«This is the way the world ends, not with a bang, but a whimper.»
T. S. Eliot
Hey Guys.
First and foremost, I want to apologise for not writing in almost three weeks, I have been very diligent, and recently I went back to film school, so there is a lot I need to take care of. But now, I have returned from that and I just saw one of the first movies of the summer blockbusters season of 2019.
And that movie is…
«X:MEN – DARK PHOENIX»
Yeah. I am well aware that the movie is officially called Dark Phoenix, but I prefer to include «X-men» in the title, so it will remind me how fantastic the original storyline is, and how precious and significant is for the comics in general.
Which is, sadly, more than what I can say about this movie.
Now, on to the review.
IS THIS HOW A FRANCHISE SHOULD END?
Literally, I just came back from the cinema after watching Dark Phoenix, and I could choose any other movie; we have interesting features (Godzilla; King of the Monsters, MIB International, Aladdin, Detective Pikachu, Secret Life of Pets II, etc.), however, since people keep talking bad about Dark Phoenix, some calling it the worst movie of the world, I decided to give money and see it by myself.
And personally… it makes me sad. This was a very disappointing way to end the X-Men film series, and the fact that next year we will see New Mutants (that’s the name of the movie) is irrelevant. This movie could have been better. Could have been bigger. It could have done what Avengers: Endgame did to the MCU’s Infinity Saga!
BUT IT DIDN’T!!!! THEY SCREWED UP BADLY!!!
But why am I exactly saying this? I think I can start by mentioning one of the biggest problems of Dark Phoenix, and that is…
THE SCRIPT
Let’s not forget that this movie was written… And directed… by Simon Kinberg, famous for writing the script of X-Men: The Last Stand, which was a really wretched and undeserving way to finish the storyline of X-Men and X2: Xmen United; and the reboot of Fantastic Four, from which I would say that is a disaster, and left deep wounds to the Fantastic Four what might take years to heal. And all of that is still an understatement. Furthermore, Dark Phoenix is his directorial debut, so I was very sceptic about everything.
But… what is exactly the plot? Set in 1992, almost ten years after X-men: Apocalypse, the X-men travel to space to save the space mission Endeavour from a strange phenomenon, with Jean Grey, played by Sophie Turner, making the greatest part. They succeed, but soon, Jean discovers that her powers have become bigger and more unstable, taking a toll on her and forcing her fellow X-men to do whatever it takes to save her.
Or at least… I think so.
The movie nails it in the part of Jean getting possessed by the Phoenix, and showing the consequences on both her powers and her identity; but it fails in developing the rest of the premise in a solid way. In other words, after the introduction, the rest of the movie is just Jean going from one location to the other, whining about herself and wandering what to do, sacrificing character development and story. There is nothing interesting in the setting, or unique in the production design; the only thing closest to «original» in the scenic design is:
(SPOILER ALERT – THE ISLAND IN GENOSHA WHERE MAGNETO IS LIVING)
Yet that set is boring.
In addition, you do not feel that the X-Men are really affected by the transformation of Jean Grey into Dark Phoenix. Yeah, Cyclops, played by Tye Sheridan, is suffering for Jean, but that is mostly due to the amazing job and effort that Sheridan himself puts in his performance, not for the script. But neither Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee), nor Storm (Alexandra Shipp) have enough screen time to indicate any real distress from facing the Phoenix; making their characters fall flat, which is a shame, because the actors do their best with their characters.
Speaking of bad character development, this might be the most disappointing appearance of Quicksilver, played by Evan Peters, who barely contributes to anything. After Jean unleashes The Phoenix… SPOILERS ALERT, SADLY… Quicksilver becomes incapacitated, never to be seen again until the very end.
This is bad in two aspects. the first one is that in both X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse, Quicksilver has an amazing sequence that showcases how awesome his powers are; and in these two movies, there were so well-directed that they count on the best moments of the X-Men Film Series. Here, Quicksilver is useless, to the point that removing him from the final footage will not affect the movie at all.
With all due respect to Evan Peters.
Also, I will not spoil how Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) «finishes» her arc, but if you decide to watch the movie in theatres, you will be disappointed. Also. Did you guys see her makeup? I don’t think is that good. Compared to all the previous movies, the makeup of Mystique is pretty terrible.
Anyway.
