Dark Phoenix (2019 Film) Review
With the current "X-Men" franchise living on borrowed time, does "Dark Phoenix" give this iteration a proper sendoff?Set in 1992, "Dark Phoenix" takes place nine years after its predecessor, "X-Men: Apocalypse." During the X-Men's rescue of a space shuttle crew, a mysterious force hits Jean Grey, amplifying her powers drastically. While trying to control her powers, Jean accidentally kills Mystique, dividing the X-Men into two. While one side believes Jean can be saved, the other thinks she should be killed. Meanwhile, an alien race called the D'Bari find Jean, intending to convince her to unleash her otherworldly power upon the world.
Many cast members from previous "X-Men" films reprise their roles, with Sophie Turner taking center stage as Jean Grey/Phoenix. Joining her are James McAvoy (Charles Xavier/Professor X), Michael Fassbender (Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto), Jennifer Lawrence (Raven Darkhölme/Mystique), Nicholas Holt (Hank McCoy/Beast), Tye Sheridan (Scott Summers/Cyclops, Alexandra Shipp (Ororo Munroe/Storm), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler), and Evan Peters (Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver). Jessica Chastain plays the leader of the D'Bari, Vuk.
Simon Kinberg, a writer and producer on many previous "X-Men" movies, got his chance to direct with "Dark Phoenix" being his debut gig. He, alone, wrote the film, but produced it with Hutch Parker and Lauren Shuler Donner. "Dark Phoenix" was distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Isn't that a weird notion: an "X-Men" film distributed by Disney.
Overall Thoughts
Truth be told, I had low expectations for "Dark Phoenix." Initially, I had some hopes for the film, but after hearing about the extensive reshoots and the bad buzz going into the movie, I thought it was going to be a complete flop. So imagine my surprise when I came out of the theater finding that I marginally enjoyed myself. "Dark Phoenix" is no "Days of Future Past" or "First Class" - my two favorite "X-Men" movies - but the movie's marketing made it look like this was going to be a bomb on the level of 2015's "Fantastic Four." Kinberg's directorial debut lacks any distinct style, but the filmmaker does liven up the "X-Men" franchise by doing something different.
I found it refreshing that an "X-Men" movie - not including the "Wolverine" and "Deadpool" spin-offs - be about something other than the traditional "Mutant vs Humanity" prejudice that's been a staple of the franchise since day one. Despite making some previous films thoughtful and moving, because they've relied on it too much, it's gotten old. In "Dark Phoenix," mutants are actually accepted by the rest of society and the X-Men as looked up to as heroes. That's something that I've never seen in an "X-Men" film before and I appreciated the diversity.
Unfortunately, not all tropes of the franchise are abandoned. Once again, we have to listen to Charles and Erik debate what to do with Jean, what's the ethical course of action and what's not, and it's the same tired debate we've sat through before. Kinberg keeps those scenes brief, but that only makes it puzzling as to why he'd do it again if nothing new is being said between the two characters. The writing is particularly lazy when it comes to creating conflict between main characters and there's dialogue that blatantly foreshadows events, thus ruining the surprise. The writing is good when it comes to the story as Jean's journey is not lacking any heart or emotion, and its success can be attributed to the cast.
Before this film, I never cared about Jean Grey. When Famke Janssen played her in the original trilogy, her only purpose was to be a part of a love triangle between Logan and Scott, never receiving much of a role beyond that. Sophie Turner's introduction as the character in "Apocalypse" was a rough start. However, because of Turner's performance, "Dark Phoenix" finally made me invested in her character. Her dialogue tended to be a bit platitude, but Turner's delivery gave it a necessary emotional punch. No doubt, this story would've been more emotionally impactful if it was built up better, but I was surprised that the film got me as invested as it did.
James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender have never failed their characters and they don't start now, despite occasionally saying an unintentionally awkward or meta line. Coming off his performance in "Ready Player One," Tye Sheridan improved as Scott Summers this time around. This film finally made me understand his value to the team and the usefulness of his mutation. Ororo Munroe and Kurt Wagner had some good, noteworthy moments that, while short, helped give them much-needed personalities. Nicholas Holt has been an underrated part of this franchise as Hank McCoy, but "Dark Phoenix" allows him to do try something different, with successful results. Not that he's terrible in the film, but I was disappointed by the lack of Evan Peters as Pietro Maximoff. The character has been a highlight of the last two movies, but he's injured early on in the film and disappears from it altogether. We never see him again.
With Jennifer Lawrence, it's been clear for some time that she does not enjoy playing Raven. Sure, she's entitled to her opinion, but if you're playing Mystique, play Mystique. So much for being "Mutant and proud," because for a majority of her screen time, Lawrence is either walking around the set as herself, or she's wearing the blue makeup, which looks incredibly low-budget for a $200 million-dollar movie. At this point, there's no point to her looking a certain way because the actress has micro-managed the part so much that the character has lost its identity in this franchise. Raven's death, which I'm not sorry about spoiling because the trailers already gave it away, is so cheap. You can easily tell how the decision was made. Simon Kinberg must have been looking for a character to kill and Lawrence volunteered herself to get out as soon as possible. Don't get me wrong, Lawrence puts in an effort, but it's out of obligation and not dedication.
Jessica Chastain's Vuk and the other D'Bari are the worst part of the movie. Chastain is underutilized in the part, reduced to playing a sickly, monotone antagonist. The D'Bari's true form is muddled and kept in shadow, making it difficult to tell exactly what they are, outside of a watered-down version of the Skrulls. It's that lack of vision that makes it clear from the start that their inclusion is just to provided a threat for the X-Men to fight once Jean inevitably comes to her senses.
