In honor of Mulan coming out on Disney+, we are gonna take a look at and rank the Best Ever Movies with a Phoenix in Them. Let us know @SiftPop what your ranking is!
Do you like epic fantasy that’s fun for the whole family? Good, then you’ll probably enjoy 2005’s film adaption of the children’s classic, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. The film takes place in the middle of WWII where 4 siblings must take shelter on the English countryside. During their stay, they come across an enchanted wardrobe that transports them to the magical world of Narnia. This film has everything you could ask for in a family film: heart, comedy, adventure, but above all it has a great message on redemption and coming together as a family to conquer any—and all—evil that stands in the way of good. (Ben Davis)
After the large success of X-Men in 2000, Bryan Singer once again hopped in the director’s chair to helm X2: X-Men United. Taking place several months later, a strong anti-mutant sentiment accelerates to new heights due to a mutant named Nightcrawler. After he makes an attempt on the President’s life, the ruthless Colonel William Stryker is called in to take care of the mutant threat and an unlikely alliance is struck between the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Mutants. One of the more intriguing aspects of the film is Logan striking out on his own to figure out his fragmented past, but he finds little evidence on his journey. During the insanity that takes place during the raid on the School of Gifted Youngsters, Logan comes face to face with a familiar figure in Stryker. The raid on the School is one of the most memorable action scenes in the film and would be the first time we would see Wolverine go absolutely berserk with him dispatching heavily armed mercenaries in terrific fashion. Another prominent plotpoint is Jean Grey having fluxes in her abilities and the early signs of her becoming the all powerful, Phoenix. At the end of the film, we are shown the reflection of a fiery phoenix while Xavier provides a poignant voiceover about Mutantkind. (Joe Vargas)
The longest Harry Potter book makes for the shortest Harry Potter movie. If you judge an adaptation by how well it sticks to each letter of the book, then I guess this is a bad thing, but I think it shows just how well and tightly The Order of the Phoenix was adapted. While each movie in this series is thematically deep, this one is unique. When Harry is at his lowest, he has to rise (much like a phoenix) to overcome his struggles. Plus, the movie raises the stakes higher than they’ve ever been, the actors continue to improve, and there’s a one-on-one duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort to give you all the visually arresting action you’d want from a movie like this. The later movies in the Harry Potter franchise are at a whole new level of quality and I think The Order of the Phoenix kicks off their ability to soar. (Robert Bouffard)
I’m sure you’ve heard the famous lines of “you, you complete me” , or “you had me at hello”, but have you actually sat down to watch the best film of 1996 and Best Picture nominee? Jerry Maguire stars Tom Cruise as the titular character; a sports agent who grew a conscience and is ousted by the company he works for after he pens a heartfelt memo to the entire company. In retaliation, he starts his own agency with single-mother Dorothy Boyd with one sports star in football player Rod Tidwell. During this time, Jerry and Dorothy fall in love as they must try to balance their personal and professional relationship. Jerry Maguire is absolutely magical to me. I’m a sucker for a good romance that pulls at the heartstrings, and this certainly does just that. This gem of a film also has one of the best songs ever attached to a film with Secret Garden by the boss himself, Bruce Springsteen. So sit back, relax, and “show me the money”. (Ben Davis)
I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone? When I think of coming of age movies, there are a couple that come to mind, but none lingers as strongly as Stand By Me. The story, based on a Stephen King novella The Body, is simple: a group of four 12-year-old friends embark on an overnight journey to go see a dead body. But the experiences they encounter and share are what make this movie so special. For pure sake of wanting you to experience this yourself, if you have seen it, you already know what I’m talking about, but for those of you who don’t just pop it in without seeing a trailer first. Directed by Rob Reiner in his stunning run of films and led by an all-star cast including Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell, Kiefer Sutherland, and Richard Dryfuss. River Phoenix stands out as the most special thing about this movie. (Aaron Schweitzer)
They never said the movie couldn’t take place in a city called Phoenix, right? The Coen Brothers capture high energy and perfect quirk in this zippy little comedy called Raising Arizona. The film hits so many boxes for the Coens, including a crazy bunch of characters, a dry wit, and an absurd world. Nic Cage is at his comedic best as the loveable loser who tries to bring joy to his infertile wife by kidnapping one of the “Arizona Quints”. What could possibly go wrong with this situation? Plenty can according to this film as his former jail mates come knocking all while being tracked by a bounty hunter straight out of the apocalypse. Want a crazy and over-the-top romp with dry humor and quirky rednecks? Give Raising Arizona a watch! (Shane Conto)
Her is easily one of my favorite movies of all time. There are very few films that I think define the word “perfection”, and Her just lives up to its standards for me. The film takes place in the not too distant future where a writer named Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) develops a romantic relationship with his operating system named Samantha (Scarlett Johansson). What I find amazing is how you buy easily into Phoenix and Johansson’s performance as you really feel that romantic connection between these two. It’s what carries most of this movie and the writing is a delight. I also wanna mention how beautiful this movie looks, and how great the world building is. It just feels like a movie that hasn’t been made yet. Also, I’d like to mention the score for the movie by Arcade Fire. Other than the movie itself, I’d also recommend that as well. (Alex Henderson)
It may be Russell Crowe in the lead role, but we wouldn’t care nearly as much as we do about Maximus’ quest for vengeance if we didn’t hate Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus so much. He’s whiny, entitled and downright creepy.
