Massively Multiplayer: Gaming In The New Millennium
- Thread starter RySenkari
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This is beautiful.
And great update, Ry! Sotomayor as Chief Justice is going to be very interesting.
AeroTheZealousOne
Monthly Donor
As always, wonderful news update. Nice seeing the butterflies at work.
Speaking of butterflies, do the following three songs exist in this TL?
* Cascada - Everytime We Touch
* Gigi D'Agostino - L'Amour Toujours
* Darude - Sandstorm
Speaking of butterflies, do the following three songs exist in this TL?
* Cascada - Everytime We Touch
* Gigi D'Agostino - L'Amour Toujours
* Darude - Sandstorm
Good update; Chief Justice Sotomayor will be interesting...
Looked it up and the San Jose MLS team moved to Houston in...2006, IIRC. ITTL, with Harvey hitting Houston, maybe they move to...San Antonio, which IOTL got an MLS team in 2016. San Antonio, like Houston, has a large Latino population (soccer, or "futbol" is more popular in Latin America than the US, IMO) and San Antonio is 2 hours from Corpus Christi; in addition, they could have feuds in the MLS with the Dallas club (San Antonio is several hours down I-35 from DFW; there's a rumor that San Antonio never got an NFL team because Jerry Jones didn't want it cutting into the Cowboys' fanbase)...
Looked it up and the San Jose MLS team moved to Houston in...2006, IIRC. ITTL, with Harvey hitting Houston, maybe they move to...San Antonio, which IOTL got an MLS team in 2016. San Antonio, like Houston, has a large Latino population (soccer, or "futbol" is more popular in Latin America than the US, IMO) and San Antonio is 2 hours from Corpus Christi; in addition, they could have feuds in the MLS with the Dallas club (San Antonio is several hours down I-35 from DFW; there's a rumor that San Antonio never got an NFL team because Jerry Jones didn't want it cutting into the Cowboys' fanbase)...
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The Blockbusters Of 2005
Top 25 Highest Grossing Films Of 2005 (North American domestic gross only):
1. X-Men: The Dark Phoenix, Part 1 - $427.6 million
2. The Spectacular Spider-Man - $400.3 million
3. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of The Sith - $384.5 million
4. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire - $288.5 million
5. Stealth - $270.6 million (Note: Whereas the OTL film bombed, TTL's Stealth went a much different direction. After storming off the Justice League set and while working on Manticore, James Cameron was looking for a film project to redirect some of his energies. When Columbia approached him with the Stealth script, Cameron decided to rework the film and would ultimately take over as director. The film retains the plot of a sentient AI fighter jet, but Cameron would spend a great deal of time developing the film's characterizations and also reworking the film's advertising. Stealth would be released in the late summer of 2005 and would become a massive critical and commercial hit, considered to be Cameron's best film since Terminator 2. It would also springboard Cameron toward his next project, rumored to be a video game adaptation.)
6. The Passion Of The Christ - $238.0 million (Note: Mel Gibson's The Passion Of The Christ is released one year later ITTL. Despite not being quite as controversial or successful, it's still a major surprise hit. It's not considered quite as good by critics, as Jim Caviezel isn't playing Jesus ITTL, but the movie is still one of the most profitable of the year.)
7. Checkmate - $207.4 million (Note: Pixar's follow-up film to Seashell, released in the summer of 2005 and replacing The Incredibles in this timeline. It's a movie about anthropomorphic chess pieces, inspired by the company's short film, Geri's Game. While well reviewed by critics, the concept doesn't woo audiences quite as much, and the film is considered only a mild success. The company's next project would be Cars, followed by a different superhero film in 2007 or 2008.)
8. Tumbleweed Gorge - $190.6 million (Note: A Dreamworks animated film starring the voices of Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, and Martina McBride, it takes place in the Old West and is a fairly straight-forward good guy/bad guy story that features some wildly memetic humor and has good word of mouth because of it. Released during the spring, it has surprisingly strong sales legs and remains on the top 10 until the release of Checkmate.)
9. The Last Colony: Awakened - $187.0 million (Note: The success of Michael Bay's massive 2003 blockbuster guaranteed it a sequel, about the aliens from the first film battling humans on a planet they're attempting to settle. A critical dud, it has a massive opening weekend but falls off a cliff shortly after.)