The second aspect is that it evidences how underwhelming and uninteresting the plot is. By getting Quicksilver back, Dark Phoenix could make an impressive, timeless climax, just like Avengers: Endgame did. But no. Instead, the action sequences are boring and generic, not half as impressive as in any of the previous X-Men movies, including The Last Stand. Not as bad as in X-men Origins: Wolverine, but still pretty bad.
Speaking about dull elements, the alien race, the main antagonists, the D’Bari, and her leader, Vuk, played by Jessica Chastain, make a mixed impression in the movie. On one hand, we know why the D’Bari want to get Phoenix and why they choose Earth, but, on the other, they are so forgettable and bland. And that is not the worst part. In the comics, the ones seeking the Phoenix were the Shi’ar, who are a vastly advanced and powerful empire in the galaxy, almost as superior as the Kree and the Skrull, while the D’Bari was just destroyed by the Phoenix itself. Having said that, and keeping in mind all the complexity and culture from the Shi’ar. Wouldn’t make more sense that the Shi’ar were the antagonists in the movie?
Instead, Vuk and her minions barely have any trace of identity. Come to think of it… SPOILER ALERT… Some of the D’Bari look like early designs of Groot. And sorry for Jessica Chastain; she is a great actress, but as previously mentioned, the script does not allow her to take advantage of her talents.
ACTORS AND SPECIAL EFFECTS, TO THE RESCUE
Okay. I think I have spoken enough about the problems of the movie. Now it is time to evaluate one of the best aspects of Dark Phoenix, the acting. Like in the previous movies since X-Men: First Class, McAvoy, Fassbender, Hoult, and Lawrence all give amazing performances that help us to connect with the characters; and let’s not give too little credit to Shipp, Sheridan, Turner and Smit-McPhee; and I will give my respects to Sophie Turner; as both Jean Grey and Phoenix, she proves to be innocent, yet imposing; fragile, yet determined; scared; yet brave; if you are able to give a convincing character with simply your facial expressions, that means you have a bright future.
Moreover, some of the chemistry between the characters is really good. I really love seeing Jean Grey and Scott Summers together; it almost reminded what a beautiful couple they were in the animated series from the 1990s; and both Turner and Sheridan maintained the charm from the beginning to the end. Speaking of chemistry, the few moments Hoult and Lawrence were together were also wonderful, just like in the previous movies.
Finally, if you enjoyed seeing the interactions between McAvoy and Fassbender before, rest assured you will enjoy them again, especially in the ending.
In the technical department, a strength of the movie is the special effects, which are decent. They might not be the best of the X-Men Film Series, but at least you believe is all part of the movie, and not a cheap CGI work. Another positive point is the soundtrack. Hans Zimmer is in charge once more, and just like he did with Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman, and The Dark Knight Trilogy, the tracks for Dark Phoenix add to the intensity and the tone of the movie.
Absolutely, Dark Phoenix is more form over substance, but you will enjoy the former enough until the credits.
CONCLUSION
I can now conclude that, regarding The Dark Phoenix Saga, Dark Phoenix is a pyrrhic improvement from X-Men: The Last Stand. Why am I calling it like this? Because indeed does a much better job following its source material, but at the cost of the quality of the movie, and unfortunately at the cost of the X-Men Film Series, because this is supposed to be its last instalment. That is why I am being this harsh with Dark Phoenix. One was expecting it to be as epic as Avengers: Endgame, or at least as X-Men: Days of Future Past. But it wasn’t. It’s a slow, uninteresting, generic superhero movie that does not even try, and that will leave a negative impact toward the fans, to the point that it will make us wish that movies like Logan or Days of Future Past were the true ending of the series.
Personally, I am not that excited about New Mutants thanks to Dark Phoenix. Both movies have a lot of issues during production and before release. And if this was the final result of Dark Phoenix, I don’t want to think about New Mutants anymore.
Instead, I will patiently wait for the X-Men to be introduced in the MCU; until then, I will re-watch X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: First Class, The Wolverine and Logan. And for those who disliked Dark Phoenix, don’t worry. Because there is the 90’s cartoon that does a fantastic job adapting the The Dark Phoenix Saga.
Speaking of the cartoon, let me share this quote for you:
«The Phoenix was a mythical bird that was consumed by fire, but always rose again from he ashes. Perhaps that is what Phoenix represents. Hope, which never dies.»
Jainituos Presents 