X-Men: Dark Phoenix

pixelburp

Apparently in the US this had the lowest opening for any X-Men related movie (including all the spinoffs that themselves underwhelmed). Definitely seems like the franchise is bowing out with a bit of a shrug...

The White Wolf

Critics can take a bit of a snobbish attitude to the MCU's story crafting over a multitude of films, but I really wish those involved in the X Series over the last couple of years such as Kinberg, Singer and Vaughan had known that the endgame was nigh for Fox. That would have allowed them to create a cohesive narrative for these last couple of films.

Based on what Vaughan has said recently it's a shame he couldn't commit to a proper series of films launching from First Class; we wouldn't have gotten Days of Future Past as it came to be but I could have lived with that if it meant we wouldn't have gotten the ill conceived Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix as the series' swan song.

Venom

The White Wolf wrote: »

Critics can take a bit of a snobbish attitude to the MCU's story crafting over a multitude of films, but I really wish those involved in the X Series over the last couple of years such as Kinberg, Singer and Vaughan had known that the endgame was nigh for Fox. That would have allowed them to create a cohesive narrative for these last couple of films.

Based on what Vaughan has said recently it's a shame he couldn't commit to a proper series of films launching from First Class; we wouldn't have gotten Days of Future Past as it came to be but I could have lived with that if it meant we wouldn't have gotten the ill conceived Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix as the series' swan song.

As someone who is familiar with the X-men comics from way back in the day, the issue I've always had with Fox's X-men movies is that after the third one, I've no idea what the hell is going on continuity-wise with the story. Are they the same characters only younger, a reimaging/reboot or alternate reality versions?

You can watch any of the 20 odd Marvel movies and know exactly where it fits in the overall story arc which is something that really helped get non comic fans interested in seeing the films.

McLoughlin

Venom wrote: »

As someone who is familiar with the X-men comics from way back in the day, the issue I've always had with Fox's X-men movies is that after the third one, I've no idea what the hell is going on continuity-wise with the story. Are they the same characters only younger, a reimaging/reboot or alternate reality versions?

You can watch any of the 20 odd Marvel movies and know exactly where it fits in the overall story arc which is something that really helped get non comic fans interested in seeing the films.

The best way to watch and enjoy the X Men films especially from First Class onward is to view them as self contained films not part of a series just standalone as the amount of contradictions and plot holes is numerous. For example the end of X-Men Apocalypse introduced Phoenix then the next film also introduced Phoenix despite just introducing her in the last film. Continuity is not a word or concept that the makers of these films have a notion about.

Phat Cat

I'm got very mixed feelings about this film but I'm leaning towards not really liking it even though I had low expectations going in. It's a step above the terribly disappointing Apocalypse but it's not in the same league as the brilliant First Class and Days of Future Past.

Admittedly the action set-pieces are mostly brilliantly executed but unfortunately most are totally recycled from earlier films which makes everything very predictable and pretty much by the numbers, in my opinion.

I also felt like alot of the performances were phoned in (particularly Lawrence and Fassbender) and even the dialogue felt very flat or even shoe horned in for the sake of it:

I literally cringed at Raven's line: "By the way, the women are always saving the men around here, you might want to think about changing the name to X-Women".

The X-People series (as Deadpool would say) should have died with Logan.

Kirby

Just back from it now. Quite enjoyed it. It's worth a watch.

Don't know what the critics were smoking but this was definitely NOT the worst x-men movie ever made. It's leagues ahead of Apocalypse.

Sometimes I get the feeling that half of these so-called critics have no idea what they actually want. Like there is no version of an X-men film that they would classify as quality.

Ave Sodalis

It was meh. Not awful, but not great either. I don't know if the fault was in the editing, or from the director originally but it was very choppy which made it very difficult to connect with any of the characters.

Fysh

Ave Sodalis wrote: »

It was meh. Not awful, but not great either. I don't know if the fault was in the editing, or from the director originally but it was very choppy which made it very difficult to connect with any of the characters.

I think the big issues for me are Jean's story being clunkily told (not sure if Turner isn't up to it, or the script was subpar, or a mix of both), made worse by the antagonist in the story just being sort of there. No depth, no fleshed out motivations, and frankly woeful performances from the likes of Chastain.

silverharp

seems like a box office flop

Chris_Heilong

What a shock, I was hearing how much of a dumpster fire this was and was expecting the worst, in all honesty I enjoyed it, I am glad it was not a big epic and instead was a much smaller scale film which is very rare in the world of Superhero flicks. I think it might be the 5th best X-men film.

Brief_Lives

Deadpool
Deadpool 2
Days of Future Past
Logan
X1
First Class
X2
Dark Phoenix
Apocalypse
X3

Sonics2k

I wanted to enjoy this film, mostly because of the cast.

But it so wooden. It was so meh. It wasn't a bad film, but I'd never call it a good film either.

I can't actually describe my thoughts of this film, it was just so bloody meh.

Mr E

Just out of the cinema now. It wasn't brilliant but it was decent. I expected much worse after the savaging it got from critics

I'd say a good 6 out of 10, brought up to 7.5 by the great climax.

Chastain was awful though. She is better than this.

There were only about 8 in the cinema though (on a Wednesday night when tickets are a fiver). Doesn't bode well for box office totals.

Slydice

This is great video for many reasons

It also gives me an idea of how much Sophie Turner put into her Jean role. Definitely feels a different personality.

Agent Coulson

I thought it was terrible.

Lawrence every time she was on screen had a sulk on and you could tell she had no interest on being there was was forced to do it because of her contract.

Turner can't blood act.

