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Russ Troutt (291 KP) rated Split (2016) in Movies
Jan 22, 2021
This is Russ. I went and saw the new M. Night Shyamalan movie Split today, and let me tell you...Hey, this is Stephen. I'm in the light now. So, we saw Split today. It's the best movie of 2017 I've seen. It's also the only movie of 2017 I've seen so far. Sit down Stephen! This is Arnie, and yeah, Split was amazing! It was as thrilling as climbing a water tower. Damn it Arnie, sit back down! Don't make me release the beast! Sorry about that, this is Russ again, back in the light. Split is one of M. Night Shyamalan's best movies to date. There have been movies about people with split personalites in the past, but this is definitely one of the most original takes on the subject matter. This is happening, you don't need a sixth sense to see it, just follow the signs, leave your village, and take a visit to your local theater and see this movie. James McAvoy gives a great performance, or performances I should say, and the 'survivor girl' Anya Taylor-Joy is unbreakable. A solid thriller that deserves to be in the light right now. Oh, and make sure you don't leave the theater before the credits roll, because the last scene ties the movie into another of Shyamalan's. I won't say which, but I was grinning ear to ear with the tie-in.
Erika (17788 KP) rated Glass (2019) in Movies
Jan 19, 2019 (Updated Jan 19, 2019)
Bruce Willis is just collecting a paycheck at this point in his career. (1 more)
Foreshadowing makes everything completely obvious.
A completely polarizing film
Disclaimer: I've now seen this film twice, and I'm fully prepared to finally write this review. I may be a partial M. Night apologist, so, warning, that's where I'm coming from. Side Note: Avatar: The Last Airbender is never a film I'll defend, it sucked.
This is probably not the movie people were expecting. This film was purposely the antithesis of the standard superhero film, and it was completely on purpose. Yes, the end was anti-climactic, however, for these characters, it made complete sense.
My issue was that the heavy-handed foreshadowing made the story line completely obvious. Again, I watch a lot of films and read a lot of books, so I am rarely surprised by twists. One of the twists was foreshadowed by Split itself, and the lineage of a certain character was kind of obvious once it was revealed Unbreakable was connected.
I also feel like Bruce Willis is just collecting a paycheck, he was mostly just moody Dunn. Which, was fine for the character, but it's almost all of his characters now.
I absolutely adored James McAvoy in the film, his performance made the film worth watching, hence, why I went again. Also, I want all of Casey's (Anya Taylor-Joy) clothing worn throughout the film.
Again, this is a polarizing film, and I'm sure a ton of people will disagree with me. But, it was the perfect ending to the trilogy.
This is probably not the movie people were expecting. This film was purposely the antithesis of the standard superhero film, and it was completely on purpose. Yes, the end was anti-climactic, however, for these characters, it made complete sense.
My issue was that the heavy-handed foreshadowing made the story line completely obvious. Again, I watch a lot of films and read a lot of books, so I am rarely surprised by twists. One of the twists was foreshadowed by Split itself, and the lineage of a certain character was kind of obvious once it was revealed Unbreakable was connected.
I also feel like Bruce Willis is just collecting a paycheck, he was mostly just moody Dunn. Which, was fine for the character, but it's almost all of his characters now.
I absolutely adored James McAvoy in the film, his performance made the film worth watching, hence, why I went again. Also, I want all of Casey's (Anya Taylor-Joy) clothing worn throughout the film.
Again, this is a polarizing film, and I'm sure a ton of people will disagree with me. But, it was the perfect ending to the trilogy.
ClareR (5556 KP) rated The Sandman (Audible Original #1) in Books
Sep 6, 2020
Well. Flipping heck. I’m a huge fan of the graphic novels, so I was both hesitant and wildly excited (it’s confusing to be me sometimes) when this popped on to my radar. Of course I preordered it off Audible, I’m not completely daft, and just in time for our holiday in Scotland. A nice, seven hour drive from Chester to the Black Isle (near Inverness - it’s beautiful there, by the way) and time well spent listening to this.
