Re-Porter Blog: 2019 Summer Movie Season - Dark Phoenix: Review & Analysis

Burnt To Ash!!!! Closing X-Men Film Ends Era In Destructive Fashion!!!!

Review by Brandon Porter

The Beast is Unleashed

Story Description

Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and his students have made a conscious effort to protect humanity despite their distrust of the mutant species. But they now face a threat, unlike anything they've seen before. When a routine space mission goes wrong, Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) returns home safely but is dramatically changed. Her powers are significantly increased and her mental persona begins to take on a mind of its own. Filled with a lust for destruction and a force within herself bent on chaos, Charles, Erik Lensher (Michael Fassbender) and the rest X-Men must band together to stop this destructive force and possibly save what is left of their closest friend.

Charles, Kurt, Storm, and Scott
Face off against a potential threat

Critical and Financial Analysis

This particular entry of the X-Men series has possibly had the most troubled path to release in franchise history. From bad press to extensive reshoots, Dark Phoenix comes in with a lot of baggage that threatens to make in the punching bag of the summer movie season. Critically, it was a straight-up slaughter fest. The movie was brutally pummeled with negative reviews earning the film a 22% rating on rotten tomatoes. Audience wise, it was a little better but not by much as they scored the movie with a 65% rating. This makes it the lowest rated film in the X-Men film franchise beating out previous holder X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Financially, things weren't any better. The movie earned only $33 million dollars on its opening weekend along with a total of $107 million overseas for a global total of $140 million. As of today, the film failed to top previous installments by a significant margin making it the lowest performing X-Men film in the series. With low critical reception and a subpar box office haul. The final installment of the Fox-owned superhero series may have ended in a full ball of fire.

Your eyes are mine

Film Review

The X-Men series has had possibly the most interesting history of all the Marvel-based film properties. From standout installments including the first film, it's sequel X2, X-Men First Class, and Days of Future Past to below average in trees like X-Men the Last Stand, X-Men Origins Wolverine, and recent installment X-Men Apocalypse, the franchise has been inconsistent at times when it comes to effective cinematic storytelling. Dark Phoenix comes in as not only the next chapter but as the definitive conclusion to the pre-Disney owned franchise. Needless to say, a lot of weight was put on the movie's shoulders with people having little confidence they could pull it off. After seeing the finished product, it's quite an unceremonious film yet still entertaining at times throughout. The film has been lauded as the closing chapter of the decades-long franchise but it really seems to want to end it quickly knowing its days are numbered. There are moments that I genuinely enjoyed while there were moments where the movie seems to lose hope both within the film and within the narrative. Performance wise, a few standouts come to mind. Sophie Turner does a solid job carrying the movie displaying a keen sense of loss and agonizing inner torment. Her performance is a highlight of the film and shows the potential she has as a future leading lady. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender do well in their latest outing as Charles Xavier and Magneto respectively but are relegated as side characters in what is largely Jean's story. Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, Kodi Smit McPhee are pushed aside and not given much to work with or given a chance to develop. After being thrown together in Apocalypse, they are essentially there for show with little spats of sequences that show off their abilities but nothing more. There lies the biggest issue with the film. The lack of investment in the characters. A number of these young actors were brought together in the previous film and none have gotten the chance to make these versions their own. Sadly, given the circumstances, they may never get the chance. Jessica Chastain is reduced to a monotone one-note villain with little substance and means to motivate. For all the flaws, the movie does manage to deliver a very exciting 3rd act with thrilling action that is fast paced and fun to watch. That said, a lot could have been done to make this a more emotionally resonant finale to the franchise. Overall, Dark Phoenix is not the worst X-Men film in the series but it does feel lacking in impact in terms of it being a definitive conclusion to the series and its legacy. Instead of pomp and circumstance, it seems more like a waving of the white flag. The future of the franchise looks bright but more could be done to make the present worth the stay.

Rating and Final Thoughts