Dark Phoenix (2019) | Film Review

The X-Men films have had one storied past. In 2000, director Bryan Singer unleashed Professor X, Magneto, and Wolverine (Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and Hugh Jackman) unto the world to great acclaim and box office receipts. After Jean Grey’s first run at global destruction in The Last Stand, X-Men: First Class managed a soft prequel reboot with James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender reimagining the Professor and Magneto. A retooled timeline or two later, we have arrived at yet another take on the infamous Dark Phoenix Saga – with Simon Kinberg, one of the writers of the previous attempt, at the helm – and this time, Sophie Turner steps into Famke Janssen’s shoes as the titular anti-hero.

People love to complain about the repetitive nature of repeating the Dark Phoenix storyline a mere 13 years after the last attempt, yet have no problem tossing cash to the wind for another run at Spider-Man or Batman taking on the same foes and origin stories over and over. It’s an issue that doesn’t plague me, however, as The Last Stand was a horrifically bland attempt at this particular tale. It was time for another take on the source material.

This time, Jean Grey and her X-Men compatriots have evolved to superhero status after McAvoy’s Charles Xavier continuously allows his mutant team to put themselves in harm’s way to protect humans. This team, led by Raven (Jennifer Lawrence), encounters a curious solar flare while attempting to rescue NASA astronauts caught in its path. In the process of saving the shuttle’s Captain, Jean is consumed by the enormous energy source, seemingly killing her before returning from the dead with a fiery tint to her eyes.

As Jean’s accident spurs an internal evolution and her power increases tenfold, so does her rage. In an intriguing turn of events, she discovers that Charles has locked away tragic memories of Jean’s youth, and her burgeoning inner strength is unlocking it all in one fell swoop. Unable to control neither her seemingly infinite power nor her emotions, Jean’s path leads to destruction and tragedy, setting her up as an enemy of both the state and Magneto himself. As Jessica Chastain’s mysterious foe, Vuk, emerges to “guide” Jean, it’s a race against time for Xavier to reach Jean before she destroys the world or herself in the process.

Dark Phoenix is the first sequel in this 19 year-old series to leave off “X-Men” in the title, and it’s a notable move. These films have always struggled to maintain continuity, even after Days of Future Past made it possible to weave the narrative in other directions. If you accept this film as a one-off take solely focused on Jean’s story, as it is intended, and ignore all the baggage of years of miscalculations with the formula, then Dark Phoenix IS a good movie. I enjoyed it from opening to conclusion, and I accomplished that simply by allowing this one film to define itself, and not the millions of things fans seem to want it to be.

Is this the perfect send-off for the X-Men series as it officially departs this cast to merge into the Marvel Cinematic Universe at Disney? Definitely not. While an encouraging leap forward from the dismal Apocalypse, there are many other stories in this universe perfectly suitable for a finale. But as a stand-alone, is it an engaging summer blockbuster with moving central performances from Turner and McAvoy and a few genuine surprises? Absolutely. The hyperbole surrounding the film is far more dire than anything actually witnessed onscreen.

Where this film struggles – aside from the completely unnecessary subplot of Chastain’s Vuk – is that Jean’s story has always been too big for one movie, and yes, her darker turn probably could have used another 20-30 minutes to flesh her arc out. That said, this time Kinberg is adept enough to realize the focus of this particular story needs to be Jean herself. Therefore, Magneto, Raven, Beast, Cyclops, and the others are finally relegated to supporting characters as Dark Phoenix morphs into an urgent tale of Jean’s self-destruction and a mentor desperately attempting to save his prodigy.

What keeps the film on the tracks centers on the two main performances. James McAvoy has been a godsend in his time as Charles Xavier, and here we get a glimpse of the ego behind those bewildering eyes. Finally achieving assimilation with humans and respect from the President and other positions of authority, McAvoy is afforded with several scenes of hubris stomping needed in a character this idealistic. The audience has rarely glimpsed this angle of Xavier and it makes for a fascinating character arc as the film careens wildly into the final act of essentially an entire franchise.

The other standout is Sophie Turner herself. It’s hard not to feel some semblance of pity for Turner, as the actress has delivered twice this year on strong performances in projects that fans have effectively written off as poorly conceived or half-assed. This entire film rests on her shoulders, and she repeatedly rises to the task of capturing Jean’s rapid ascent as she wrestles with her inner demons and the consequences of her actions. However you feel about Dark Phoenix by the final frame, you will be hard pressed to find any fault in Turner’s take on the infamous role. At times fierce, sweet, cunning, vindictive, and coupled with an insane amount of hand waving, Turner more than holds up her end.

If you’re looking for a specific continuation or conclusion to the X-Men franchise, you are bound to find yourself disappointed. But if you can cast expectations aside and simply enjoy Dark Phoenix for exactly what it is, a stand-alone tale concluding Fox’s take on the X-Men universe, then prepare for one rather engaging last stand.