The cast was excellent: James McAvoy as Morpheus/ Dream/ The Sandman (they’re all the same person), Michael Sheen as Lucifer, and a host of other excellent voice actors: Rio Ahmed, Kat Dennings, Taron Egerton, Samantha Morton, Bebe Neuwirth, Andy Serkis and Miriam Margolyes. There are more actors, and they were all wonderful. It was ALL wonderful - it stuck faithfully to the original graphic novels, and Neil Gaiman narrated wonderfully ( I know I need a thesaurus, but ‘wonderful’ is THE word!). Whatever that man touches is golden, it seems to me.
Can you tell I liked it? Actually, I LOVED it. I usually fall asleep on long car journeys (I get terribly car sick, and I don’t drive 🤷🏼♀️), but I stayed awake for the whole time - and didn’t feel sick at all (even during the gory bits!).
The most potentially exciting part for me, is that it says ‘#1’. So I’ve set up my waiting post (I have to work out what that is exactly. I see it as a mental waiting room).
I can’t wait!!
The cast was excellent: James McAvoy as Morpheus/ Dream/ The Sandman (they’re all the same person), Michael Sheen as Lucifer, and a host of other excellent voice actors: Rio Ahmed, Kat Dennings, Taron Egerton, Samantha Morton, Bebe Neuwirth, Andy Serkis and Miriam Margolyes. There are more actors, and they were all wonderful. It was ALL wonderful - it stuck faithfully to the original graphic novels, and Neil Gaiman narrated wonderfully ( I know I need a thesaurus, but ‘wonderful’ is THE word!). Whatever that man touches is golden, it seems to me.
Can you tell I liked it? Actually, I LOVED it. I usually fall asleep on long car journeys (I get terribly car sick, and I don’t drive 🤷🏼♀️), but I stayed awake for the whole time - and didn’t feel sick at all (even during the gory bits!).
The most potentially exciting part for me, is that it says ‘#1’. So I’ve set up my waiting post (I have to work out what that is exactly. I see it as a mental waiting room).
I can’t wait!!
Gareth von Kallenbach (965 KP) rated Split (2016) in Movies
Jul 12, 2019
M. Night Shyamalan once again has audiences very excited for absolutely no reason. The trailer portrays an interesting psychological thriller of a man (James McAvoy) subjected to many different forms of consciousness, as the plot tells he is one of the first to openly portray over twenty different personalities.
He even takes on different physical characteristics down to a metabolic level as he switches from persona to persona. This combined with the character of a doctor (Betty Buckley) who is thrilled to perhaps have discovered the missing link to understanding the unused portion of the human mind, sounds like it makes for a great sci-fi thriller.
Unfortunately rather quickly the plot devolves after the disturbed man’s abduction of three teenage girls turns over the top hokey and stereotypical. Nothing can be said that will make up for the impending disappointment of viewers as yet again Mr. Shyamalan has an idea that sounds quite intriguing, yet falls completely flat and leaves viewers feeling as if they are the brunt of the joke.
As the psychotic killer develops into a character audiences could really be scared of, a turn for the worst happens when he is transformed by his own mind into an animal. Reaching beyond anything physically possible in a much staged way, he becomes a superhuman creature who rampages until he is caught.
Even with skilled acting at his disposal Shyamalan has managed to make another very poor quality film. At each step of the way, the suspense almost grabs you but is completely predictable. It’s too bad but this one earns
He even takes on different physical characteristics down to a metabolic level as he switches from persona to persona. This combined with the character of a doctor (Betty Buckley) who is thrilled to perhaps have discovered the missing link to understanding the unused portion of the human mind, sounds like it makes for a great sci-fi thriller.