10. Aquaman - $181.6 million
11. Chasm - $179.0 million (Note: A collaboration between Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise, much different than OTL's War of The Worlds, this is a drama film and the first major studio film to explore the events of 9/11. It's about a husband whose wife is trapped in the North Tower during the disaster, and who gradually learns the horrible truth, that she didn't make it out. Cruise's performance is widely lauded and the film becomes a leading Oscar contender.)
12. Royal Pain - $169.7 million (Note: Will Smith stars in this romantic comedy about a bored office worker who finds himself unwittingly dating a smartass runaway princess. Smith gets his usual accolades, but the real breakout star of the film is Billie Piper, who turned down the role of the Doctor's companion in Doctor Who ITTL to play the role of the princess in this movie. More adventurous of a film than OTL's Hitch, it finds itself doing about as well at the box office.)
13. Kingdom Of Heaven - $153.7 million (Note: After the disappointment that was Gladiator, Ridley Scott is much more careful with his Crusades epic than he was IOTL. A version much closer to the original director's cut is what we get ITTL, and it opens strongly at the box office, followed by good legs afterwards.)
14. Brokeback Mountain - $140.7 million (Note: This film performs substantially better ITTL. It stars Heath Ledger and Leonardo DiCaprio, and due to the slightly more socially progressive environment of TTL, gains more mainstream success.)
15. Unprofessional 2: Human Resources - $138.6 million (Note: 2003's successful office comedy gets a sequel that's actually quite good, with a higher RT score than the original.)
16. Napoleon - $132.8 million (Note: With Stanley Kubrick still alive ITTL, he chose to revisit Napoleon as his follow-up project to A.I., and it was completed in 2005. The film was expected to be a major Oscar contender, but critics treated it luke-warmly, and ultimately it's considered a box office disappointment.
17. Sin City - $129.4 million (Note: Fairly close to the OTL film, but the greater success of comic book films ITTL means a higher gross.)
18. Harbinger - $125.9 million
19. The Princess And The Pea - $115.8 million (Note: Disney's last traditionally animated film for quite some time, it's an adaptation of The Princess and The Pea, but with a bit of a twist. Disney would begin doing CGI films afterward, starting with a sci-fi adventure thriller in 2007 and then another fairytale story, Rapunzel Unbraided, in 2008.)
20. Blowback - $108.8 million (Note: A spy thriller about a CIA soldier who finds himself having to clean up one of the messes left by a former partner, this film is praised for its action scenes and makes a good deal of money off a small budget.)
21. Taina: The Movie - $107.5 million (Note: Based on Nickelodeon's hit live action series, Taina: The Movie saw its titular star graduate high school and head to college, leading into the show's final season. It would be a hit largely due to the show's large existing fanbase.)
22. Little Miss Lucy - $107.0 million (Note: A hilarious comedy film starring Isla Fischer and Melissa McCarthy, this film is about a fashion model and her handler who find themselves in a bad situation after causing an international incident.)
23. Walk The Line - $103.8 million
24. The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas - $97.4 million (Note: A new remake of the classic 70s era musical and early 80s film, this musical, like the 80s film, is packed with stars and raunchy musical numbers. Gets some controversy due to its name, but it IS a quality film and does well at the box office. Most people would agree, however, that the Dolly Parton film is still better.)
25. Resident Evil 2 - $93.6 million (Note: The second Resident Evil movie, based much more on the real game. It's released in April and would see a strong opening weekend, en route to a decent finish.)
1. X-Men: The Dark Phoenix, Part 1 - $427.6 million
2. The Spectacular Spider-Man - $400.3 million
3. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of The Sith - $384.5 million
4. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire - $288.5 million
5. Stealth - $270.6 million (Note: Whereas the OTL film bombed, TTL's Stealth went a much different direction. After storming off the Justice League set and while working on Manticore, James Cameron was looking for a film project to redirect some of his energies. When Columbia approached him with the Stealth script, Cameron decided to rework the film and would ultimately take over as director. The film retains the plot of a sentient AI fighter jet, but Cameron would spend a great deal of time developing the film's characterizations and also reworking the film's advertising. Stealth would be released in the late summer of 2005 and would become a massive critical and commercial hit, considered to be Cameron's best film since Terminator 2. It would also springboard Cameron toward his next project, rumored to be a video game adaptation.)
