Why is the 'yellow spandex' line in X-men now considered so bad?

[WindKnight]

Ok, I genuinely love the first two x-men movies as someone who was familiar with the characters through cartoons and general research as opposed to having read a lot of the comics. They were great movies then, and still are, but I see people taking a dismissive tone towards them because they toned down some aspects of the characters as opposed to how The Avengers and the related marvelverse movies pretty much outright embraced them, and it bugs me.

The central thing is the 'what would you prefer, yellow spandex?' line. Lets be honest here - this line was LOVED by just about everyone, both 'ordinary' viewers and the nerdier fanboy contingent, embraced as a funny, semi affectionate nod to aspects that wouldn't work at the time. But now I see it being talked about like its an insulting, dismissive attack on 'how silly' the source material is, like it was a direct slap aimed at the comics and the fans, and I don't really get why.

 

[madwarper]

But now I see it being talked about like its an insulting, dismissive attack on 'how silly' the source material is, like it was a direct slap aimed at the comics and the fans, and I don't really get why.

Really? You can't fathom why?

You want to change something iconic like Wolverine's costume? I would have preferred the his yellow costume, but whatever...
You want to change something iconic like Wolverine's costume, then say it's because "Hey, fuck you"? Not cool.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

I think there's been a bit more of a turn against the whole 'everyone must wear black leather' thing since superhero movies have grown in popularity and their more colourful side has been more accepted. I mean, Iron Man is flying around in red and gold, and Thor is well... Thor. If you had tried to make a Thor movie way back when the first X-Men came out I think people would probably have laughed at it. I understand why they did it, but I don't think they would have (and indeed they didn't with First Class) made everyone wear black leather if they made it now because people's attitudes have changed.

 

[Norithics]

I think part of it is based on the reputation superhero films have had since their introduction of making costumes so terribad even cosplayers wouldn't wear them- making even a chiseled Adonis look like a grade school Peter Pan. Which is strange, because as we see now, they're fully capable of doing it well if they just, you know, care.

 

[Aris Khandr]

Of all the awful lines in that movie, we're nitpicking on THAT one? Not Halle Berry's awful line about toads? Not Cyclops's total acceptance of being called a dick? There was a lot going wrong in that movie, I can't see why this one line is what sticks out to you.

 

[King Billi]

Why? Because alot of people suddenly decided that whenever a remake or reimagining of a popular intellectual property referenced it's source material or an earlier rendition in anyway that it was automatically insulting it!

The new Devil May Cry game had a moment that referenced the change in the main characters hairstyle, making a joke about it surely but still easily dismissable... Right? Nope it was a personal insult to the original games and their fans apparently!

Star Trek into Darkness borrowed alot of elements from the earlier Star Trek film Wrath of Khan particualy during the ending, unoriginal to be sure but still just a harmless reference to an earlier moment in the franchise... Right? Nope it was just another insulting swipe at the fans as well!

I guess the line in X-men is because of the same reasons, it just took a while for people to decide that they were going to take offense at such things.

 

[ZZoMBiE13]

I can bring up a dozen things I don't like about the first X-men movie in retrospect. But none of them hinge on a single line of throwaway dialog. That line doesn't bother me.

Wolverine taking a leadership role when that was counter to everything he'd ever been or done in the comics though. That was an insult. Not a one off line about the, let's be honest here, silly costumes of the silver age.

But for all the whining I could happily spew forth, it's all in retrospect like I said earlier. At the time I was in the theater enjoying it, I bought the DVD, and for it's time it's not bad at all. Being one part of the triple star tag team that helped build upon what Batman did in the late 80s and early 90s, X-men is an important film if nothing else. And it's version of Sabertooth is still unparalleled.

 

[Hawk of Battle]

Let's be honest here though; In real life, Wolverines yellow costume would look fucking terrible. Ironman gets away with wearing yellow and red because both colours work pretty well together and he already has a reputation as a flashy playboy who likes to get noticed. Wolverine in bright yellow would just look awful.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Because it's an insult to Wolverine's yellow spandex and black undies suit which would've totally worked in live-action.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

People hate that line? I thought it was hilarious. I still think it's hilarious. I took it as exactly as you described it. A little nod to the source material and a joke in good fun, like how many times Star Wars spoofs/tributes bring up the "Parsecs" line. It's all in good fun.