Tag: Cinema

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