X-Men 3 (2006) Rewatch and Thoughts

[Agent Z]

They should have just run with The Cure as the story. That's really what the previous two had been leading up to.

Not really. The Phoenix had been teased since the climax of the first movie where the camera lingers on Jean for a few seconds after Magneto's machine is shut down.

[Castle]

Not really. The Phoenix had been heavily teased since the climax of the first movie where the camera lingers on Jean for a few seconds after Magneto's machine is shut down.

I never got any Phoenix tease from the first film. The teased started in X2 during this scene



We see the fire in Jeans eyes.

If I had to choose between The Phoenix story and the Cure story as the only main plot in X-men 3. it would have been the phoenix story, the cure plot would have been the main plot of X-Men 5.

[Ikari]

The director and writer did not understand what and who Dark Phoenix is

This is biggest problem of the movie. I went in expecting a Dark Phoenix movie and instead it was 75% about the Cure with Dark Phoenix spending her time as a background character who didn't seem to understand why she was there (very meta, that). Back then I wasn't in touch with the comic at all and didn't know about the cure beforehand. In retrospect, if you remove the Dark Phoenix entirely from the movie and only concentrate on the Cure, it's okay. Not great, still too much silliness and contrivance, but watchable. It has some good scenes and the budget really allows Magneto to operate on full power level, compared to previous movies.

Design of the Dark Phoenix was absolutely awful with no resemblance on the comic character. Phoenix is a being of power, majesty, beauty and temptation. Dark Phoenix of X3 was ugly and seemed confused and purposeless. She had a weird, un-canonical sucking ability (see previous joke about metacommentary). Although the actual Dark Phoenix movie was pretty bad, in terms of Phoenix design it had at least little bit of what comic Phoenix has going on.
What they should have done was to do the movie around Cure and just drop tiny bits of hints about Jean returning as a Phoenix, and leave that story for the sequel which hopefully would have been written by someone else.

[Ikari]

Not really. The Phoenix had been teased since the climax of the first movie where the camera lingers on Jean for a few seconds after Magneto's machine is shut down.

In retrospect that might seem like a slight tease, though I doubt they actually had plans to go there yet.
When X2 came out I rewatched X1 and noted that scene: I wondered if Magneto's machine somehow pushed Jean to the next level. However it didn't come up in X3 and was probably just a coincidence.

I never got any Phoenix tease from the first film. The teased started in X2 during this scene

In beginning of X2 there is a scene where Jean almost goes out of control and Cyclops notes how she is getting more powerful. IIRC he even mentions Ellis Island incident there?

[Castle]

In retrospect that might seem like a slight tease, though I doubt they actually had plans to go there yet.
When X2 came out I rewatched X1 and noted that scene: I wondered if Magneto's machine somehow pushed Jean to the next level. However it didn't come up in X3 and was probably just a coincidence.



In beginning of X2 there is a scene where Jean almost goes out of control and Cyclops notes how she is getting more powerful. IIRC he even mentions Ellis Island incident there?

That was just Jean's Telepathy going off. Jean is supposed to be a powerful telepath, The phoenix force attraction to her was because of that power. In the comics, most of the other Phoenix host were telepaths.

[Triniking1234]

Design of the Dark Phoenix was absolutely awful with no resemblance on the comic character. Phoenix is a being of power, majesty, beauty and temptation. Dark Phoenix of X3 was ugly and seemed confused and purposeless. She had a weird, un-canonical sucking ability (see previous joke about metacommentary). Although the actual Dark Phoenix movie was pretty bad, in terms of Phoenix design it had at least little bit of what comic Phoenix has going on.
What they should have done was to do the movie around Cure and just drop tiny bits of hints about Jean returning as a Phoenix, and leave that story for the sequel which hopefully would have been written by someone else.

X3's Dark Phoenix and her joining Magneto just felt like Bryne's Evil Scarlet Witch story from West Coast Avengers.

[Hypestyle]

I'm glad for Beast. I don't care. I enjoyed the film.

