Jean Grey is exposed to a powerful cosmic force that turns her evil,
forcing the X-Men to choose between saving her and saving humanity. ACTION/SCI-FI
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Dark Phoenix (2019)Written and Directed by Simon Kinberg
Starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Sophie Turner, Jessica Chastain, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, Evan Peters, Kodi Smit-McPhee Sequel to 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse Based on characters from Marvel Comics |
This is a series that should have ended on the high point that was Logan. Instead, they wanted to keep the main series going due to the looming Disney buy-out and we ended up with Dark Phoenix. The former was a definite conclusion to a beloved character and franchise. The latter is a weak starting point for future installments which will never happen. And it’s not like the signs were there. Longtime producer, Simon Kinberg was coming onboard to make this his first writing and directing gig. The film ended up getting delayed right before its original release. And the trailers weren’t exactly mind blowing. But, I’m a completionist. And I had to see how Fox intended to wrap this series up. Especially since the more interesting sounding X-Men film keeps getting delayed. Well, before I go into more detail, I can basically say that I look forward to what Marvel does with this now that they have it.
So, unfortunately, one of the main problems with this film does lie with Kinberg. I get this is his first time writing and directing his own movie. And he’s been with this franchise since the beginning. But, they should have either let him do something else first or assisted him during the process of making this installment. There are some noticeable technical errors like weird editing moments and the camera not seeming to know where it wants to go. This also extends to the film’s action scenes and acting. The former lacks any real flair, with most of the fighting being quite boring to watch. First time I’ve watched a superhero movie where people being flung around with the flick of a wrist was boring. As for the aforementioned acting, either the script was bad, or the actors weren’t trying. Either way, they lack any real emotion and seemed painfully uninterested in the story. I hate to rag on Kinberg so much here, but his inexperience is the main thing dragging this installment down. We were told this was going to be the installment that would fix the Phoenix storyline they had already screwed up once. Instead, we have a second strike with this story and a whimper of an ending to a 19-year-old franchise. Fox has done a mostly good job with X-Men up to this point. But, like I said at the beginning, they should have left it alone with Logan. Now, the real question is if Marvel will attempt their own Phoenix storyline. They finally got Punisher right recently. So, we’ll see. |
Dark Phoenix was doomed from the start. Multiple reshoots, changing the release date several times, a forced rewrite of the ending, and Disney buying 20th Century Fox all contributed towards the steep decline of this film's quality. Frankly speaking, I don't think anyone's heart was truly in it anymore. Every cast member was contracted for four movies, meaning that this was it. Knowing there was no chance of a sequel due to the merger and the fact that they were pretty much done with it, every single actor phones it in big time. These are actors I adore playing characters I grew up with. Nobody wanted to enjoy this movie more than I did. That just makes it harder to admit how much it sucked.
Sophie Turner is the only one who seems to give a damn, and her performance as Jean Grey is admirable. McAvoy's Professor X is a far cry from our hero in the past few movies. In this one, he's a manipulative, conniving control freak who alienates the X-Men. Fassbender's Magneto is inconsequential to the story and just kinda has to be there. Lawrence's Mystique looks completely different and serves only as a plot device. The rest of the X-Men just shuffle from one scene to the next, except for Quicksilver (Evan Peters), who just vanishes about halfway through the film. Jessica Chastain's enigmatic alien villain is horrendously one-dimensional and I don't even remember her character's name. I could go on, but I won't. Dark Phoenix will forever be known as the worst X-Men film by far. It's a film that everyone involved gave up on and audiences didn't care about. Hell, they even dropped "X-Men" from the damn title for no other reason except to just irritate people like me. I can't wait to see what Marvel does with these characters in the MCU. And with this and that godawful Fantastic Four movie from 2015, I think Simon Kinberg should never be allowed to touch another comic book franchise. |