Dark Phoenix is the latest superhero mutant movie that has some standout character moments, but has some weak villains and plot points. It is a film filled with controversy, inititally set for March 2018, then September 2018 until reshoots were needed, next February 14, 2019 until it was finally released to the box office on June 23rd. It is based on a fan favorite storyline, “The Dark Phoenix Saga” that started with Jean Grey gaining the Phoenix Force in Uncanny X-Men #101 (1976) by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum, then she became the Dark Phoenix in Uncanny X-Men #129-138 (1980) by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, all of whom are given end credit thanks and Claremont has a cameo in the movie.
Jean Grey, played by Famke Janssen, sacrificed herself in X2-Men United (2003). There was a hint of the Phoenix over the lake waters that had crushed her. She returned as the Phoenix, spoilers here, in the muddled X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) and it was revealed that Professor Xavier, played by Patrick Stewart, mentally supppressed her Phoenix powers. The end of the movie had Jean become Dark Phoenix and then Wolverine, Hugh Jackman, stopped her threat. The part of Jean Grey had her at a younger age at an earlier time in X-Men: Apocalypse (2016). Now played by Sophie Turner, she unleashed her powers in a Phoenix display, but that event doesn’t connect here. A very head spinning continuity which resembles the comic books. Dark Phoenix is helmed by first time director, Simon Kinberg, and he wrote the script, he has written the X-films since X-Men: The Last Stand.
Jean Grey, played by Famke Janssen, sacrificed herself in X2-Men United (2003). There was a hint of the Phoenix over the lake waters that had crushed her. She returned as the Phoenix, spoilers here, in the muddled X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) and it was revealed that Professor Xavier, played by Patrick Stewart, mentally supppressed her Phoenix powers. The end of the movie had Jean become Dark Phoenix and then Wolverine, Hugh Jackman, stopped her threat. The part of Jean Grey had her at a younger age at an earlier time in X-Men: Apocalypse (2016). Now played by Sophie Turner, she unleashed her powers in a Phoenix display, but that event doesn’t connect here. A very head spinning continuity which resembles the comic books. Dark Phoenix is helmed by first time director, Simon Kinberg, and he wrote the script, he has written the X-films since X-Men: The Last Stand.
It starts in 1975, where a family is driving on a road, which is almost exactly like the opening of Shazam! Of course, this is the Grey family, father, John Grey (Scott Shepherd), who is in the True Detective series, and mother, Elaine Grey (Hannah Emily Anderson), she was Jenna Betancourt in The Purge (2018) series, and the young Jean Grey (Summer Fontana). Jean’s powers go out of control and has consequences for her family. There is an impressive effects shot with Jean’s telekinetic powers deflecting broken glass as the car spins in the crash. She later meets with Professor Charles Xavier at the hospital. Now, played by James McAvoy, he was in the X-films since X-Men: First Class (2011), continued his character in Glass this year, and has upcoming It Chapter Two which opens on September 6th.
Xavier brings Jean back to his mansion and explains that her power is a gift to be used however she will use it. There is an interesting dimension to the character of Charles Xavier when his dream has been the ideal. The current time is set in 1992 which is also the time of X-Men: The Animated Series. We have the launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavor, but at Mission Control, all signals are lost from the shuttle in space. The president makes a direct call to Xavier who decides to risk his X-Men to show that mutants can be an example to humanity. There seems to a rift between Xavier and his long time friend, Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence). The character has become a central character to the X-films even though she is a villain in the comic books. Of course, there is now star power to Jennifer Lawrence who has become well known for The Hunger Games movies, winning the Academy Award for Best Actress in Silver Linings Playbook (2012), and starred in the X-films since X-Men: First Class.
