“Dark Phoenix” Never Rises from the Ashes – Movie Review

Directed by Simon Kinberg, Dark Phoenix is the twelfth installment in the X-Men film franchise. But it’s the fourth film in the rebooted series. So it’s kind of like it it’s the fourth installment. Wait, does Deadpool count? Maybe this is only the eleventh. I don’t know. This series is confusing. Continuing the prequel series, Dark Phoenix boasts an enormous ensemble, including Sophie Turner, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, and newcomer to the franchise, Jessica Chastain.

When the X-Men embark on a rescue mission in space, they encounter a solar flare – a cosmic force that threatens their lives. Trying to contain it is almost too much for Jean Grey (Turner) to handle and she ends up absorbing the energy from it. When she returns to the team, Jean seems okay but is undergoing physiological changes to become the Phoenix.

The Phoenix is an all powerful mutant whose abilities are beyond any that the franchise has seen thus far. She can fly, she can manipulate objects, and she can even prevent Professor X (McAvoy) from controlling her mind. As Jean is becoming overwhelmed by her powers, she learns some dark secrets from her past, which lead to her leaving the X-Mansion to seek guidance.

“The Phoenix is an all powerful mutant whose abilities are beyond any that the franchise has seen thus far.”

All the while, the leader of an alien race (Chastain) has taken human form and seeks to use Phoenix’s powers in order to regain control of the universe.

After X-Men: Days of Future Past, the franchise appeared to be going in an exciting new direction. With X-Men: Apocalypse, the franchise took a little bit of a hit. It saddens me to say that Dark Phoenix continues the downward spiral, as it is a mixed bag of ideas that only sometimes sparks excitement.

The standouts in Dark Phoenix, like the last couple X-Men films, are McAvoy and Fassbender. Both actors breathe life into the scenes in which they appear. At this point, they are very familiar with their roles and it’s that confidence that really helps their scenes feel more natural. Additionally, they just continue to be head and shoulders above their co-stars, in terms of their abilities to develop their characters. It’s not completely the fault of the other actors – the focus of the previous movies being on others have made it difficult to connect with them. The franchise knows that its stars are McAvoy, Fassbender, and Lawrence (who, in Dark Phoenix, appears to want to be anywhere else). Unfortunately, they have highlighted those three to the detriment of the rest of the cast.

“[McAvoy and Fassbender] breathe life into the scenes in which they appear.”

Dark Phoenix rests on the shoulders of Turner, who gets her first lead role. Turner is good as Jean Grey but cannot rise above the writing, which makes some of her dialogue sound awkward and out of place. She does the best that she can but I wish that she had been given more to work with. Her character experiences a lot of change and a lot of hurt in the film, both physiologically but also in terms of her view of the world. This should have allowed for Turner to showcase an array of emotions. The screenplay is just too bland for those emotions to come across strongly.

The film does deserve credit for diving deeper into the relationship between Professor X and Jean Grey. We get to see the origin of their relationship, which helps further explain the father-daughter dynamic they share. Understanding their relationship is pivotal to understanding the enormity of what happens throughout the film. Even though the execution leaves more to be desired, the foundation that it is built on is strong.

“… the execution leaves more to be desired, the foundation that it is built on is strong.”

Dark Phoenix also has several impressive fight scenes. During the last hour of the film, there are two different scenes that stand out in this regard. Each character has their own unique abilities that help them survive. Despite their differences in ability, the group remains a team. The X-Men utilize their mutant powers in such different ways while still working as a cohesive unit with a common goal. This comes across really well and makes the second half of the film flow a lot more smoothly. Unfortunately, it is not enough to make up for the first half.

Dark Phoenix had potential. It had a lot of potential. The cast is great, the action is fun, and the story, on paper, is really compelling. These parts never truly come together to form a whole that is as good as it should be. It’s unfortunate that this is the last film in this particular version of the series. The series started out with so much promise in 2011 with First Class. Eight years later, Dark Phoenix closes it out. Not with a bang, but with a whimper.

Check out more of our movie reviews!