They should be called X- Women not men fcuk off woth that sh1t.

Jean Gray is one of the great female characters and they totally ruined her and the Phoenix storyline which is one of they great X-Men stories.


RIP X-Men may you rise like a Phoenix under Disney/Marvel.


MCU prison Guards.

pixelburp

This is the first blockbuster I've ever watched, best described with an emoji...

🤷

It was perfunctory, pedestrian, bland, and just dawdled through its 2 hours like the last 10 years of superhero storytelling never happened. It wasn't TERRIBLE, but it was such stunningly, precision engineered mediocrity I walked out of the cinema a little bewildered. A real time capsule of a film where for some inexplicable reason (perhaps involving blackmail), the writer of Last Stand (arguably the franchises nadir) returned to effectively re-write the SAME story, this time directing too? Directing with all the panache of a TV pilot at that, while ignoring all the tonal, storytelling styling that has since marked the superhero genre as unique. The actors did their level best, but this was a plodding & self-serious ellipsis to the franchise, rather than the kind of full-stop it deserved.

Speaking of being archaic, I'd forgotten how, before Marvel made them cool to star in, superhero movies did their level best to make sure the characters never wore the costume - or in this case, never wore the makeup. Nicholas Hoult & Jennifer Lawrence may be big stars now, but the contrivance so that they rarely looked like their signature characters was... kinda insulting really. To the characters that is, and a throwback to when superhero films were embarrassed to be superhero films. X-Men was memorable and loved BECAUSE its characters were blue-skinned assassins and a giant, fluffy beast-genius.

Slydice

pixelburp wrote: »

or in this case, never wore the makeup

Wooooah woah woah woah woah there...

Let's not be lumping Rebecca Romijn Mystique in with Jennifer Lawrence Mystique

Clareman

That really was terrible, I don't think anyone in it wanted to be there, they all just phoned it in.

Drumpot

I just saw this movie and couldn’t figure out what was jarring me so much. The score/music just felt off (among other things), I thought I would see loads of people complain but nobody seems to of found it as distracting.

Like poorly have said it was like an old school half arsed comic book movie sort of ambling along with no sense of urgency , no pacing and no real connection I could make. Days of future past was so good it’s mad to see how badly this franchise has gotten with The last two.

I was watching this thinkng of the old Superman 4. Gene Hackman doing that is hard to fathom. Same with some of the actors in this poor movie that I spend the whole thing trying to figure out what it was that just wasn’t working.

CastorTroy

It was actually pretty boring. How you make an effects movie with mutants with powers so boring, I don't know.

Mystique looked more like Jennifer Lawrence than Mystique. Was like she was caught halfway between morphing.

Then there's clear discrimination against mutants who can't pass for human in the school and on "Genosha". Only non human looking mutants allowed have to be blue and/or look human when they want to.

AllForIt

For all it's flaws I actually quite liked it. I liked the score and the general mode and tone which was darker than previous movies. That was a surprise.

But that's a great point above about Jennifer Lawrence just looking like Jennifer Lawrence with a blue face. Did she actually ever even morph at any point at all I can't remember?

CastorTroy

She morphed into non blue face Jennifer. Kinda went against what Rebecca's Mystique said about how she shouldn't have to hide who she is. Made even stranger by the fact she does it in private.

kerplun k

CastorTroy wrote: »

She morphed into non blue face Jennifer. Kinda went against what Rebecca's Mystique said about how she shouldn't have to hide who she is. Made even stranger by the fact she does it in private.

See, what happened here is that Jennifer Lawrence became a big huge super duper mega star, so, the studio wants us to see this big huge super duper mega star for realzies, and not someone who doesn’t look like Jennifer Lawrence. Basically they want us to know it’s Jennifer Lawrence

bilbot79

kerplun k wrote: »

See, what happened here is that Jennifer Lawrence became a big huge super duper mega star, so, the studio wants us to see this big huge super duper mega star for realzies, and not someone who doesn’t look like Jennifer Lawrence. Basically they want us to know it’s Jennifer Lawrence

Or Jennifer Lawrence demanded to be recognisable

CastorTroy

Or she didn't want to be there but was contractually obligated so went for less makeup so it'd be less of an inconvenience for her

kerplun k

CastorTroy wrote: »

Or she didn't want to be there but was contractually obligated so went for less makeup so it'd be less of an inconvenience for her

Probably more like it

The White Wolf

CastorTroy wrote: »

Or she didn't want to be there but was contractually obligated so went for less makeup so it'd be less of an inconvenience for her

That's no better really. She was getting paid a nice sum and should have been forced to suck it up. Boo hoo like.

pixelburp

There's a long, long list of actors who are contractually obliged to make movies because of the nature of what they signed; the classic "sign for this blockbuster and we'll ok your indie flick". Only a fraction of those are also forced to sit the 6 hours before shooting to have the full body makeup applied. It's a tedious, frustrating experience for most actors and I do get why you'd run a mile from that (though Zoe Saldana and Karen Allen both seem fine doing the same for Gamora/Nova).

The annoying thing was that the nature of Mystique meant recasting for an actor clearly finished with the series, should have been child's play. She's literally a shape shifter, they could have got someone else and it make no difference. Lawrence was so checked out in Dark Phoenix, it showed in her deadpan performance. Ah well.

CastorTroy

pixelburp wrote: »

(though Zoe Saldana and Karen Allen both seem fine doing the same for Gamora/Nova).

Now imagining the next Indiana Jones with Nova

expectationlost

mid movie fight

did magento use a subway train full of people as a moving human shield container so the good xmen were slowed in following him