Unfortunately rather quickly the plot devolves after the disturbed man’s abduction of three teenage girls turns over the top hokey and stereotypical. Nothing can be said that will make up for the impending disappointment of viewers as yet again Mr. Shyamalan has an idea that sounds quite intriguing, yet falls completely flat and leaves viewers feeling as if they are the brunt of the joke.
As the psychotic killer develops into a character audiences could really be scared of, a turn for the worst happens when he is transformed by his own mind into an animal. Reaching beyond anything physically possible in a much staged way, he becomes a superhuman creature who rampages until he is caught.
Even with skilled acting at his disposal Shyamalan has managed to make another very poor quality film. At each step of the way, the suspense almost grabs you but is completely predictable. It’s too bad but this one earns
Darren (1599 KP) rated It: Chapter Two (2019) in Movies
Sep 13, 2019
Characters – Bill was always considered the leader of the gang, he went onto write books and coming back he must face the fear about his brother’s death. Beverly has married an abusive rich man that she wants to escape from, which sees her return to Derry, where she could recapture her own love interest from childhood. Richie is a stand up comedian that is just how you would imagine him to grow up to be like, he gets plenty of laughs through the film. Mike never left Derry, he has been studying how to defeat Pennywise once and for all, he calls everybody back to the town. Ben was the fat kid, he transformed himself and became an architect with great success, he will see this return as a chance to tell Beverly how he feels. Eddie is reluctant to return though it does get him away from his wife, that is just like his mother, he will need to overcome the fears which have held him back before. Stanley is one of the group that doesn’t return, he has his reasons and it poses the reality of what will come with returning. Pennywise is the evil figure, who mostly looks like a clown, though he can become anything he wants to play into the fears. It is strange that we just don’t get that invested in the adult versions of the characters.
Performances – Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy are the two biggest names in the film, they are both fine, because nobody is a true main character, the two could do more and McAvoy is difficult to watch because his choice of accent reminds me about the 10-year-old he plays in Split. Bill Hader and James Ransone are the stars of the returning characters, they still have great chemistry. Isaiah Mustafa and Jay Ryan are both solid enough, though the characters seem to have swapped around.
Story – The story is the second part of the massive book, it follows the adult versions of the losers club that must return to fight Pennywise once again. This is a very long story, it is just under 3 hours long, which does feel like it drags along at times, once problem comes with more flashbacks with hauntings, there is no peril here, because we know the adult versions live. One of the strengths in the film is the idea of being reunited after years away with friends, it does feel natural and just how you would imagine it being. One of the issues I found in the first film was that Ben was the one that spent time learning the history of the town, while Mike did barely anything, it confused me because I always remembered it being Mike that understood the history, here it is Mike and Ben doesn’t seem to care anymore, add in the weird love triangle and you will feel like we have more that didn’t need to be here too.
Horror – The horror side of the film follows the hauntings that both the kids and adults go through, it is more just separate characters getting haunting throughout. Nothing feels as scarier as the first one was.
Settings – The film takes us back to Derry, we do get flashbacks with other moments that make sense and return to the old places where the scares happen.
Special Effects – The effects are brilliant in places, though it does feel certain CGI moments just don’t work.
Scene of the Movie – Richie’s memory.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – James McAvoy’s accent.
Final Thoughts – This is a bogged down horror that just is way too long to get the best out of the scares, just like the mini series, it fizzles out.
Overall: Disappointing sequel.
Performances – Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy are the two biggest names in the film, they are both fine, because nobody is a true main character, the two could do more and McAvoy is difficult to watch because his choice of accent reminds me about the 10-year-old he plays in Split. Bill Hader and James Ransone are the stars of the returning characters, they still have great chemistry. Isaiah Mustafa and Jay Ryan are both solid enough, though the characters seem to have swapped around.
