DARK PHOENIX Rolling to "Disaster"

[AndyDursin]

Swan song for the Fox X-MEN series?

[Monterey Jack]

For all the ups and downs the franchise has had (not to mention the swiss cheese continuity), the X-Men series has been one of the better, more thoughtful comic book franchises of the past twenty(!) years, and was ground zero for restoring the dignity of screen superheroes after the garish camp insanity of the Joel Schumacher era. If this is indeed the end of this particular run of films before it gets swallowed up by Disney, I hope it offers up a good swan song.

[KevinEK]

There's also the New Mutants movie they're rebuilding now.
Not sure that this one is actually intended to end the X-Men movies, but that could happen if it bombs badly enough.

[AndyDursin]

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat- ... 21-1195846

Disney all but confirming they are going to reboot the X-MEN in a couple of years -- thereby sending this film into cinematic purgatory weeks before it opens.

Why even comment? And if you care so little about this film, why not just send it straight to home video and streaming? For all of Disney's savvy marketing, this probably speaks to how they're going to be treating Fox and its products in general -- straight to the dumpster unless it's got the BILLIONS sign in front of it.

[AndyDursin]

Looks like Godzilla won't be the worst-reviewed film of the summer after all!

[AndyDursin]

You wonder if this wasn't some inside job on the part of an executive here and there to set up the inevitable Disney-fied reboot in 5 years.

On the other hand, there are Disney kool-aid drinkers who typically love everything they make probably looking to trash this. As if this movie, even if it's bad, is any worse than the tepid CAPTAIN MARVEL.

[Fox/Disney] are bracing for major disappointment. The budget is said to be well over $200 million after massive re-shoots.

“Dark Phoenix” was originally slated for release last November, but was pulled, according to reports, to change its ending.

The failure of “Dark Phoenix” will be hard also on its star, Sophie Turner, known to all as Sansa Stark from “Game of Thrones.” She has only known wild success. On top of that, Turner is getting married in two weeks in the South of France to pop star Joe Jonas.

But “Dark Phoenix” — which also stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Jennifer Lawrence — has a meager 18 rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

One reviewer in Seattle wrote: “Phoenix” is a joyless addition to the long-running “X-Men” franchise – 12 movies over 18 years – and one is left with the impression that the series has been too long at the fair.”

The worst part of the reviews is that bloggers, who usually love every comic book movie, are contributing the most negative essays.

It’s likely, according to sources and reports, that Disney will re-boot “X Men” now that they have 12 movies in the can. The X’s are supposed to join the Marvel Universe, meaning joining up with the remaining Avengers and Spider Man in future movies, all re-cast.

https://www.showbiz411.com/2019/06/05/d ... ws-pour-in

[Monterey Jack]

"This is how the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper."

-T.S. Elliot



5/10

While not terrible, exactly, Dark Phoenix is one of the most joylessly mercenary entries in the long-running series, and a perfect example of Fox defecating all over one of their properties before handing it over to Disney in a fit of spite (see also Fan4stic). Screenwriter and debuting director Simon Kinberg has none of the visual snap or storytelling verve that Matthew Vaughn or [DIRECTOR'S NAME REDACTED] brought to the previous "decades trilogy" (even the overly-maligned Apocalypse had a lot more to offer), and setting the film in 1992 is a total bust, as there's virtually no attempt at any sort of specific grunge-era period detail. Returning actors are hustled off-screen like they're contagious (one's fate halfway through the film is so perfunctory it's kind of astonishing) and whoever does stick through to the end is basically doing wan retreads of the performances they've been delivering for much of the last decade. It doesn't help that Jessica Chastain (with a platinum-blonde hairdo and a disinterested monotone) is an even duller villain than Oscar Isaac in Apocalypse, or that the action scenes seem cut-rate and low-budget, or that there's really no reason for this to EXIST rather than a studio trying to squeeze a few more drops out of the property before losing the rights (like the Amazing Spider-Man films from Sony). It's a tad better than X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but that's faint praise, and it's sad to see a franchise that was consistently good for close to two decades go out with such little enthusiasm on the part of anyone involved.

[Eric W.]

It really should have been a lot better than this.

[AndyDursin]

Everything about the "rebooted" First Class series, and how it was ultimately handled, just made no sense.

For example, why even (re)make THIS story -- one of the most celebrated, fan-favorite arcs in the comic book's history -- with a young, who-cares cast that hasn't settled into these characters? Especially Sophie Turner? There's no association there between her and that role. It's like how Abrams stupidly remade WRATH OF KHAN as the 2nd TREK film with the Chris Pine cast. It's not the same -- it can't possibly BE the same -- when you deposit actors into roles they're only playing for the first or second time. People gave a damn -- cried openly -- when Nimoy's Spock died. Nobody in the world cared when Abrams tried the same shtick.

And then there's Wolverine -- or, actually, NO Wolverine in this movie. Major issue right there -- the character is supposed to play a major role in this story line! Ok so it "wasn't going to make sense" with the age difference -- but if that's the case, again, WHY make it?

And that leads into the other point I've made over and over (forgive me) -- there was just ZERO star power in Fox's last X-MEN series. Yes Jennifer Lawrence was there, but McAvoy isn't Patrick Stewart. And there is nobody within an ounce of Hugh Jackman's charisma to make someone truly care in that cast. No breakout star, nobody for anyone to latch onto. That was the real failing of FIRST CLASS to be honest. That first movie was good, but it didn't do what was required in terms of firmly relaunching the franchise for the long-term.

That lack of a charismatic center was a real problem, and you saw it with APOCALYPSE's diminishing returns. Singer was able to get the band back together for DAYS OF FUTURE PAST, but in hindsight, that ended up being the real swan song for this franchise. I know we'll be seeing it all again in 5 years -- but the 3rd reboot (!) of these characters isn't going to be the box-office phenomenon some people think it will be just because the Marvel brand name will be thrown on top of it. Fox really exhausted this franchise outside of DEADPOOL's delightful shenanigans and I doubt there will be a MASSIVE audience for another go-around -- it'll make its money with the core comic book crowd and all the people who pay to see these films, sure, but it won't be anything record-breaking.

For a lot of casual viewers, it will indeed be "been there, done that"...ESPECIALLY if they reboot from the very beginning again. That would be a big mistake.

[mkaroly]

Yikes! Don't really want to see it now...lol...might have to wait for friends to buy the DVD so I can watch it for free!

[AndyDursin]

This movie's failure aside, I still think it's sad Fox is done with the X-Men.

Sure there were some clunkers, but Marvel Disney is very good at producing formula stuff. They would never make something like LOGAN or DEADPOOL left to their own devices (sure they'll make a Deadpool sequel just because of the money, not because it fits their brand; and beyond that, I highly doubt they will touch an R rated Marvel property).

What we will see eventually is a very safe reboot where the X-Men are treated like the Avengers -- same kind of formula quips, character arcs, etc. The lemmings will consume all of it, but like Marvel's in-house fare, no chances will be taken. You already know what kinds of films they will end up making with these characters, and we'll end up with a generic adaptation that fans will rejoice "treats the characters right" while giving viewers just more of the same formula. (Marvel's "creative input" didn't make the mediocre SPIDER-MAN HOMECOMING any more interesting than the flawed Andrew Garfield films, even with it now being "part of the Marvel brand")

I think in time some viewers may realize what's been lost. It's entirely possible Disney will produce something better than DARK PHOENIX, but will they ever make something as good as the best films in this series? I wouldn't hold my breath.