X-Men: Dark Phoenix (June 7, 2019) (1 Viewer)

[Adam Lenhardt]

Currently 16% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

 

[Jason_V]

Currently 16% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

If that % holds, that means Dark Phoenix is worse than Apocalypse, X-Men Origins and The Last Stand.

Catwoman's 9% is within spitting distance, as is Elektra and Superman IV's 11%.

I'm gonna be highly amused to see this on Thursday night...highly highly amused. I've always known it's going to be a dumpster fire, but I didn't quite image anything as bad as the current RT suggests.

 

[Malcolm R]

I wonder if there was any discussion among Disney and Marvel after the merger with Fox about possibly not releasing this film, or finding an alternate method of release (maybe this fall on Disney+)?

Seems like there is potential to do more damage to the X-Men property here than anything else. I'd think Marvel would be interested in preventing that, if possible.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Well, it's now up to 21%, but that's still lower than anything else in the X-verse.

More concerning to me is the fact that the critics I listen to regularly listen to and usually agree with didn't like it, and the things they discussed in their review make it sound like a directing issue. I won't be seeing it this weekend.

I wonder if there was any discussion among Disney and Marvel after the merger with Fox about possibly not releasing this film, or finding an alternate method of release (maybe this fall on Disney+)?

I doubt that, because Fox simply spent too much money on it to dump it. Also, remember, the merger only closed in mid-March and this was set for a June release with marketing already started. I suspect there was a sense of wanting to allow this franchise, which has been incredibly important to the history and development of superhero cinema, to have its final bow, however undistinguished that might be.

Marvel will probably ice the franchise for the next several years while they focus on other things. The break will help mitigate any damage, because by the time it comes back, we'll be excited to see it again in a new format.

 

[Jason_V]

Marvel will probably ice the franchise for the next several years while they focus on other things. The break will help mitigate any damage, because by the time it comes back, we'll be excited to see it again in a new format.

There is a supposed leaked Marvel schedule and there is no X title on it. Of course, they could be introduced in another film, but the next 15 alleged films (easily five years, if not more) are a mix of new franchises and sequels. I stress this is an alleged and leaked schedule and has not been confirmed.

 

[Malcolm R]

There is a supposed leaked Marvel schedule and there is no X title on it. Of course, they could be introduced in another film, but the next 15 alleged films (easily five years, if not more) are a mix of new franchises and sequels. I stress this is an alleged and leaked schedule and has not been confirmed.

Yes, I'd expect the next time we see any of the X-Men characters, they will be used as guest stars in other Marvel films. It'll be a good while before we see another ensemble X-Men movie.

 

[Jake Lipson]

There is a supposed leaked Marvel schedule and there is no X title on it.

Disney was not allowed, by law, to work with any of the X-characters until the merger closed. Kevin Feige might have had ideas kicking around in the back of his head, but officially, Disney was not the owner of the X-Men character film rights until the merger officially closed on March 22.

Marvel is obviously a long-range planner, so they've been planning their next phase post-Endgame for a while. Legally, they had to presume that they didn't have the X-Men rights until they did. So it makes total sense to me that the next several years will be X-Men-free, because the films for the next few years, at least, will be what was already in the production pipeline before the merger was finalized, which of course doesn't have any X-Men stuff in it because it couldn't. As already noted, it's also a good idea to let the characters rest for a while after the conclusion of their produced-by-Fox run.

Marvel knows what they're doing. They'll reintroduce the X-Men in a new way in due course. I would not be surprised if they go to Fantastic Four first, because Fox was considerably less successful in sustaining a long-term film franchise with them, but even that will have to wait a while because it couldn't be in their official plans until the merger was completed.

 

[Jason_V]

All true, Jake. The idea still stands that there won't be a standalone X tile for a long time. The reason really don't matter...and I'm okay with it. This and New Mutants will be the last hurrah for the X universe in movies for a while.

 

[Malcolm R]

EW has summarized several reviews at the link below. Mostly a mixed bag, with the highest praise from a handful of them being that it's better than Apocalypse and The Last Stand:

https://ew.com/movies/2019/06/05/dark-phoenix-reviews-roundup/

EW's own review here, not bad, Grade: B

https://ew.com/movie-reviews/2019/06/05/dark-phoenix-sophie-turner-review/

 

[benbess]

I think this movie is seriously flawed, but because of the strong cast it has some good moments. The Imax sound is impressive. My rating: "B-"

 

[Josh Dial]

I thought the movie was quite good--amongst the best X-Men films, actually. The story is quite simple (you could even say simplistic), and if we're being honest, not even really an adaptation of the source story. However, the simplicity meant that nothing on-screen was really wasted: every scene moved the plot forward and did some work. Moreover, the film didn't waste any time on exposition or even explaining anything really; it assumes the viewer knows who everyone is and knows their motivations from previous films.

The action sequences were really good. If you want to see a bunch of super-powered characters fight each other with their powers turned to 10, you'll get it. We finally saw Cyclops and Nightcrawler fight to their limits. Magneto--at least the Fassbender incarnation--was brutal as always. Overall the powers were more "on display" than even most scenes in the MCU movies (which rely more on straight melee and "blasts"). Sound editing and design were terrific.

