Dark Phoenix (2019)

Dark Phoenix is the last Fox installment into the superhero franchise that has the famous mutants battling Jean Grey, ruthless aliens and each other as she is all but consumed by a powerful cosmic force and becomes enraged, lashing out! Elements of the prior attempt at this story are recycled and, while new characters are introduced (including a wasted Dazzler), much is lost in the chaos that strangely underwhelms in the end. Sad to see the series end; sadder still seeing it limp away in a bright puff of CGI fire.

Erik M.

As an X-Men movie it was okay. There were some good action scenes and character moments. But as another ill-advised attempt at adapting the iconic Dark Phoenix storyline from the comics, it was a complete failure.

Phaneron ★

The peculiar thing about “Dark Phoenix” is how it’s grown on me increasingly with each viewing. When I first watched the film, I felt cold. Hollow. I just didn’t much like it, and I found myself in agreement with a majority of the bad reviews. And yet, there was something about it that made me want to give it a second chance. And on a second viewing, I actually began to find little things about it that I liked. Nothing massive… just little moments and ideas here and there that appealed to me in their own ways. And on a third watch-through… I found even more about it that I liked. More character beats I enjoyed and more bits and pieces that caught me off guard. And this trend has only continued with my most recent visit to the film.

I don’t think there will ever be an “ah-ha!” moment where I suddenly view “Dark Phoneix” as a particularly good film… but after having sat through it four times, I honestly have to say, I think it’s perfectly watchable. And in a way, even enjoyable despite its faults. Though it suffers a dull pace for much of its first half and feels a bit clunky in its execution, I genuinely think the third act is pretty darned fantastic, and there are enough flashes of brilliance to make it worth at least a one-time watch for longtime fans of the 20th Century Fox “X-Men” series. Just go in knowing it’s a bit of a bumpy ride.

After she is exposed to a mysterious storm in outer space, Jean Grey’s latent powers begin to manifest in new and terrifying ways, threatening to destroy both the X-Men and the delicate balance of power between the humans and the mutants. At the same time, members of an alien race arrive on earth, seeking out Jean for their own dark purposes.

Written and directed by series veteran Simon Kinberg in his feature directorial debut, the film is certainly an odd beast all things considered. The story goes that this particular retelling of the Dark Phoenix saga was meant to be an epic two part film, only for the studio to cave in and force Kinberg to combine the scripts into one single movie. And I think you can kind of tell watching it- at times the movie feels like an abridged version of a much larger story, with some plotlines and character beats feeling rushed. A big casualty of this is Jessica Chastain’s character, who sometimes feels like an afterthought despite being a major player. And yet, the movie also sort-of meanders, which is its greatest flaw. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that this is Kinberg’s first film as a director… he doesn’t quite understand how to properly pace scenes visually and sometimes he gets a little lost in the proceedings. This is especially evident in the first half of the film, which can drag quite a bit. And I think that’s honestly where the movie loses people- the fact that the story is severely cut down and the pacing being a bit wonky early on. That was certainly my experience the first time I watched the film- it lost me in the first act. And it really does drag the whole film down a few pegs.

But as I said, something just compelled me to give the film another chance… and once I did, I began to discover quite a few things I liked about the film. As is always the case with the “X-Men” franchise, the performances are generally top notch. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender light up the screen once again as Charles Xavier and Megneto, and put in excellent work. I felt McAvoy especially shined, as the movie took some big risks with his character that I enjoyed- this is a different Xavier than we’ve seen before. And despite splitting audiences, I genuinely liked Sophie Turner as Jean… I felt she did an admirable job showing the character’s transformation. Jessica Chastain, Nicholas Hoult and Tye Sheridan also put in some very good work as our supporting players despite sometimes being lost in the shuffle of the story. And heck, say what you will about Jennifer Lawrence and how she phones in her performance in a few scenes… with her somewhat reduced role and the film’s greater focus on the ensemble, I actually didn’t mind her too much.

I also felt that there were quite a few genuinely great scenes peppered throughout the film that kept my interest on re-watches. In particular, I have to commend the film for a thrilling climax that may be one of the series best- a prolonged sequence set on a moving train in which our heroes all get a moment to shine, and their powers are used in clever ways. It may feel smaller in scope than other scenes in the franchise, but I actually kind of appreciated that. This is a more intimate story, so a more intimate final battle felt appropriate. I also really enjoyed an early scene where the X-Men have to save a group of astronauts… it was fun seeing the X-Men going on an actual “adventure,” and the scene felt very “comic-booky” in a way the movies generally have not. And I genuinely liked how the movie handled some of the characters. Particularly Xavier, who is a bit more ambiguous and dubious, having grown a little too prideful and arrogant after so many great successes. It was a fun way to take a character and give him a new arc to contend with.

In the end, I just can’t say that I hate the film anymore. I don’t want to appear contrarian just for the sake of it-- that’s just the way I feel. It does enough interesting things that it holds my interest. And I’ve found I enjoy it a little more every time I watch it.

I’m giving “Dark Phoenix” a middle-of-the-road but totally watchable 2.5 out of 5. (Bumping it up to a 3 for MovieMistakes.) I’d honestly suggest leaving any preconceived notions you may have about the film at the door and giving the film a fair shot. And if you’ve already seen it? Well I’d say give it another chance like I did.

TedStixon

4. 2/10. Perhaps the worst now in the franchise followed by X-Men Origins:Wolverine and X-Men 3:The Last Stand. It's a lame second attempt, obviously, to do the Dark Phoenix storyline only done even worse. I would say everyone's wasted here, looking bored. If there's a bright spot it's when that now overrated Jennifer Lawrence's Mystique gets killed early on.

Rob245