extra time serves the storey and characters.
As a result, I believe that this 2 hour 29 minute version of Days of Future Past would have received overwhelming critical and public praise.
This isn’t to suggest that I’m no longer pleased with the theatrical version.
I adore it and think it to be the best in the series, even better than X2: X-Men United.
But given the choice between two versions of Days of Future Past, one of which has these added components that enhance it and show us more of the future setting with more of the original cast in a subplot about an otherwise missing character, I’m going to select the Rogue Cut every time.
Aside from the major subplot addition, we get a moment between Mystique and Beast that adds a lot of depth to their characters and fixes one of the major flaws in the theatrical version.
It’s not simply a one-off moment; it informs much of Beast’s upcoming behaviour while contextualising his prior behaviour, and it helps to establish a tone between the characters for the rest of the movie.
One of the many noteworthy characteristics of the X-Men franchise is how focused it is on character interactions, allowing characters’ personalities and connections to drive events and serve as the most intriguing aspects of the films.
Anything that adds more of that amazing stuff without detracting from the overall film is worth including in the final edit, and this is another thing I wish had been included in the final cut we saw in cinemas.
You can read my entire review of Days of Future Past in theatres to see what else I have to say, but be assured that my prior review can now be amended to include the above points as a formal support of the Rogue Cut as the ultimate method to watch the best X-Men film to date.
This excellent and comprehensive version should not be missed by any lover of the franchise, superhero films, or anyone who enjoyed the theatrical release.
Dear readers, have you seen the Rogue Cut yet? If so, how does it compare to the theatrical version in your opinion? Let us know what you think in the comments section below!
All box office totals and figures are based on information from Box Office Mojo and TheNumbers.
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