 

[TravisR]

The action sequences were really good. If you want to see a bunch of super-powered characters fight each other with their powers turned to 10, you'll get it.

Yeah, the train sequence near the end was pretty exciting. Pretty much anything with Fassbender was good.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Was there anything after the credits?

 

[Jake Lipson]

This and New Mutants will be the last hurrah for the X universe in movies for a while.

I know the official line is that New Mutants is coming out next April, but if Dark Phoenix underperforms, I wouldn't be shocked to see Disney change course on that. Why spend the money to do needed reshoots on a risky new spinoff if the last movie in the main franchise tanks? I mean, we'll see how Dark Phoenix goes this weekend, but at least this film can claim to be the end of the line for the characters we've already been invested in for a long time. The New Mutants was intended to launch a new franchise and won't, so it's left as an even lamer duck than this film is.

 

[Jason_V]

I know the official line is that New Mutants is coming out next April, but if Dark Phoenix underperforms, I wouldn't be shocked to see Disney change course on that. Why spend the money to do needed reshoots on a risky new spinoff if the last movie in the main franchise tanks? I mean, we'll see how Dark Phoenix goes this weekend, but at least this film can claim to be the end of the line for the characters we've already been invested in for a long time. The New Mutants was intended to launch a new franchise and won't, so it's left as an even lamer duck than this film is.

I heartily agree. Right now, we're being told it is coming, so that's all we can go on. And that is a travesty, really. That first trailer looked freaking wild and entertaining and fresh.

As for Dark Phoenix...I enjoyed the first 10-15 minutes (everything until the movie's logo hit the screen). Then...yeesh...I don't even know where to start.

I spent half the movie trying to remember if there was an alternate timeline created where the First Class cast aren't supposed to link up to the Patrick Stewart-led X-Men. I couldn't remember anything, so my first problem is I don't buy any of these characters turn into their classic trilogy counterparts. Forget where DP leaves the characters physically; I don't buy this version of Cyclops is James Marsden...or Beast somehow morphs into the Kelsey Grammer version. The personalities are way too different.

Then there's the problem of the plot. It's really, really, really threadbare. I felt nothing for any of the characters on screen in their epic moments, didn't care at any of the revelations and shrugged at the relationships they were trying to service. You really want me to believe Raven and Beast are the "elders" of the group? Uh, no. Both Lawrence and Hoult can't pull that off. They have one key scene together which should have tugged at every string there was...but nothing. This series hasn't done the work-the memorable work-it needed to for these two to take on those roles.

This is the JV team playing in the varsity gym...and failing spectacularly. The villain is less than one note and terribly uninteresting. The score is obnoxious to say the least.

Xavier has a conversation with a young Jean before the title logo comes up. He says, and I paraphrase, your gifts are not good or bad. What you do with them is good or bad. I screamed at myself "THIS IS YOUR MOVIE, RIGHT HERE!" And they didn't bother following up. Instead, we're told that Xavier basically screwed up Jean when they first met; that puts the entire movie into motion. Without that one act by Xavier, the movie doesn't happen the way it's laid out. I get the allegory, but it was based on a lie he told her. I'm not okay with that.

Dark Phoenix is in the doldrums of the X franchise...somewhere in the realm of Origins and Apocalypse. I think I like The Last Stand more...

 

[Robert Crawford]

Was there anything after the credits?

No!

 

[Robert Crawford]

Well, I'm glad I didn't listen to the reviews or some posters in this thread about seeing this film. I enjoyed this film quite a lot, matter of fact, I think it's one of the most entertaining X-Men films. Furthermore, the length of the film is perfect as I always thought these films were too long. I've got to see it again.

 

[Robert Crawford]

One more thing, they screwed up the Dolby Atmos in my theater and it took them about 15 minutes to fix it, and all of us in my 10:15 a.m. showing got a free movie pass. TBH, there were maybe 12-15 of us. Also, my insomnia kicked in big-time last night so I only had 2.5 hours of sleep before my morning showing so the the 105 minute or so run time was perfect for me today.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I thought the movie was quite good--amongst the best X-Men films, actually. The story is quite simple (you could even say simplistic), and if we're being honest, not even really an adaptation of the source story. However, the simplicity meant that nothing on-screen was really wasted: every scene moved the plot forward and did some work. Moreover, the film didn't waste any time on exposition or even explaining anything really; it assumes the viewer knows who everyone is and knows their motivations from previous films.

The action sequences were really good. If you want to see a bunch of super-powered characters fight each other with their powers turned to 10, you'll get it. We finally saw Cyclops and Nightcrawler fight to their limits. Magneto--at least the Fassbender incarnation--was brutal as always. Overall the powers were more "on display" than even most scenes in the MCU movies (which rely more on straight melee and "blasts"). Sound editing and design were terrific.

Same here! I thought most of the action sequences were great.

 

[Bob Cashill]

The "dark phoenix" stuff is kind of a mess...and it is obviously central to the movie. That big flaw aside, I had a better time with it than I expected; it's certainly more enjoyable (and certainly shorter!) than the patience-testing APOCALYPSE.