6. The Passion Of The Christ - $238.0 million (Note: Mel Gibson's The Passion Of The Christ is released one year later ITTL. Despite not being quite as controversial or successful, it's still a major surprise hit. It's not considered quite as good by critics, as Jim Caviezel isn't playing Jesus ITTL, but the movie is still one of the most profitable of the year.)
7. Checkmate - $207.4 million (Note: Pixar's follow-up film to Seashell, released in the summer of 2005 and replacing The Incredibles in this timeline. It's a movie about anthropomorphic chess pieces, inspired by the company's short film, Geri's Game. While well reviewed by critics, the concept doesn't woo audiences quite as much, and the film is considered only a mild success. The company's next project would be Cars, followed by a different superhero film in 2007 or 2008.)
8. Tumbleweed Gorge - $190.6 million (Note: A Dreamworks animated film starring the voices of Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, and Martina McBride, it takes place in the Old West and is a fairly straight-forward good guy/bad guy story that features some wildly memetic humor and has good word of mouth because of it. Released during the spring, it has surprisingly strong sales legs and remains on the top 10 until the release of Checkmate.)
9. The Last Colony: Awakened - $187.0 million (Note: The success of Michael Bay's massive 2003 blockbuster guaranteed it a sequel, about the aliens from the first film battling humans on a planet they're attempting to settle. A critical dud, it has a massive opening weekend but falls off a cliff shortly after.)
10. Aquaman - $181.6 million
11. Chasm - $179.0 million (Note: A collaboration between Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise, much different than OTL's War of The Worlds, this is a drama film and the first major studio film to explore the events of 9/11. It's about a husband whose wife is trapped in the North Tower during the disaster, and who gradually learns the horrible truth, that she didn't make it out. Cruise's performance is widely lauded and the film becomes a leading Oscar contender.)
12. Royal Pain - $169.7 million (Note: Will Smith stars in this romantic comedy about a bored office worker who finds himself unwittingly dating a smartass runaway princess. Smith gets his usual accolades, but the real breakout star of the film is Billie Piper, who turned down the role of the Doctor's companion in Doctor Who ITTL to play the role of the princess in this movie. More adventurous of a film than OTL's Hitch, it finds itself doing about as well at the box office.)
13. Kingdom Of Heaven - $153.7 million (Note: After the disappointment that was Gladiator, Ridley Scott is much more careful with his Crusades epic than he was IOTL. A version much closer to the original director's cut is what we get ITTL, and it opens strongly at the box office, followed by good legs afterwards.)
14. Brokeback Mountain - $140.7 million (Note: This film performs substantially better ITTL. It stars Heath Ledger and Leonardo DiCaprio, and due to the slightly more socially progressive environment of TTL, gains more mainstream success.)
15. Unprofessional 2: Human Resources - $138.6 million (Note: 2003's successful office comedy gets a sequel that's actually quite good, with a higher RT score than the original.)
16. Napoleon - $132.8 million (Note: With Stanley Kubrick still alive ITTL, he chose to revisit Napoleon as his follow-up project to A.I., and it was completed in 2005. The film was expected to be a major Oscar contender, but critics treated it luke-warmly, and ultimately it's considered a box office disappointment.
17. Sin City - $129.4 million (Note: Fairly close to the OTL film, but the greater success of comic book films ITTL means a higher gross.)
18. Harbinger - $125.9 million
19. The Princess And The Pea - $115.8 million (Note: Disney's last traditionally animated film for quite some time, it's an adaptation of The Princess and The Pea, but with a bit of a twist. Disney would begin doing CGI films afterward, starting with a sci-fi adventure thriller in 2007 and then another fairytale story, Rapunzel Unbraided, in 2008.)
20. Blowback - $108.8 million (Note: A spy thriller about a CIA soldier who finds himself having to clean up one of the messes left by a former partner, this film is praised for its action scenes and makes a good deal of money off a small budget.)
21. Taina: The Movie - $107.5 million (Note: Based on Nickelodeon's hit live action series, Taina: The Movie saw its titular star graduate high school and head to college, leading into the show's final season. It would be a hit largely due to the show's large existing fanbase.)
22. Little Miss Lucy - $107.0 million (Note: A hilarious comedy film starring Isla Fischer and Melissa McCarthy, this film is about a fashion model and her handler who find themselves in a bad situation after causing an international incident.)