Though pointless, the action sequences are well done, particularly the climatic, third-act fight sequence, involving our heroes fighting the D'Bari on-board a train. There's something bittersweet about seeing these iterations of the X-Men working together one last time. It may be in an average film, but I liked seeing it nonetheless. The CGI is uneven at times, but it does bring to life some beautiful yet haunting imagery.
To be fully transparent, when I heard rumors that this movie was going to be cancelled, a primary reason why I wanted it to be released was because I knew that Hans Zimmer was composing the score for the film, and if the film's cancelled, we don't hear that score. It was worth it as Zimmer's work is one of the film's best qualities, though it's not hard to stand out amid a bunch of mediocrity. It fits into his signature style as a composer, giving off an "Inception" vibe towards the end while still remaining its own thing. The music is nothing too innovative, but you can tell Zimmer was passionate about what he was composing. If only the other people helping to make this movie were as dedicated.
I found it refreshing that an "X-Men" movie - not including the "Wolverine" and "Deadpool" spin-offs - be about something other than the traditional "Mutant vs Humanity" prejudice that's been a staple of the franchise since day one. Despite making some previous films thoughtful and moving, because they've relied on it too much, it's gotten old. In "Dark Phoenix," mutants are actually accepted by the rest of society and the X-Men as looked up to as heroes. That's something that I've never seen in an "X-Men" film before and I appreciated the diversity.
Unfortunately, not all tropes of the franchise are abandoned. Once again, we have to listen to Charles and Erik debate what to do with Jean, what's the ethical course of action and what's not, and it's the same tired debate we've sat through before. Kinberg keeps those scenes brief, but that only makes it puzzling as to why he'd do it again if nothing new is being said between the two characters. The writing is particularly lazy when it comes to creating conflict between main characters and there's dialogue that blatantly foreshadows events, thus ruining the surprise. The writing is good when it comes to the story as Jean's journey is not lacking any heart or emotion, and its success can be attributed to the cast.
The Cast
Before this film, I never cared about Jean Grey. When Famke Janssen played her in the original trilogy, her only purpose was to be a part of a love triangle between Logan and Scott, never receiving much of a role beyond that. Sophie Turner's introduction as the character in "Apocalypse" was a rough start. However, because of Turner's performance, "Dark Phoenix" finally made me invested in her character. Her dialogue tended to be a bit platitude, but Turner's delivery gave it a necessary emotional punch. No doubt, this story would've been more emotionally impactful if it was built up better, but I was surprised that the film got me as invested as it did.
James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender have never failed their characters and they don't start now, despite occasionally saying an unintentionally awkward or meta line. Coming off his performance in "Ready Player One," Tye Sheridan improved as Scott Summers this time around. This film finally made me understand his value to the team and the usefulness of his mutation. Ororo Munroe and Kurt Wagner had some good, noteworthy moments that, while short, helped give them much-needed personalities. Nicholas Holt has been an underrated part of this franchise as Hank McCoy, but "Dark Phoenix" allows him to do try something different, with successful results. Not that he's terrible in the film, but I was disappointed by the lack of Evan Peters as Pietro Maximoff. The character has been a highlight of the last two movies, but he's injured early on in the film and disappears from it altogether. We never see him again.
With Jennifer Lawrence, it's been clear for some time that she does not enjoy playing Raven. Sure, she's entitled to her opinion, but if you're playing Mystique, play Mystique. So much for being "Mutant and proud," because for a majority of her screen time, Lawrence is either walking around the set as herself, or she's wearing the blue makeup, which looks incredibly low-budget for a $200 million-dollar movie. At this point, there's no point to her looking a certain way because the actress has micro-managed the part so much that the character has lost its identity in this franchise. Raven's death, which I'm not sorry about spoiling because the trailers already gave it away, is so cheap. You can easily tell how the decision was made. Simon Kinberg must have been looking for a character to kill and Lawrence volunteered herself to get out as soon as possible. Don't get me wrong, Lawrence puts in an effort, but it's out of obligation and not dedication.
Jessica Chastain's Vuk and the other D'Bari are the worst part of the movie. Chastain is underutilized in the part, reduced to playing a sickly, monotone antagonist. The D'Bari's true form is muddled and kept in shadow, making it difficult to tell exactly what they are, outside of a watered-down version of the Skrulls. It's that lack of vision that makes it clear from the start that their inclusion is just to provided a threat for the X-Men to fight once Jean inevitably comes to her senses.
To be fully transparent, when I heard rumors that this movie was going to be cancelled, a primary reason why I wanted it to be released was because I knew that Hans Zimmer was composing the score for the film, and if the film's cancelled, we don't hear that score. It was worth it as Zimmer's work is one of the film's best qualities, though it's not hard to stand out amid a bunch of mediocrity. It fits into his signature style as a composer, giving off an "Inception" vibe towards the end while still remaining its own thing. The music is nothing too innovative, but you can tell Zimmer was passionate about what he was composing. If only the other people helping to make this movie were as dedicated.
Rating: ★★½
Though it features good performances, decent technical designs, and has a solid heart, "Dark Phoenix" is a less-than ideal end to a nineteen-year run of "X-Men" movies.
"Dark Phoenix" is worth seeing for a selective group of people. If you're a superhero film fan, this does the job, but only until the next one comes out. If you're a die-hard "X-Men" fan, you're going to be disappointed, but if you're a casual fan like me, you may have a good time. As for anyone else, this is not worth paying to see in the theater. I don't think that it's worth the expense, especially with many films coming soon that will hopefully be better than this one.
Conclusion
This has been my review of "Dark Phoenix." I hope you enjoyed this review. Have you seen the film? If you have, tell me what you thought in the comments below. In addition, feel free to recommend a film for me to review next. Thanks for reading, I'm Dallin, your resident film fanatic, and I'll return soon with another editorial.
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