Story – The story is the second part of the massive book, it follows the adult versions of the losers club that must return to fight Pennywise once again. This is a very long story, it is just under 3 hours long, which does feel like it drags along at times, once problem comes with more flashbacks with hauntings, there is no peril here, because we know the adult versions live. One of the strengths in the film is the idea of being reunited after years away with friends, it does feel natural and just how you would imagine it being. One of the issues I found in the first film was that Ben was the one that spent time learning the history of the town, while Mike did barely anything, it confused me because I always remembered it being Mike that understood the history, here it is Mike and Ben doesn’t seem to care anymore, add in the weird love triangle and you will feel like we have more that didn’t need to be here too.
Horror – The horror side of the film follows the hauntings that both the kids and adults go through, it is more just separate characters getting haunting throughout. Nothing feels as scarier as the first one was.
Settings – The film takes us back to Derry, we do get flashbacks with other moments that make sense and return to the old places where the scares happen.
Special Effects – The effects are brilliant in places, though it does feel certain CGI moments just don’t work.
Scene of the Movie – Richie’s memory.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – James McAvoy’s accent.
Final Thoughts – This is a bogged down horror that just is way too long to get the best out of the scares, just like the mini series, it fizzles out.
Overall: Disappointing sequel.
Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated Glass (2019) in Movies
Mar 3, 2020
This doesn’t need to be a long review; the film itself doesn’t merit a lot of reflection. But, I have set myself the task of recording every piece of cultural media I consume, and there is already a backlog. So, here come a few quickfire bits on things that I found less than impressive. There is some value in identifying why something failed. Especially, as in the case of Glass, when there was an expectation it might be quite exciting.
I am not the biggest M. Night Shyamalan fan, to be honest. I will give you The Sixth Sense and Signs (to an extent), but even those contain some dodgy direction, plotting and unforgivable dialogue that hasn’t weathered the test of time well. 75% of his output is so bad it becomes funny; I mean, The Happening and Lady in the Water – WTF!? And the less said about The Last Airbender the better. My favourite of his works would have to be Unbreakable, from 2000. At least there is a satisfying story arc and the “twist” makes sense. Often with him it is so preposterous or an non-event, it makes you wonder why he bothered.
Sixteen years later, and Split sprung a surprise by being not bad at all, largely thanks to James McAvoy’s performance as a man with multiple personality disorder – a striking, terrifying, turn that showcased his abilities as an actor superbly. So there was some anticipation that bringing those two film worlds together would yield something very interesting and at least fun. So, it is sad to say that, once again, he pretty much botched it.
Don’t get me wrong, it is watchable and entertaining, up to a point – that point being when the story tries to gel all its strands together in a cohesive new twist, and fails utterly to do so. McAvoy is yet again the standout. Here he pushes the split personalities at his command to a brain spinning degree, switching from one to the other effortlessly – I would much rather just have watched him talking and twitching for two hours, to be fair. Bruce Willis has little to do but brood, and Samuel L. Jackson becomes totally laughable as he strains with the script to find any grounding in real character, and descends into cartoon / pantomime villain very quickly, losing all validity carried over from Unbreakable.
It’s a shame, because there is an idea in there somewhere; this just wasn’t it. No doubt, he has left it open for further exploration with these characters, and will in time return to them. I just hope he takes his time to consider the script properly before diving headlong into another disappointment of cliche and bad plotting. I just feel sorry for McAvoy, who deserved much better.
I am not the biggest M. Night Shyamalan fan, to be honest. I will give you The Sixth Sense and Signs (to an extent), but even those contain some dodgy direction, plotting and unforgivable dialogue that hasn’t weathered the test of time well. 75% of his output is so bad it becomes funny; I mean, The Happening and Lady in the Water – WTF!? And the less said about The Last Airbender the better. My favourite of his works would have to be Unbreakable, from 2000. At least there is a satisfying story arc and the “twist” makes sense. Often with him it is so preposterous or an non-event, it makes you wonder why he bothered.