23. Walk The Line - $103.8 million
24. The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas - $97.4 million (Note: A new remake of the classic 70s era musical and early 80s film, this musical, like the 80s film, is packed with stars and raunchy musical numbers. Gets some controversy due to its name, but it IS a quality film and does well at the box office. Most people would agree, however, that the Dolly Parton film is still better.)
25. Resident Evil 2 - $93.6 million (Note: The second Resident Evil movie, based much more on the real game. It's released in April and would see a strong opening weekend, en route to a decent finish.)
These have been some great updates! I loved the smash/devine wrath one. Both sound like games I'd play the hell out of!
This was also a great update. Some great sounding films! Who's playing Jesus here, then? And its good to see Billie get a big role. Who takes her Dr who role then? And who's playing the doctor (I understand if you don't know since you haven't got an update planned, which I understand)
I rlly like the ITL Disney movies btw!
This was also a great update. Some great sounding films! Who's playing Jesus here, then? And its good to see Billie get a big role. Who takes her Dr who role then? And who's playing the doctor (I understand if you don't know since you haven't got an update planned, which I understand)
I rlly like the ITL Disney movies btw!
And What About These?
* DJ Sammy & Yanou - Heaven
* Rockell - In A Dream
* Jocelyn Enriquez - No Way No How
Everytime We Touch and Sandstorm both exist, L'Amour Toujours doesn't.
It almost certainly won't, though things might change in the future. Wave emulation is probably good enough to run the game well on most desktops by 2013 or so though!
Hmm.... all right, San Antonio gets an MLS team in 2006.
Hmmm...I'll have to think more about who would play Jesus, it's difficult to cast. As for Doctor Who, we may cover that in the 2005-06 TV season update if I can come up with some good ideas.
Heaven and In A Dream still exist, No Way No How doesn't.
Oh no. Heaven.
That song IOTL identified with 9/11.... and with that girl narrating her life....
Ah.. Onions. ONIONS!!!
The Dark Phoenix, Part 1
If 20th Century Fox had learned any lessons from the release of Justice League, it was “go big or go home,” and its adaptation of the venerated Dark Phoenix Saga was as big as they came. The studio recovered from the production woes that plagued X-Men 2 with Keifer Sutherland replacing Russell Crowe as Wolverine, and brought relative newcomer, Len Wiseman (who had worked as property assistant in 1998’s Green Lantern) on board as director. Given the size and scope of the original comic book storyline, the production was too big for one film and decided to break the project into two films with a release date of Christmas 2005 and 2006, respectively.
X-Men: The Dark Phoenix, Part 1 picked up with where previous film left off with Jean Grey piloting the space shuttle through a radiation storm. Cyclops hears her screams and calls out to her while the other X-Men struggle to restrain him as the shuttle reenters Earth’s atmosphere and crashes into Jamaica Bay. The X-Men emerge from the water save for one, Jean, Cyclops refuses to accept that she’s gone and frantically searches while Wolverine attempts to pull him back as they need to get out of there before law enforcement has agents crawling over the place.
Their argument is cut short when they see a light at the bottom of the bay and a fiery raptor flies high into the the air and bathes the area in a bright light, revealing itself to be Jean, reborn as the Phoenix. She loses consciousness shortly thereafter and Nick Fury (another cameo from the ‘Hoff) spirits them back to the X-Mansion where Jean remains in the infirmary with Cyclops staying by her bedside. Lilandra reveals her backstory that her power mad brother, D’Ken (played by Christopher Ecceleston) is searching for the powerful M’Krann Crystal, which potentially destroy the universe in the wrong hands. She discovered its location and destroyed the historical records before she fled to Earth. However, D’Ken sent his agents after her.
One of the original problems with the original “Phoenix Saga” from Uncanny X-Men #101-108 is the episodic format did not suit a film adaptation. Wiseman discarded the confrontation with a brainwashed Havok and Polaris from Uncanny X-Men #97 and melded it with the confrontation with Magneto from Uncanny #104 where a brainwashed Master of Magnetism attacks the mansion. Due to scheduling conflicts, Rutger Hauer was not able to reprise the role. Thus Fox turned to David Hemblen (who voiced the character in the animated series) to reprise the role for live action.
