Review: Dark Phoenix

I grew up being a fan of the original X-Men animated series. So when the first live-action X-Men movie came out in 2000, I had my movie ticket all ready. And joyfuly, the movie did not disappoint. Fast forward 19 years, and we now have the latest X-Men movie, Dark Phoenix. Well, all I can say is that the X-Men should take a hint from the Avengers and retire their movie franchise, at least for now.

Dark Phoenix picks up from where X-Men: Apocalypse left off. As usual, Professor Xavier (played by James McAvoy) works diligently on improving human/mutant relations, and he seems to have made headway. The world seems to be more accepting of mutants now, and the professor even has a direct line to the U.S. President. So when the X-Men are called to help astronauts stranded in space, Xavier is more than ready to send Raven (played by Jennifer Lawrence) and the rest of the team to the rescue. During the mission, though, Jean Grey (played by Sophie Turner) is exposed to a mysterious energy. At first, she seems to be fine. But gradually, it becomes clear that her powers have multiplied, and she is losing control. In the meantime, aliens (that's right, aliens) from outser space have infiltrate Earth in order to obtain that new power inside Jean Grey.

Okay, I will be the first to admit that I am confused by the whole X-Men franchise. First, there was the original X-Men movie (2000) with Patrick Stewart as Professor Xavier. Then came X-2: X-Men United (2003) and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006). I personally didn't care for Ths Last Stand, but at least it was a clear end to the trilogy with the death of Professor Xavier. However, due to the popularity of the franchise and the Wolverine character specifically, Fox released X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009). This was a prequel/spinoff from the original X-Men movies. After that came X-Men: First Class (2011). This was a prequel to the original X-Men movies, and it involved a cast change since the setting was decades before the original X-Men. Next was another Wolverine movie, The Wolverine (2013). By this point, I am sort of lost on the timeline, but it didn't matter since this was a true standalone story. From this point, things started getting weird. X-Men: Days if Future Past (2014) involved time travel, and it featured cast members from both the original trilogy and X-Men: First Class. This movie also rewrote history, implying that the events of X-Men: The Last Stand never happened. Confused yet? I know I am. X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) was the next film in the franchise, and it was now exclusively back to the new cast. Again, by this point, I am lost as to where this movie's setting is in terms of the timeline. The next movie was Logan. In this case, I assume the setting is either in the present or perhaps the future. That's because we see very old versions of Wolverine and Professor Xavier, who is now once again played by the original Professor X, Patrick Stewart. And in this film, Xavier dies AGAIN! HUH?! Finally, we get to Dark Phoenix. Wait. Isn't Dark Phoenix just the same story as The Last Stand? The story that was supposed to have been wiped from history by the time manipulation in Days of Future Past?! So is this a sequel?! Is this a remake?! Is this the same story happening again but in an alternate timeline?! BAM! My brain just exploded all over the room.

So forget continuity. I will just enjoy this movie as a standalone story. Unfortunately, that doesn't work either. The main problem is that the audience is never really told how the Dark Phoenix came to be, which is supposed to be the foundation of the film. (Just look at the title.) Yes, we see Jean Grey get exposed to a mysterious energy in space, but that is about it. Why is this energy just floating in space to begin with? Who are these aliens that have tracked it to Earth? Why are they killing random Earthlings for seemingly no reason? We are never given any real explanation, so there is no story for us to follow.

Another weakness of the film is the lack of a strong villain character. Jean Grey does gain immeasurable power, but she is portrayed more of an unwilling victim than the villain. The true evil doers in the film are the aliens, as they manipulate Jean to acquire the mysterious power for themselves. However, how they are represented on screen simply doesn't work. Basically, the aliens body-snatch regular civilians, and that is how they are portrayed on screen from that point on. In other words, these intergalactic killer aliens who are hunting for immeasurable power just look like your run-of-the-mill next door neighbors. Therefore, the fight scenes between the X-Men and these aliens look odd, because they play out like the X-Men using their extraordinary abilities to totally shred everyday citizens. The aliens do have the ability to regenerate, so they just keep getting back up. However, their main attacks are still just punches and kicks, so how threathening can they appear against the X-Men and their various powers.

Dark Phoenix did have some decent action scenes, and there were plenty of CGI effects. So if nothing else, that part was fun. However, the story simply wasn't there. Even the conclusion to the weak storyline was anti-climatic. Therefore, after finishing the movie, I was left asking myself, "Was that it? Is it over?" From the first X-Men movie to Dark Phoenix, this franchise has lasted 19 years already. And according to Marvel, this will be the last movie in the franchise. Good. Don't get me wrong; I am still a fan of the X-Men characters. But in order for many of us to be excited by them again, I think they need to be taken off screen for at least a few years and return with a new cast in a true remake.