Xavier brings Jean back to his mansion and explains that her power is a gift to be used however she will use it. There is an interesting dimension to the character of Charles Xavier when his dream has been the ideal. The current time is set in 1992 which is also the time of X-Men: The Animated Series. We have the launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavor, but at Mission Control, all signals are lost from the shuttle in space. The president makes a direct call to Xavier who decides to risk his X-Men to show that mutants can be an example to humanity. There seems to a rift between Xavier and his long time friend, Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence). The character has become a central character to the X-films even though she is a villain in the comic books. Of course, there is now star power to Jennifer Lawrence who has become well known for The Hunger Games movies, winning the Academy Award for Best Actress in Silver Linings Playbook (2012), and starred in the X-films since X-Men: First Class.
Xavier also presses Hank McCoy known as the Beast (Nicholas Hoult) if the X-Men’s Blackbird has been modified enough for space travel. The answer is that an aircraft could not break atmosphere and would not be ready for the vacuum of space, but ok, let’s go with it. Hoult has been a standout in the later X-films, he is also noteworthy for Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), he is currently in the biopic Tolkien, and has also been playing the Beast since X-Men: First Class. Hoult’s Beast is one of the best characters in the series and here his loyalty to Xavier and the family of X-Men is tested. Also featured in the rescue mission is the adult Jean Grey played by Sophie Turner. We have of course followed her over the years as Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones (2011-2019), she was in the time travel romance Time Freak (2018), and started the X-films with X-Men: Apocalypse.
Another team member is Scott Summers (Tye Sheridan), he started with The Tree of Life (2011), Sheridan was Parzival in Ready Player One (2018), and also entered the series with X-Men: Apocalypse. Cyclops has been portrayed as too much of a generic superhero, but Sheridan is given more of a part since the comic character was leader of the X-Men. Next is Storm, Ororo Munroe, played by Alexandra Shipp. She was in Love, Simon (2018), Shipp is in the upcoming Shaft, and she also started in X-Men: Apocalypse. Storm is given her moment, but what I think is a loss is that she is considered Jean Grey’s sister in the X-Men with the comic books. There is also Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee). He played the lead role in the prehistoric drama Alpha (2018), he was also in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), his first X-film was also X-Men: Apocalypse. Lastly, there is Evan Peters as Quicksilver, he was in Kick-Ass (2010) with the other Quicksilver, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Peters appeared in American Horror Story (2011-2018), and his first X-film was X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). His character is a fan favorite, he provides some humor here, but is more of a cameo here.
Another team member is Scott Summers (Tye Sheridan), he started with The Tree of Life (2011), Sheridan was Parzival in Ready Player One (2018), and also entered the series with X-Men: Apocalypse. Cyclops has been portrayed as too much of a generic superhero, but Sheridan is given more of a part since the comic character was leader of the X-Men. Next is Storm, Ororo Munroe, played by Alexandra Shipp. She was in Love, Simon (2018), Shipp is in the upcoming Shaft, and she also started in X-Men: Apocalypse. Storm is given her moment, but what I think is a loss is that she is considered Jean Grey’s sister in the X-Men with the comic books. There is also Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee). He played the lead role in the prehistoric drama Alpha (2018), he was also in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), his first X-film was also X-Men: Apocalypse. Lastly, there is Evan Peters as Quicksilver, he was in Kick-Ass (2010) with the other Quicksilver, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Peters appeared in American Horror Story (2011-2018), and his first X-film was X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). His character is a fan favorite, he provides some humor here, but is more of a cameo here.
The Blackbird is lifted up from the mansion’s basketball court and takes off towards space. I would have liked powers to be involved to make it space worthy, instead of booster rockets, it could be the optic blasts from Cyclops and heat shields generated by Jean Grey. They reach space and see what has disabled the space shuttle, a mass of cosmic energy that they think is a solar flare. Another Cosmic Cloud in a superhero film. This is of course the Phoenix Force, if it struck the shuttle, would they become the Fantastic Crew? Mystique sends over the X-Men, Nightcrawler to teleport in and out of the shuttle, Quicksilver to use his super speed to bring in the crew members, like X-Men: Apocalypse he forgets one person, has he not learned from his mistake?, and Jean Grey seals the breaches in the shuttle. They find that the captain has gone back to check on something, Mystique doesn’t want to risk team members, but Xavier doesn’t want anyone left behind. Jean is left behind in the rescue and takes in the Phoenix Force!