After a brief battle with the X-Men, the children of the atom manage to remove Magneto’s helmet so that Xavier could reverse the brainwashing. Gladiator of the Imperial Guardian (played by Arnold Vosloo) arrives and plucks Lilandra up in the confusion despite Rogue and Colossus’ attempts to stop him. Magneto assists the X-Men (minus Cyclops) in tracking down the Shi’ar agent responsible for his brainwashing: Davan Shakari AKA Erik the Red (played by Ryan Reynolds) who proves to be a coward when Magneto threatens him. Magneto humiliates Shakari by stripping away his armour and leaves him naked in the wilderness while he and the X-Men take his ship, giving the film a little levity.
Before leaving Earth, the X-Men try to coax Cyclops into coming with them on their mission to save Lilandra. Cyclops refuses to leave Jean’s side, which leads to an altercation with Wolverine who Cyclops knocks the the wall with his optic blast. Wolvie unsheathes his claws, but Xavier steps in before the fight can escalate. Xavier reaches through Cyclops to reluctantly leaves to lead the X-Men (accompanied by Magneto) to Shi’ar space.
What follows is what can best be described as Raiders of the Lost Ark meets Star Wars where the X-Men find themselves in a race to not only rescue Lilandra, but find the M’Krann Crystal before D’Ken. However, their first engagement with the Imperial Guard does not go well as they can only fight them to a standstill. A third party known as the Starjammers swoop in to steal the crystal from under both the X-Men and Imperial Guard’s noses and also abduct Cyclops in the chaos. The film also borrows a story element from the animated series where the Starjammers’ leader Corsair (played by Kurt Russell) plans to use crystal as a bargaining chip and Cyclops as a weapon to destroy D’Ken.
Much like the animated series, the film dances around the fact that Corsair is Cyclops’ father and makes vague references to the character’s origins. Needless to say Corsair’s plan goes south as D’Ken double crosses him and attempts to seize the crystal, only for the X-Men to arrive to fight the Imperial Guard to a standstill. Meanwhile, Jean can sense Scott’s distress with her newly gained cosmic aware and immediately regains consciousness in front of a started Professor X before taking off to the Shi’ar Galaxy. She arrives too late as D’Ken opened a gateway into the the crystal that draw in himself, the X-Men, Imperial Guard, and Starjammers.
Adding to the stakes is that with the crystal’s energy lattice damaged, the neutron galaxy inside the crystal itself is slowly drawing the universe into it. Gladiator finally realizes his emperor’s madness and joins the X-Men in fighting a nearly omnipotent D’Ken. Using both Storm and Corsair (whose identity she learned via telepathic probe) as anchors, Phoenix repairs the crystal while at the same time trapping D’Ken’s consciousness inside the neutron galaxy and leaving his physical body catatonic. With the threat passed the X-Men return to Earth while Lilandra ascends to Empress of the Shi’ar.
Dark Phoenix, Part 1 also addresses one of the main criticisms of the first X-Men film: the lack of nuance of Magneto’s character and his friendship Xavier. The pair share something of a tender moment where Xavier sees Magneto off at the front of the mansion.
Part 1 ends with Scott and Jean walking side by side in Central Park with the Scott preparing to propose to her before the famous fountain. However, Jean finds herself overcome with dizziness and briefly finds herself in the arms of a man named Jason Wyngrade (played by Paul McGann) before the illusion fades and to discover that he is back in Scott’s arms. A concerned Scott asks if she is feeling all right, but Jean reassures him that it was nothing and ask that they move on. While they walk away, the camera pans out to reveal that someone was watching them from afar: Jason Wyngarde himself, setting up for part 2 of Dark Phoenix.
X-Men: The Dark Phoenix, Part 1 opened to rave reviews from both fan and critic alike on December 21, 2005, earning $162 million in its first five days and $427.6 million overall. Fans particularly praised Keifer Sutherland’s first full outing as Wolverine as well as film relative closeness to the storyline from both the comics and the 90s animated series. Meanwhile, critics lauded the film for its ambitious and cosmic scope that drew positive comparisons to Warner Bros.’ Justice League and Fox’s own Star Wars. 20th Century Fox felt more confident venturing into 2006 as the company released its own superhero slate on January 10 of that year, which included a confirmed release date for the long-planned Thor (May 2, 2008) as well as an untitled X-Men spinoff for that year as well, which insiders speculated was a solo Wolverine film.
