6 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.7 |
Jean Grey begins to develop incredible powers that corrupt and turn her into a Dark Phoenix. Now the X-Men will have to decide if the life of a team member is worth more than all the people living in the world.
Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Sophie TurnerAction | 100% |
Adventure | 83% |
Comic book | 75% |
Sci-Fi | 74% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
French: DTS 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: DTS 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
German: DTS 5.1
Italian: DTS 5.1
Russian: DTS 5.1
Czech: Dolby Digital 5.1
Hungarian: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Mandarin: Dolby Digital 5.1
Polish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Thai: Dolby Digital 5.1
Japanese: DTS 5.1
English SDH, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Cantonese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Hungarian, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Norwegian, Polish, Russian, Swedish, Thai
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
A phoenix rising from the ashes is one of the more redolent images from mythology and/or Mankind’s collective unconscious, but it’s just one of the ironies that Dark Phoenix perhaps brings an incontrovertible end to the long running if sometimes problematic X-Men franchise, and in this case it’s an end with no obvious resurrection in sight. That “finality” may in fact be a chimera (to reference another mythological beast of some renown), since one of the things that has frequently attended Marvel cinematic (and, frankly, other) science fiction adaptations is the whole conceit of an alternate timeline, where death is an illusion, supposed epochal events seemingly a passing fancy, and any sense of one coherent storyline is an almost laughable proposition. What’s kind of odd about this particular alternate timeline is that it was at least delved into if not completely explored in X-Men: The Last Stand, a film which was not exactly met with the same general critical rapture as its two predecessors. But what’s also odd is how the story of Jean Grey (played in this installment by Sophie Turner of Game of Thrones, who also briefly portrayed the character in X-Men: Apocalypse) is that in at least one timeline previously explored her story doesn’t end all that well, by which I mean, her story ends. All of this adds up to a rather odd combo platter of ideas and snippets culled from other X- Men properties, but like many an odd casserole, only certain ingredients register while the overall taste is a bit muddled.
Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080p Blu-ray.
X-Men: Dark Phoenix is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with a 2160p transfer in 2.39:1. For my
thoughts on the 1080p Blu-ray presentation, please see our X-Men: Dark Phoenix Blu-ray review. As is often the case with 4K iterations of films finished at a 2K DI, there are
palpable upgrades here in fine detail levels, often with regard to textures and/or patterns like the tweed jacket Charles wears when he first meets Jean,
the yellow ribbing of the X-Men uniforms, or even the kind of almost linen looking covering on the space shuttle. While there is a Dolby Vision credit
closing the film, this disc doesn't offer that version of HDR, but there is some very nice nuance added to highlights throughout the presentation, with
some of the sepia toned material accruing an almost peach like ambience, and with some really impressive saturation in some of the bolder primaries
the film offers (reds and blues are especially impressive). The CGI isn't especially helped by the increased resolution, but some of the coloring,
especially some gorgeous purples, really pops nicely. Shadow detail is at least marginally improved here, as in the scene where the "pre-Vuk" Jessica
Chastain walks out into her backyard to see what her dog is barking about.
The 4K UHD presentation of X-Men: Dark Phoenix offers a sonic upgrade from the already excellent DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix featured on the 1080p Blu-ray with a really nicely rendered Dolby Atmos track. There is very nice vertical placement throughout the presentation, starting with some of the cacophony of the opening car crash clearly wafting overhead, and later effects, like jets and helicopters whizzing overhead clearly offering midair placement of effects. While there's the same "on again, off again" approach to immersion here that I mentioned in the X-Men: Dark Phoenix Blu-ray review, this Dolby Atmos rendering offers arguably more forceful LFE and an overall more consistent surround experience. Fidelity is excellent across the board, supporting both the over the top set pieces and the quieter dialogue moments with no problems whatsoever.
The 4K UHD disc includes the Audio Commentary by Simon Kinberg and Hutch Parker also featured on the 1080p Blu-ray included in this release. For a list of the rest of the supplements included on the 1080p Blu-ray, refer to the Supplements section of our X-Men: Dark Phoenix Blu-ray review.
There are some rather interesting ideas underpinning X-Men: Dark Phoenix, including a kind of feminist subtext along with some roiling psychological issues that were obviously highlighted to try to make this more of a personal story than a traditional sci-fi superhero epic. Unfortunately, the story here never manages to completely convince, probably especially because of previous "alternate timeline" efforts where people and events come and go almost randomly at times. Fans of this film will most likely be pleased with the technical presentation here, with the 4K UHD version offering nice upticks in video and (perhaps especially) audio.
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