[Havok83]

I watched it again a few years ago and it was surprisingly much better than I had originally given it credit for. It definitely isnt the worse X-men movie

Not really. The Phoenix had been teased since the climax of the first movie where the camera lingers on Jean for a few seconds after Magneto's machine is shut down.

Yes really. There was a Phoenix tease at the end of the second film but it really was quite minor and the Phoenix nor Jean was teh focal point of either of the 2 films. The human/mutant conflict which was ever present however was. The Cure most definitely had stronger routes and what the trilogy was driving towards. Nothing about Dark Phoenix was ever given enough attention or background to actually say that the trilogy was leading towards it. Heck they never did a Phoenix story so why would one expect them to jump straight into DP?

[caj]

Since my three favorite characters are Professor X, Cyclops, and Jean Gray...

...you can imagine how much I loathe a film where all three die.

To quote Men On Film, "HATED IT".

[Frontier]

X3's Dark Phoenix and her joining Magneto just felt like Bryne's Evil Scarlet Witch story from West Coast Avengers.

She even dressed like Wanda.

It's a shame that neither Dark Phoenix story actually tried to properly adapt the Phoenix costume.

[Maestro 216]

This is biggest problem of the movie. I went in expecting a Dark Phoenix movie and instead it was 75% about the Cure with Dark Phoenix spending her time as a background character who didn't seem to understand why she was there (very meta, that). Back then I wasn't in touch with the comic at all and didn't know about the cure beforehand. In retrospect, if you remove the Dark Phoenix entirely from the movie and only concentrate on the Cure, it's okay. Not great, still too much silliness and contrivance, but watchable. It has some good scenes and the budget really allows Magneto to operate on full power level, compared to previous movies.

Design of the Dark Phoenix was absolutely awful with no resemblance on the comic character. Phoenix is a being of power, majesty, beauty and temptation. Dark Phoenix of X3 was ugly and seemed confused and purposeless. She had a weird, un-canonical sucking ability (see previous joke about metacommentary). Although the actual Dark Phoenix movie was pretty bad, in terms of Phoenix design it had at least little bit of what comic Phoenix has going on.
What they should have done was to do the movie around Cure and just drop tiny bits of hints about Jean returning as a Phoenix, and leave that story for the sequel which hopefully would have been written by someone else.

Yeah Fox loves making lackluster outfits like seriously who puts one if the most visually striking female characters in a damn coat? TWICE?!

[Castle]

Yeah Fox loves making lackluster outfits like seriously who puts one if the most visually striking female characters in a damn coat? TWICE?!

Well, didn't some people get their wish about mutants finally wearing costumes.



Outfits like this should be in the books. they should not be putting this theme park stuff in movies

She even dressed like Wanda.

It's a shame that neither Dark Phoenix story actually tried to properly adapt the Phoenix costume.

Or Wanda dressed like her, Movie was in 2006.

I hope the ''superheroes must wear the exact costume'' from the comics debate fades away permanently after Wonder Woman 1984

[Ikari]

Or Wanda dressed like her, Movie was in 2006.

I hope the ''superheroes must wear the exact costume'' from the comics debate fades away permanently after Wonder Woman 1984

It's one thing not to wear same outfit as in the comics, and wholly another to wear something which is just plain terrible looking. Both the effects and costume of Dark Phoenix in X3 were awful.

[Castle]

It's one thing not to wear same outfit as in the comics, and wholly another to wear something which is just plain terrible looking. Both the effects and costume of Dark Phoenix

most and if not all costumes look awful in movies. they tend to strip the movie of any realism and don't blend well with the movie's photography even Avengers 2012 as colourful and cartoony as that movie was, captain America's costume still looked bad, The costumes thing just need to be done in superhero movies.

in X3 were awful.

Didn't X3 use the same ''costumes'' from the first 2 films? I am not the biggest fan of the black leather , however If i had to choose that and the costumes from comics, I will choose that. That fits the more grounded world xmen movies work better in.

[Maestro 216]

Its Dark Phoenix not some Hot Topic clothing. How are you supposed to be impressed and terrified of Jean Grey when she looked like that?