What fueled further speculation was the appearance Captain America/Iron Man team-up code named “Tales of Suspense” for Summer 2009. While the studio was coy on the details, industry insiders said that the studio had not only entered negotiations for a multi-picture deal with not only Tom Cruise, but his Iron Man co-stars Aaron Eckhart and Lucy Liu, leading many to believe that an Avengers film was in the works for "2010 at the earliest.” Regardless of the rampant speculation, the studio’s fortunes were bright with the second part to Dark Phoenix and the long-awaited sequel to 1999’s Fantastic Four due for release in 2006.
-Tales From The Superhero Wars, sequentialhistory.net, November 11, 2010
X-Men: The Dark Phoenix, Part 1 picked up with where previous film left off with Jean Grey piloting the space shuttle through a radiation storm. Cyclops hears her screams and calls out to her while the other X-Men struggle to restrain him as the shuttle reenters Earth’s atmosphere and crashes into Jamaica Bay. The X-Men emerge from the water save for one, Jean, Cyclops refuses to accept that she’s gone and frantically searches while Wolverine attempts to pull him back as they need to get out of there before law enforcement has agents crawling over the place.
Their argument is cut short when they see a light at the bottom of the bay and a fiery raptor flies high into the the air and bathes the area in a bright light, revealing itself to be Jean, reborn as the Phoenix. She loses consciousness shortly thereafter and Nick Fury (another cameo from the ‘Hoff) spirits them back to the X-Mansion where Jean remains in the infirmary with Cyclops staying by her bedside. Lilandra reveals her backstory that her power mad brother, D’Ken (played by Christopher Ecceleston) is searching for the powerful M’Krann Crystal, which potentially destroy the universe in the wrong hands. She discovered its location and destroyed the historical records before she fled to Earth. However, D’Ken sent his agents after her.
One of the original problems with the original “Phoenix Saga” from Uncanny X-Men #101-108 is the episodic format did not suit a film adaptation. Wiseman discarded the confrontation with a brainwashed Havok and Polaris from Uncanny X-Men #97 and melded it with the confrontation with Magneto from Uncanny #104 where a brainwashed Master of Magnetism attacks the mansion. Due to scheduling conflicts, Rutger Hauer was not able to reprise the role. Thus Fox turned to David Hemblen (who voiced the character in the animated series) to reprise the role for live action.
After a brief battle with the X-Men, the children of the atom manage to remove Magneto’s helmet so that Xavier could reverse the brainwashing. Gladiator of the Imperial Guardian (played by Arnold Vosloo) arrives and plucks Lilandra up in the confusion despite Rogue and Colossus’ attempts to stop him. Magneto assists the X-Men (minus Cyclops) in tracking down the Shi’ar agent responsible for his brainwashing: Davan Shakari AKA Erik the Red (played by Ryan Reynolds) who proves to be a coward when Magneto threatens him. Magneto humiliates Shakari by stripping away his armour and leaves him naked in the wilderness while he and the X-Men take his ship, giving the film a little levity.
Before leaving Earth, the X-Men try to coax Cyclops into coming with them on their mission to save Lilandra. Cyclops refuses to leave Jean’s side, which leads to an altercation with Wolverine who Cyclops knocks the the wall with his optic blast. Wolvie unsheathes his claws, but Xavier steps in before the fight can escalate. Xavier reaches through Cyclops to reluctantly leaves to lead the X-Men (accompanied by Magneto) to Shi’ar space.
What follows is what can best be described as Raiders of the Lost Ark meets Star Wars where the X-Men find themselves in a race to not only rescue Lilandra, but find the M’Krann Crystal before D’Ken. However, their first engagement with the Imperial Guard does not go well as they can only fight them to a standstill. A third party known as the Starjammers swoop in to steal the crystal from under both the X-Men and Imperial Guard’s noses and also abduct Cyclops in the chaos. The film also borrows a story element from the animated series where the Starjammers’ leader Corsair (played by Kurt Russell) plans to use crystal as a bargaining chip and Cyclops as a weapon to destroy D’Ken.
Much like the animated series, the film dances around the fact that Corsair is Cyclops’ father and makes vague references to the character’s origins. Needless to say Corsair’s plan goes south as D’Ken double crosses him and attempts to seize the crystal, only for the X-Men to arrive to fight the Imperial Guard to a standstill. Meanwhile, Jean can sense Scott’s distress with her newly gained cosmic aware and immediately regains consciousness in front of a started Professor X before taking off to the Shi’ar Galaxy. She arrives too late as D’Ken opened a gateway into the the crystal that draw in himself, the X-Men, Imperial Guard, and Starjammers.
