X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX (2019) Review
Directed by Simon Kinberg
Deeply disappointed. That would be how I would describe how I felt after watching ‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix.’ Not just because of its poor story and how it was told, more because this is a franchise that I had a soft spot. Even ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’s’ thinly-written script was entertaining for me. But ‘Dark Phoenix’ was overstuffed, dragging and for most parts, wasn’t fun at all. I’m not saying that it should be Marvel Cinematic Universe fun but the past X-Men films have its own charm, they know how these characters are dear to its fans.
This is supposed to be the final act of the X-Men franchise before it gets rebooted once again as it enters the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That puts them in a position to prove that they are worth keeping, their stories and how they told their stories. But what they have put up is a mess of a film.
Simon Kinberg may have been there throughout its journey from the original X-Men, and the time Fox rebooted the mutant story. But the result of ‘Dark Phoenix’ may be a reason why he should stick to writing? Or maybe start small.
Acknowledging certain issues, the reshoots because similarities from other superhero movies released on the same year, I feel that I should not be harsh on the production for the result. But making an uninspired superhero film that has characters or cast that has been beloved to fans including me, it’s somewhat an injustice. Injustice to the franchise, injustice to the cast.
There are some interesting bits, killing off a major character, introducing the cosmic world to the X-Men franchise and making Charles Xavier one of the antagonists of the story. There’s a lot of drama and even in the climax of the film, there is little fun in there. The suspense should be up but it kind of feel tiring.
The experience was unsatisfactory and I was having a headache in the middle part of the film, trying to put the pieces together in a better way inside my head. But I also failed.
‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix’ is probably one of the worst X-Men movies out there. It’s uninspired, overstuffed and dragging. These characters deserve better, this franchise deserves a better conclusion.
2 OUT OF 5 STARS
‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix’ is now showing in cinemas nationwide from 20th Century Fox. Rated PG by the MTRCB.