50 God-Tier Acting Moments Buried in Bad Movies
42. Hank Confronts Charles - Dark Phoenix
X-Men: Dark Phoenix was a disaster, a tragic end to an often-great superhero franchise. Like many a superhero dud before it, this one was mangled in the edit, and the result was a great big load of blandness that didn't offer anything even remotely resembling a satisfying ending.
Nevertheless, no one could blame the actors, who were all doing their best. Perhaps the key selling point of the X-Men films has always been the stacked ensemble cast, and that was once again the case here. The best example of this was the scene where Hank McCoy (Nicholas Hoult) and Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) argue over the recent death of Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), with whom Hank was in a relationship.
It's one hell of a hard-hitting scene that reminds you of the thought-provoking character drama the best X-Men movies provided. Hank, tearful and heartbroken, furiously berates Charles and blames him for Mystique's death, while Charles tries, with limited success, to remain stoic in the face of Hank's accusations, although, thanks to McAvoy's nuanced performance, it can clearly be seen that Hank's accusations are tearing him apart inside.
Whoever takes over these roles in the future, they should take notes from these guys. They really did a great job, even when stuck in the cinematic sinking ship that was Dark Phoenix.