Dark Phoenix? More like Dark Disappointment!

So here we are at the end of the X-men films we have all known and loved. It’s no secret that Dark Phoenix is the last of this generation following on from the original three films and the McAvoy/Fassbender prequels. It’s a sad moment for X-Men fans and even more upsetting when you realise the finale is a complete bore!

Approaching the film I already knew what I was letting myself in for. I had heard rumours of the chopped and changed story lines causing confusion with the original films. Whilst visually the film is very good the rest of the film left a lot to be desired. The plot holes and character timeline changes really stuck out and are hard to see past for anyone that enjoyed the original films. Nightcrawler is a big example of this considering his debut in X-men 2 as a new character yet is in from the beginning in the prequels.

The performances of McAvoy and Fassbender were okay but really lacked the finesse of Stewart and McKellen. Magento in particular is a character that always had a real humour but ultimately remained the bad guy. Fassbender’s delivery is just too inconsistent with not enough comedy. Whilst James McAvoy has delivered some masterclasses in his time, Split and Glass spring to mind, his performance for Dark Phoenix just felt a little erratic.

The best performance in the film comes from Nicholas Hoult as Hank McCoy/Beast. Beast has always been another really great character with plenty of humour and wit. Hoult delivers this exceptionally well and gives the fans those fist clenching moments. You big beautiful blue b*****d.

As a childhood fan of the X-Men there was always going to be one huge thing wrong with this film. NO WOLVERINE NO PARTY! Now I know it doesn’t make sense with the storyline but clearly the story line didn’t matter to the director and producers. Wolverine has always been the stand out for these films and truly the stand out character of the X-men universe. We still never got to see that glorious yellow spandex!! Ladies……..don’t tell you don’t want to see Hugh Jackman in tight yellow spandex!

In conclusion you need to see this film to finish the generation of releases but the box office figures speak for themselves. Thank you for reading and feel free to drop a like or a comment 

Bread and Butter Score – 5/10

Guilt free and glorious!

Of all the Disney remakes of recent years Aladdin is by far the standout showpiece. Regarded as one of the best Disney films of all time, Aladdin was always going to be a tricky one to re-imagine without sacrificing the magic of the original film. After watching the film the superlatives come to mind thick and fast. What a show!!

As a big fan of the original I approached the screening very sceptically. I knew it was going to take a near masterpiece to at least be on par with the 1992 version. Fast forward 2 hours and I’m leaving the cinema with a smile. The film is seriously good fun, guilt free and glorious!

Amongst several good performances and some stunning visuals there is one huge stand out performance from the entrepreneurial genius that is Will Smith. His performance as Genie is simply fantastic. The 1992 original had the same standout performance from the incredibly talented Robin Williams. I’m sure in the mind of Will Smith he will have wanted to deliver a performance worthy of being talked about in the same breath as Robin Williams. Without doubt his flawless performance acted as a brilliant tribute.

As good as Genie was, he was unfortunately contrasted but the rather lacklustre Jafar. Marwan Kenzari delivered an average performance and just couldn’t quite master the sinister yet comedic approach from the Jafar of 1992. That being said it really didn’t detract from the overall feel good factor.

In conclusion, ignore any preconceptions you might have, get out there and watch Aladdin. Heart warming fun with plenty of humour that just happens to be visually spectacular.

Bread and Butter Score – 8.5/10

Mediocre Mayhem!!

Although Avengers : Endgame is approaching the end of the films cinematic presence, the crowds are still flocking to see what was dubbed 2019’s best film. In the months leading up to the release date it was hard not to be excited about the conclusion to this string of Marvel films. With that in mind you can imagine my disappointment leaving the cinema after 3 hours of mediocre mayhem!

The film had moments of magic with some superb pieces of acting, Robert Downey Jr in particular. Unfortunately it was followed up all to often with poorly delivered characters and rushed storylines. The film almost felt like it needed to be split into two 2 hour films similar to the finale of the Harry Potter series.

The two main points I wanted to touch on were the characters of Hulk and Captain Marvel. The Mark Ruffalo-Hulk marriage has been a glorious partnership, far superior to the previous attempts by Ed Norton and Eric Bana. However Endgame delivered a really disappointing and quite frankly boring attempt at the characters evolution. Yes Ruffalo was mildly amusing at points but the Hulk has always been at the top of his game whilst at the front of the fight as opposed to some sort of comedian scientist hybrid.

My gripe with Captain Marvel has nothing to do with the character or the brilliant Brie Larson. My issue refers back to my point around the film needing more time. Captain Marvel is an excellent character who enjoyed a huge build to endgame. The Captain Marvel film itself was really good fun and set us up nicely for Endgame. We finally get to Endgame after months of waiting and we get to see very little of Captain Marvel. WHERE WAS SHE!!! Apart from a few fleeting appearances we really didn’t get to see enough of the character that was built up as the saviour of the Avengers.

In conclusion Avengers : Endgame is a film that we were brainwashed into believing was brilliant. With the press and social media leading up to the film we convinced ourselves that it was a masterpiece before we’d even seen it. In reality, if you take a step back, you will see right through the hype and watch a pretty average production.

Bread and Butter Score – 6/10

Thank you for reading the first instalment of my blog. I hope you enjoyed reading, even if we don’t necessarily share the same viewpoint. Stay tuned for the next film review – Aladdin!

Welcome!

Welcome in to Bread and Butter! My aim is to simply to provide a new and refreshing perspective on the world of film.

I have always been very hard to please when it comes to film. Growing up I often found myself loving the films that people disliked and feeling underwhelmed by the films people loved.

I will be posting reviews on some of the latest films including Endgame, John Wick Chapter 3 and Aladdin. As the blog grows I will be running polls and taking requests on films you would like reviews on.

I hope you all enjoy reading them as much as I will writing them 🙂