They land the Blackbird, no ill effects from entering zero-g, and now the humans cheer the appearance of the X-Men. The government also doesn’t seem interested in any kind of debriefing or interviewing the X-Men about the space mission. Xavier finds that he can longer read Jean’s mind and has Hank run medical tests on Jean and he finds that her power is “off the scale.” So she is somehow cleared with her limitless power and not monitored. This shifts to several celestial lights that descend and a house next to a lake. This is Jessica Chastain’s character, Margaret, who goes out to check on the barking dog. Before you say Starman, she is replaced by a mysterious alien. Shape-shifting aliens were already seen with the Skrulls in Captain Marvel. This is a complication to the Dark Phoenix story, it doesn’t add anything fresh to it, and the villain is just a villain. I would have liked Chastain to play a mental reflection of the Phoenix Force coercing Jean’s darker side. In the comics, it was the mental powers of Mastermind that corrupted the Phoenix. She also has several fellow aliens who have undefined powers.
Jean is out with the others having a party out in the woods. Hank and Mystique discuss leaving the X-Men, but Hank convinces her to stay. Jean’s power is unleashed and she falls unconscious. Xavier finds out that he needs his Cerebro device to check on Jean. He discovers that the Phoenix Force has broken the secret that was hidden all of this time. Jean returns to her family’s home to find the truth. Xavier leaves with the X-Men on the Blackbird. They face Jean with some dark consequences. In the comic book storyline, Dark Phoenix loses control by destroying a star system, so there has to be something equally sinister. Jean leaves on her own. She travels to a mutant commune, this may be the comic book nation of Genosha, but it is unidentified.
Defending it is a character with dreadloks, not identified, but he is listed as Ariki (Andrew Stehlin). He has been a stuntman, Arvin in 30 Days of Night (2007) and also in Ghost in the Shell (2017). It is later shown that he has mutant powers, but apparently it is the mutant power of using his dreads, I keep hearing Willow Smith’s “Whip My Hair.” Another member is Selene (Kota Eberhardt), this is one of the most powerful villains in the comic books, here she just has telepathic power. Leading them is Erik Lehnsehr played by Michael Fassbender. He was of course David in Alien: Covenant (2017), brilliant in the lead role of Frank (2014), Fassbender became Magneto in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Magneto has turned away from his path of revenge, but has to deal with his past. There is no end credit scene. The moments are fan service that has long been denied in this series, but the characters sometimes veer into questionable decisions. This is a superhero movie that is right in the middle of the spectrum which is good for fans of the X-films.
Defending it is a character with dreadloks, not identified, but he is listed as Ariki (Andrew Stehlin). He has been a stuntman, Arvin in 30 Days of Night (2007) and also in Ghost in the Shell (2017). It is later shown that he has mutant powers, but apparently it is the mutant power of using his dreads, I keep hearing Willow Smith’s “Whip My Hair.” Another member is Selene (Kota Eberhardt), this is one of the most powerful villains in the comic books, here she just has telepathic power. Leading them is Erik Lehnsehr played by Michael Fassbender. He was of course David in Alien: Covenant (2017), brilliant in the lead role of Frank (2014), Fassbender became Magneto in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Magneto has turned away from his path of revenge, but has to deal with his past. There is no end credit scene. The moments are fan service that has long been denied in this series, but the characters sometimes veer into questionable decisions. This is a superhero movie that is right in the middle of the spectrum which is good for fans of the X-films.
Three Phoenix Forces out of Five!
#DarkPhoenix, #SimonKinberg, #SophieTurner, #NicholasHoult, #TyeSheridan
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