Adding to the stakes is that with the crystal’s energy lattice damaged, the neutron galaxy inside the crystal itself is slowly drawing the universe into it. Gladiator finally realizes his emperor’s madness and joins the X-Men in fighting a nearly omnipotent D’Ken. Using both Storm and Corsair (whose identity she learned via telepathic probe) as anchors, Phoenix repairs the crystal while at the same time trapping D’Ken’s consciousness inside the neutron galaxy and leaving his physical body catatonic. With the threat passed the X-Men return to Earth while Lilandra ascends to Empress of the Shi’ar.
Dark Phoenix, Part 1 also addresses one of the main criticisms of the first X-Men film: the lack of nuance of Magneto’s character and his friendship Xavier. The pair share something of a tender moment where Xavier sees Magneto off at the front of the mansion.
Part 1 ends with Scott and Jean walking side by side in Central Park with the Scott preparing to propose to her before the famous fountain. However, Jean finds herself overcome with dizziness and briefly finds herself in the arms of a man named Jason Wyngrade (played by Paul McGann) before the illusion fades and to discover that he is back in Scott’s arms. A concerned Scott asks if she is feeling all right, but Jean reassures him that it was nothing and ask that they move on. While they walk away, the camera pans out to reveal that someone was watching them from afar: Jason Wyngarde himself, setting up for part 2 of Dark Phoenix.
X-Men: The Dark Phoenix, Part 1 opened to rave reviews from both fan and critic alike on December 21, 2005, earning $162 million in its first five days and $427.6 million overall. Fans particularly praised Keifer Sutherland’s first full outing as Wolverine as well as film relative closeness to the storyline from both the comics and the 90s animated series. Meanwhile, critics lauded the film for its ambitious and cosmic scope that drew positive comparisons to Warner Bros.’ Justice League and Fox’s own Star Wars. 20th Century Fox felt more confident venturing into 2006 as the company released its own superhero slate on January 10 of that year, which included a confirmed release date for the long-planned Thor (May 2, 2008) as well as an untitled X-Men spinoff for that year as well, which insiders speculated was a solo Wolverine film.
What fueled further speculation was the appearance Captain America/Iron Man team-up code named “Tales of Suspense” for Summer 2009. While the studio was coy on the details, industry insiders said that the studio had not only entered negotiations for a multi-picture deal with not only Tom Cruise, but his Iron Man co-stars Aaron Eckhart and Lucy Liu, leading many to believe that an Avengers film was in the works for "2010 at the earliest.” Regardless of the rampant speculation, the studio’s fortunes were bright with the second part to Dark Phoenix and the long-awaited sequel to 1999’s Fantastic Four due for release in 2006.
-Tales From The Superhero Wars, sequentialhistory.net, November 11, 2010
- I really hope that there'll be a way to remove Hussein without making the country open to TTL's version of ISIS.
- I've got two ideas for the Pixar superhero movie. One where a dorky comic book geek gets superpowers. Frankly, a more heroic version of Jason Lee's Syndrome performance would fit the movie perfectly. The other idea would simply be a Pixar version of Megamind.
- Hopefully, the increased success rate of video game movies means that there's a chance of a genuine masterpiece being adapted from a video game.
Yeah, he plays the starring role ITTL. Jessica Alba plays the role that Jessica Biel did IOTL.
I would've kept Biel personally. (I may be in the minority, but I actually liked Stealth. Probably more for the cool jets and Jessica Biel than anything else.)
As a massive Doctor Who nut, yes. I'd say go for it. If you can find the right roles then of course. Also now that Billie's a big movie star it'd be neat to see her in one. Jane Foster or such a role would work.
I like the idea of Billie Piper as Jane Foster, I will have to put that in my notes. I still don't have any ideas for who should play Thor though. :\
As for Matt Smith, I'm fancying the idea of casting him as Brainiac 5 in the coming Legion of Super-Heroes film.
Think it might be interesting to have Peter Capaldi play a villain in the Captain America/Iron Man team-up.
Capaldi should definitely play Justin Hammer. As much as I liked the Sam Rockwell Hammer Capaldi would be more true to the source material.
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