Spoilers Dark PhoeniX - Review and Discussion Thread

Have at it, folks. You get two votes, so y'all can vote for one of the last two choices if you feel led to.

 

This thread comes just in time for the red carpet premiere!

 

Is it a bad sign that I'm not even sure I'll see it in the cinema? I mean, I probably will, but I'm pretty ambivalent about it if I'm honest. (Partially because of the X-Men movies in general*, and partially because I find most things Dark Phoenix very boring.)

*Although to be fair, there are only about three bad ones and at least five good ones.

 

Poor Shawn Ashmore. The only X-Men actor willing to repeatedly promote this movie, and he isn't even in the damn thing.

 

I'll be going to see it Thursday night with my A-List. I'm expecting a colossal flop, but I know in my heart it has to be better than Apocalypse.

 

Spoiler: Halston Sage

After keeping the secret for so long, she accidentally spills the beans at the premiere. I mean, she didn't say "Dazzler", but she might as well have.

 

My biggest problem is between Endgame going into this kind of territory and y'know the last movie with Phoenix I feel like I've done this before.

 

Well, the review embargo just lifted. Kinberg did not stick the landing. Reports vary as to whether he merely broke both of his legs or straight up died on impact. Lower your expectations accordingly.

 

It is my hope that most general audiences will have the common sense to actually go see this film and make up their own minds about it, but I'm steeling myself to be disappointed in that regard.

 

Rotten Tomatoes Review Pull Quote Round-up (It's at 16% so far from 38 reviews)

"When you watch this new movie and actually miss the gaudy theatrics of X-Men: The Last Stand because it at least tried, that's a very surprising and telling thing."

"A complete mess."

"Maybe X-Men: The Last Stand wasn't an accurate adaptation of the Dark Phoenix comics, but at least it was a fun celebration of an ensemble of character. Dark Phoenix feels joyless and obligatory."

"Dark Phoenix just feels unnecessary - and it shows in the performances, as everyone just seems to be going through the motions, wondering how on Earth their contracts aren't up yet."

"Curiosity and the desire for completion will draw the series faithful, but the creative inspiration and public excitement that once fed the series has demonstrably dissipated."

"The point of a phoenix, dark or otherwise, is that it rises from the flames. But these are the flames in which this franchise has finally gone down."

"[T]he X-Men franchise is coming to an end with the worst chapter of its long-running main series."

"Dark Phoenix sends the X-Men out not with a bang, but with a roll of the eyes and a somewhat exasperated sigh."

 

Sounds like a "wait for Netflix" film.

 

Essentially, this is in the same ballpark as Fan4stic.

 

Yowch. I was expecting a fair amount of "It's okay, I guess" reviews, but it's a bummer to hear it's (likely) shit. Even being relatively disinterested, I still hoped it would be good.

Couple this with the good chance that New Mutants will be reshot and edited into oblivion, the FoX-Men universe really is gonna go out on a whimper. A shame, but maybe that will help make their eventual MCU debut all the more triumphant.

 

If something looks awful and the majority support one's belief in that PLUS hard earned money (and time) is a big factor in many decisions of what one does for their entertainment, paying to see the movie to verify you don't like it is not any definition of "common sense".

Common sense are the reviews matching what many have been thinking already.

 

From Den of Geek:

Jennifer Lawrence is all but checking her watch during her scenes as Mystique. It’s more than clear that neither she nor Michael Fassbender as Magneto really want to be there, but at least Fassbender has the professionalism to see it through even though his arc is yet another tired retread of the same anti-hero trope that he’s played to much better effect in the earlier films.

This film sounds like it could be the worst in the series. Such a shame after the excellent First Class and Days of Future Past.

I can also see it flopping financially, especially as it's cost a reported 200million dollars to make. It will have to make at least Apocalypse's numbers to make bank.

 

Yeah, this is how I feel, too. I was really hoping all of the bad press was just that and it would turn out to be at least an enjoyable film. I normally don't pay attention to early reviews but coupled with the bad press and the way these bad reviews correlate with what we've seen in the trailers doesn't sound promising at all. I'll still go see it since I've seen every X-Men film in theaters except for the first one, but my expectation keep sinking, unfortunately.

I'm also disappointed by how this franchise appears to be closing. I was really looking forward to New Mutants not just for its stellar young cast, but also because it appeared to be taking a genuinely unique take on the superhero genre. But now we may never see it in the form it was intended and quite possibly never in the theaters. That just plain sucks, not just for the fans, but for the cast and crew of the film itself. They deserve better.

 

The reviews killed off what little interest I had in seeing it at the cinema.

FC & DOFP are Excellent movies and Apocalypse was enjoyable IMO. They just can't nail that Phoenix storyline though I didn't dislike Last Stand overall.

 

I love the X-series, both for its legitimately great popcorn flicks (X1, X2, FC, DoFP, Deadpool 2) and for its shambolic, experimental nature. That said, the mediocre reviews for this entry make me think I should wait for Redbox rather than pay current cinema prices to attend a funeral.

Since it became apparent that Disney would buy Fox, I've been kinda bummed about the inevitable end of the longest-running (not completely rebooted) movie superhero franchise that I've followed and loved since 2000. (Literally before 9/11, guys.) But if Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix are indeed both largely meh, despite the incredible promise of FC/DoFP, really, where could they go from here? Maybe do a Deadpool 3/X-Force, and then reboot the main franchise an an already-formed present-day team with a whole new cast, but would the general public get on board for a third stab at the same core characters without, say, the integration of the MCU to give it new life? I dunno...