X-Men: Dark Phoenix review: A big-budget burnout

For their cinematic bow, Fox’s X-Men retell a beloved comic book storyline and, just like before, collapse in a fiery, dull death.

If writer-director Simon Kinberg was the one who pitched Dark Phoenix to 20th Century Fox, somebody should’ve told him no. If it was a Fox Studio exec’s idea, somebody should’ve reminded them that the last time Kinberg helped adapt Uncanny X-Men’s “The Dark Phoenix Saga,” he came up with X-Men: The Last Stand (2006). And once Fox finalized their deal with Disney, somebody should’ve just pulled the plug. But of course, no one did.

X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019)

Cast: James McAvoy (Charles Xavier/Professor X), Michael Fassbender (Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto), Jennifer Lawrence (Raven Darkholme/Mystique), Nicholas Hoult (Hank McCoy/Beast), Sophie Turner (Jean Grey/Phoenix), Tye Sheridan (Scott Summers/Cyclops), Alexandra Shipp (Ororo Munroe/Storm), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler), Evan Peters (Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver), and Jessica Chastain (Vuk)
Written and Directed by: Simon Kinberg
Based on: X-Men by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Produced by: Lauren Shuler Donner, Simon Kinberg, and Hutch Parker
Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Superhero
Rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images, and brief strong language
114 minutes

Thus, after four months of principal photography, a year spent in post-production, extensive reshoots, and delaying the film’s official release date twice, what’s the result? A $200 million slog of a film that, after eleven movies, doubles as a sad epitaph for Fox’s beloved X-Men franchise. Not that this should come as any surprise. The negative reports from Dark Phoenix’s two disastrous test screenings should’ve been more than enough of a warning.

Set almost a decade after X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Professor Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) sends his X-Men to rescue the space shuttle Endeavor from what’s presumed to be a rogue solar flare. During the mission, Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) absorbs whatever this non-solar flare really is, seemingly sacrificing herself to save the lives of the astronauts and her teammates. Somehow, she survives, and soon her mutant powers of telepathy and telekinesis increase exponentially. As any comic book fan will tell you, Jean’s been possessed by a cosmic entity called–you guessed it–the Phoenix Force.

Naturally, Jean snaps when she learns Xavier psychically altered her memories of her parents’ deaths when she was a child. As revealed in the movie’s own trailer, Jean accidentally kills Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) when her teammates try to intervene, an act which causes a rift between the X-Men. Overcome by grief, Beast (Nicholas Hoult) teams up with Magneto (Michael Fassbender), who believes Jean is too dangerous to live. Xavier, Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), Storm (Alexandra Shipp) and Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee) however, believe Jean isn’t in control of herself and needs their help.

Meanwhile, a mysterious greenish, shape-shifting aliens, lead by Jessica Chastain, manipulate Jean so they can control the Phoenix Force for themselves. Yes, the main villains are essentially Skrulls in all but name. After all, if you’re going to close out your franchise before the inevitable Disney reboot, why not also ripoff Captain Marvel ?

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Being derivative, however, is only one of Dark Phoenix’s many cinematic sins. In striving to create a more faithful adaptation of the “Dark Phoenix Saga,” Kinberg has churned out a superhero movie that’s just like every other superhero movie. No longer “protecting a world that hates and fears them,” the X-Men have essentially become second-rate Avengers. People cheer them at airports waving “Marry me” signs and action figures. Even the X-Men’s uniforms, inspired by Frank Quietly’s designs from New X-Men, look generic.

It’s also a movie desperately searching for interpersonal conflict, most of which involves Xavier’s questionable leadership. Case in point, Mystique excoriates Xavier over how his need for acceptance from normal humans puts the lives of his students at risk instead of his own. She even throws in a crack about renaming the team “X-Women” since it’s the women members doing all the saving. Later in movie, Jean psychically knocks Xavier out and escapes the school. As Xavier wakes up and prepares to go after Jean, Mystique tells him he’s “in no condition” to leave.

The main cast at least tries making a valiant effort, but there’s only so much they can work with. Poor Tye Sheridan gets tasked with spouting the least-intimidating f-bomb in cinematic history. A moment where Jean telekinetically makes Xavier walk like a marionette comes off more hilarious than creepy. One character tells Jean, “Your emotions make you weak,” and Jean predictably shoots back with, “No, my emotions make me strong.” Yes, that’s what this movie considers serious, riveting dialogue.

Despite also being tied with X-Men: Days of Future Past as the most expensive X-Men movie ever made, you’ll keep asking yourself, “Where did all the movie’s budget go?” Magneto’s government-sanctioned island commune for mutants, for instance, looks like it’s filmed in somebody’s junk-infested backyard. The effects are your standard CGI extravaganza, most of which are saved for the climax. Even the cinematography and action choreography makes it seems like you’re watching something made-for-TV than made-for-the silver screen.

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What’s really sad is how this will be the last time audiences will ever see this version of the X-Men. It’s also ironic how, just as one cinematic adaptation of the “Dark Phoenix Saga” all but ruined them, another cinematic adaptation of the same story has finished the job. Only instead of anger, there’s only apathy. As Magneto tells Xavier, “You’re always sorry, Charles. There’s always a speech. But nobody cares anymore.” Who knew Magneto’s other mutant power was the gift of prophecy?

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