As satisfying as the vengeance speech is, as much for the words as Commodus’ reaction, Phoenix almost immediately puts us back on edge as he starts scheming. Thanks to great makeup work, we literally get to see the deterioration of the emperor’s mental state. He makes us not only fear for Maximus, but for Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and Lucius (Spencer Treat Clark) as well. We’re not quite sure what Commodus will do next as his mental state continues to slide downhill.
The role earned Phoenix his first Oscar nomination. Two decades later, it remains one of his most memorable roles. (Jake Bourgeois)
While anyone who studies archaeology will tell you it’s not a guide for the job, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is one of the better Spielberg movies and is quite the enjoyable ride from beginning to end. The third film (and possibly the best) of the Indiana Jones saga, Harrison Ford returns as the iconic Doctor Henry “Indiana” Jones as he is teamed up with an unlikely partner: his father, Henry Jones Sr. (Sean Connery). Starting out with portraying Henry Jones in his youth (with River Phoenix cast as the young Jones), this movie not only shows how the iconic character became what he is, but it shows his unique relationship with his father on a quest to beat the Nazi’s to discover an item Senor has spent his entire life searching for: The Holy Grail (which, for my money, is probably in a castle guarded by a very rude French knight). While I don’t like how Brody has transformed to a bumbling fool who gets lost in his own museum, the return of John Rhys-Davies as Sallah is quite a refresher of the first movie, along with plenty of new characters that you meet along the way. The greatest message this film teaches isn’t connected to artifacts and their material worth, despite Indiana’s mantra that items belong in a museum, but to personal relationships and what is more important to you in life. (Joseph Davis)
Alfred Hitchcock’s landmark psychological horror-thriller, Psycho, which is based on Robert Bloch’s novel of the same name, is one of those movies that’s been discussed and dissected to death, but it’s impossible to not still be talking about it. For those of you oddballs who haven’t seen it (please change that immediately), the story begins in Phoenix, Arizona, where secretary Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) runs away with stolen money and ends up at the Bates Motel during a storm, where she meets the nervous and fidgety owner, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). Crane and Perkins give two outstanding performances, providing unsettling interactions as Marion tries to understand Norman, all while the latter seems to regress deeper and deeper into his dark psychosis. While Hitchcock has given audiences so many amazing movies, Psycho represents his finest hour, providing audiences with the thrills and chills of a lifetime and pushing the boundaries of what can be shown on screen. If you love this movie (how could you not?), I urge you to check out Sacha Gervasi’s biopic Hitchcock, which is about the making of Psycho, and Alexandre O. Philippe’s documentary, 78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene, which details the making of the film’s most iconic sequence. With Halloween coming up in less than two months, now is as a good of a time as ever to watch and celebrate this enduring classic. (Vincent Abbatecola)
Honorable Mentions:
Joker
“I used to think that my life was a tragedy, but now I realize, it’s a comedy.”
We heard his story all before, but nothing like this. Joker shows the gritty, dark reimagining of struggling comedian Arthur Fleck before he slips into madness and becomes the infamous baddie Joker. It’s not your typical, over the top, comic book adaptation. It shows a rough 1980s Gotham. The rich are getting richer, and the poor getting poorer. All Fleck wants to do is spread joy and laughter and in return, he’s made fun of, bullied, and isolated from the world, making him turn on the world that chewed him up and spit him out. Arthur Fleck is portrayed by the multifaceted Joaquin Phoenix. This man had the best performance of 2019 as the mentally unstable man who just wants to be wanted in this crazy world. From the beginning to end, you watch Phoenix steal the screen as he slowly cracks as the man becomes the criminally insane supervillain. It was pretty evident he was going to take home the Oscar for best actor, and he did. It was definitely deserving because he killed this character. It is definitely my favorite DC comics standalone film. I honestly don’t know how Phoenix can top this role. And in a way, when you think about it: his characterization of Fleck is like a phoenix being reborn again. (Chantal Ashford)
Walk the Line
Who could possibly bring the legendary country star, Johnny Cash, to life on the silver screen? Well, the extremely talented and versatile Joaquin Phoenix surely rose to the occasion and provided a career changing performance. James Mangold shows his directorial chops with this music biopic, Walk the Line. Mangold brings a classic Hollywood feel to his films, including this biopic, which takes a hard look at the career and vices of Cash. Phoenix does all of his own singing and delivers deep voiced and powerful performances of all of Johnny Cash’s tunes. You get to see the highs of his career, his relationship with his soon-to-be wife, and the depths of addiction that almost took it all away. If you want to see a phoenix soar, check out this fantastic biopic. (Shane Conto)
Fantasia
I feel like everyone’s seen Fantasia. Whether it’s a vague memory from their childhood, or something that they watch regularly in order to revisit the magic, it truly is something that perfectly shows off Disney’s technicolor wonder. A series of vignettes, some with a clear narrative and others more about its conceptual beauty, the Phoenix is just another example of Disney’s marvel of cinema (see what I did there!). The stunning colours paired with some instantly recognisable music, Fantasia is one that everyone should check out at some point in their life. A little bit of history, paired with some wonder and some fantastical animation, it’s a must for any film fan. However, keep in mind, the younger you see it, the more it’s likely to traumatise, but even that’s a classic part of Disney right?! (Alice Micheli)
Also See: Flight of the Phoenix, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, Hotel Rwanda, Inherent Vice, My Own Private Idaho, Signs, The Master, The Mosquito Coast, The Village, We Own the Night, You Were Never Really Here