Sixteen years later, and Split sprung a surprise by being not bad at all, largely thanks to James McAvoy’s performance as a man with multiple personality disorder – a striking, terrifying, turn that showcased his abilities as an actor superbly. So there was some anticipation that bringing those two film worlds together would yield something very interesting and at least fun. So, it is sad to say that, once again, he pretty much botched it.
Don’t get me wrong, it is watchable and entertaining, up to a point – that point being when the story tries to gel all its strands together in a cohesive new twist, and fails utterly to do so. McAvoy is yet again the standout. Here he pushes the split personalities at his command to a brain spinning degree, switching from one to the other effortlessly – I would much rather just have watched him talking and twitching for two hours, to be fair. Bruce Willis has little to do but brood, and Samuel L. Jackson becomes totally laughable as he strains with the script to find any grounding in real character, and descends into cartoon / pantomime villain very quickly, losing all validity carried over from Unbreakable.
It’s a shame, because there is an idea in there somewhere; this just wasn’t it. No doubt, he has left it open for further exploration with these characters, and will in time return to them. I just hope he takes his time to consider the script properly before diving headlong into another disappointment of cliche and bad plotting. I just feel sorry for McAvoy, who deserved much better.
Gareth von Kallenbach (965 KP) rated Victor Frankenstein (2015) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
Victor Frankenstein is basically a prequel to Mary Shelly’s book, Frankenstein, where we get to meet Igor and a younger Frankenstein as they get to meet each other.
We start off with our story teller, Igor played by Daniel Radcliffe, and how he came to be rescued by our movies namesake, Victor Frankenstein played by James McAvoy. The movie begins showing the trials Igor went through, growing up, as the lowest sideshow freak who just happened to learn how to read and become a self-taught medic for the circus that keeps him. Victor came to the circus to find more animal parts to make his homunculus, which he is building out of various animal parts he has been able to procure from zoos, as his prototype for his ultimate endeavor, making a human and bring it back to life.
Igor and Frankenstein are brought together when Igor’s paramour Lorelei falls from her trapeze and they both run to help her. Victor is about to give up and let her die when the Igor’s genius shows through and is able to save her with his quick thinking and knowledge of the human anatomy. Victor’s shrew perception bring him to offer Igor a new life and to escape from the circus.
I give Victor Frankenstein 4 out of 5 stars only due to the fact that being a prequel to the novel and not the many movies about Frankenstein and his Monster will confuse many. If you go in expecting an action movie instead of a film done in the noir horror genre in the styles before the 1950’s, you will be disappointed.
We start off with our story teller, Igor played by Daniel Radcliffe, and how he came to be rescued by our movies namesake, Victor Frankenstein played by James McAvoy. The movie begins showing the trials Igor went through, growing up, as the lowest sideshow freak who just happened to learn how to read and become a self-taught medic for the circus that keeps him. Victor came to the circus to find more animal parts to make his homunculus, which he is building out of various animal parts he has been able to procure from zoos, as his prototype for his ultimate endeavor, making a human and bring it back to life.
Igor and Frankenstein are brought together when Igor’s paramour Lorelei falls from her trapeze and they both run to help her. Victor is about to give up and let her die when the Igor’s genius shows through and is able to save her with his quick thinking and knowledge of the human anatomy. Victor’s shrew perception bring him to offer Igor a new life and to escape from the circus.
I give Victor Frankenstein 4 out of 5 stars only due to the fact that being a prequel to the novel and not the many movies about Frankenstein and his Monster will confuse many. If you go in expecting an action movie instead of a film done in the noir horror genre in the styles before the 1950’s, you will be disappointed.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Glass (2019) in Movies
Jan 22, 2019 (Updated Jan 22, 2019)
A huge disappointment
This is one of the films I've been dying to see ever since it was announced, and I'm afraid to say it was a massive disappointment after the brilliant Split.
