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'Dark Phoenix' proves that a phoenix might not always rise again

by Anthony Herring 20th Century Fox's staple comic book franchise has always been the X-Men, a group of mutant superheroes that protect ordinary humans (we don't talk about the Fantastic Four). The first X-Men, which was released back in 2000, helped to usher in the current era of superhero films, thanks to its serious tone and well-casted lead actors. As the years went on, the franchise has had its ups and downs, with installments such as Logan receiving critical acclaim, and others such as X-Men Origins: Wolverine being critically panned. Unfortunately, things started to look rather murky for the X-Men several years ago, as Fox as a company began to engage in talks with Disney and Comcast in regard to a possible merger. Talks with Comcast fell through, and Disney—which owns the rights to the Marvel Cinematic Universe—ended up being the victor. With the merger going through earlier this year, the Fox-era of the X-Men franchise has drawn to a close, with Dark Phoenix set to have it go out with a bang. It's a shame that it went out with a small bang and some very loud whimpers.

First act highs

Image from IMDb
X-Men: Apocalypse, Apocalypse,

Here we go again

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Dark Phoenix
X-Men: The Last Stand, Dark Phoenix The Last Stand.

Oh, the brutality

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Dark Phoenix X-Men: Apocalypse

Push it to the limit (but not really)

X-Men The Last Stand, The Last Stand
IMDb IMDb

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