There is such a thing as overkill in sequels, and sadly Glass is full of it. It starts off fairly well, but then dips into sheer boredom as soon as they enter the psychiatric hospital. It does pick up when Mr Glass finally emerges towards the end, but sadly by then most of the damage is done. I hated that they went down the cliched predictable and overused mechanism of a psychiatrist trying to disprove something that everyone else knows is true. Admittedly without saying too much this does at least tie into the ending & it does make sense, but sitting through an hour of dull scenes before we finally get to the fun parts had me nearly falling asleep.
The ending and twists themselves were for the most part predictable and a little bit silly and over the top. Although in a way the final ending was rather fitting. Some of the cinematography was terrible, there were some very bad camera angles and some awful scenes that looked like they'd been shot by a go pro. James McAvoy excels in every scene he's in as expected, it's just a shame that even he couldn't turn this around. The rest of the cast were pretty unremarkable although it was nice to see the original son back from Unbreakable.
I'm very much a less is more kind of person when it comes to stories and films, and sadly Glass tries to elaborate on stories from Unbreakable and Split that didn't need enhancing in the first place.
There is such a thing as overkill in sequels, and sadly Glass is full of it. It starts off fairly well, but then dips into sheer boredom as soon as they enter the psychiatric hospital. It does pick up when Mr Glass finally emerges towards the end, but sadly by then most of the damage is done. I hated that they went down the cliched predictable and overused mechanism of a psychiatrist trying to disprove something that everyone else knows is true. Admittedly without saying too much this does at least tie into the ending & it does make sense, but sitting through an hour of dull scenes before we finally get to the fun parts had me nearly falling asleep.
The ending and twists themselves were for the most part predictable and a little bit silly and over the top. Although in a way the final ending was rather fitting. Some of the cinematography was terrible, there were some very bad camera angles and some awful scenes that looked like they'd been shot by a go pro. James McAvoy excels in every scene he's in as expected, it's just a shame that even he couldn't turn this around. The rest of the cast were pretty unremarkable although it was nice to see the original son back from Unbreakable.
I'm very much a less is more kind of person when it comes to stories and films, and sadly Glass tries to elaborate on stories from Unbreakable and Split that didn't need enhancing in the first place.
Erika (17788 KP) rated X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019) in Movies
Jun 8, 2019 (Updated Jun 8, 2019)
Better than Last Stand
Last Stand didn't exactly set a high bar for the Dark Phoenix story line, and luckily, this film surpassed it. To be honest, the only reason they got my butt in a seat was for Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy.
The story goes the way you expect it to go. I'm not completely convinced Sophie Turner is a good actress. I'm also glad that they killed Raven (not a spoiler, it's common knowledge), though it wasn't quick enough in my opinion.
I'm unsure as to why Jessica Chastain was cast (or why she's ever cast in ANYTHING); her 'villain' was completely useless. The movie didn't even need that subplot, they would have had a better movie without it and her. Pro-tip: don't introduce new characters in the last film of a saga because no one will care enough about them. Seriously, I felt like my time was wasted having to watch her.
I will say, this film FINALLY gave us good scenes with the X-Men kicking some ass, all using their unique powers. They really gave Nicholas Hoult something to do, and he was great!
Finally, the reason I was there, McFassy. This was one of McAvoy's best Professor X performances, he wasn't black or white, he was more gray and it really worked. They didn't give Magneto much to do, but I loved that they introduced Genosha. This will be below the 'see more' line, so, the best flexing his power scene was when he lifted the subway through the concrete, it was almost on par with the submarine being lifted out of the sea in First Class, and pulling up the Auschwitz gate in Apocalypse.
The last scene shows the entire new saga go first circle. Of course, it's very Dark Knight Rises, but it was perfect. I'm only rating it a 6 because of that.
The story goes the way you expect it to go. I'm not completely convinced Sophie Turner is a good actress. I'm also glad that they killed Raven (not a spoiler, it's common knowledge), though it wasn't quick enough in my opinion.
I'm unsure as to why Jessica Chastain was cast (or why she's ever cast in ANYTHING); her 'villain' was completely useless. The movie didn't even need that subplot, they would have had a better movie without it and her. Pro-tip: don't introduce new characters in the last film of a saga because no one will care enough about them. Seriously, I felt like my time was wasted having to watch her.
I will say, this film FINALLY gave us good scenes with the X-Men kicking some ass, all using their unique powers. They really gave Nicholas Hoult something to do, and he was great!
Finally, the reason I was there, McFassy. This was one of McAvoy's best Professor X performances, he wasn't black or white, he was more gray and it really worked. They didn't give Magneto much to do, but I loved that they introduced Genosha. This will be below the 'see more' line, so, the best flexing his power scene was when he lifted the subway through the concrete, it was almost on par with the submarine being lifted out of the sea in First Class, and pulling up the Auschwitz gate in Apocalypse.
The last scene shows the entire new saga go first circle. Of course, it's very Dark Knight Rises, but it was perfect. I'm only rating it a 6 because of that.
Rikki Hammond (33 KP) rated X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019) in Movies
Jun 9, 2019
Dull plot (3 more)
Contrived tropes
Extremely poor ending to the franchise
Villains aren't threatening in the slightest
Blame Game: The Movie
Contains spoilers, click to show
I've just come back from watching Dark Phoenix, and boy, was I let down! This certainly wasn't the way X-Men should end!
After the brilliant Days of Future Past and Apocalypse, Dark Phoenix falls very short of the mark in terms of plot, character development, and action.
The plot revolves around the X-Men going to space to rescue some astronauts, and Jean Grey getting caught in what we are led to believe is a solar flare, giving her unimaginable power. What follows is basically a gigantic blame game, where Jean blames Charles Xavier for hiding her past, Beast blaming Charles for Raven's death (due to Jean losing control, accidently killing Raven, who blames herself for it,) Magneto blaming Jean for the same thing, etc etc, all the while, Jean gets angry sometimes and destroys stuff.
Then some random aliens (the D'Bari) show up who want to use Jean for her powers, and these guys are supposed to be the villains of the film, however, they are the least threatening villains to come out in a long time, and there's no big finale to their demise at the end, they are literally disintegrated by Jean/Phoenix.
The biggest problem with Dark Phoenix is that there really isn't much in the way of story here, and it certainly doesn't add to the X-Men universe much at all. Even after Jean 'dies' no one grieves or mourns for her, we simply see Charles and Magneto playing chess, then the film ends.
The only positives I can really give are that the acting was decent enough, especially from James McAvoy, and there were a couple of good action scenes, but overall, this will end up being another highly forgettable film, and a very disappointing end to the X-Men franchise.
After the brilliant Days of Future Past and Apocalypse, Dark Phoenix falls very short of the mark in terms of plot, character development, and action.
The plot revolves around the X-Men going to space to rescue some astronauts, and Jean Grey getting caught in what we are led to believe is a solar flare, giving her unimaginable power. What follows is basically a gigantic blame game, where Jean blames Charles Xavier for hiding her past, Beast blaming Charles for Raven's death (due to Jean losing control, accidently killing Raven, who blames herself for it,) Magneto blaming Jean for the same thing, etc etc, all the while, Jean gets angry sometimes and destroys stuff.
Then some random aliens (the D'Bari) show up who want to use Jean for her powers, and these guys are supposed to be the villains of the film, however, they are the least threatening villains to come out in a long time, and there's no big finale to their demise at the end, they are literally disintegrated by Jean/Phoenix.
The biggest problem with Dark Phoenix is that there really isn't much in the way of story here, and it certainly doesn't add to the X-Men universe much at all. Even after Jean 'dies' no one grieves or mourns for her, we simply see Charles and Magneto playing chess, then the film ends.
The only positives I can really give are that the acting was decent enough, especially from James McAvoy, and there were a couple of good action scenes, but overall, this will end up being another highly forgettable film, and a very disappointing end to the X-Men franchise.