- Actors: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Sophie Turner
- Director: Simon Kinberg
- Disc Format: NTSC, Subtitled
- Language: English
- Subtitles: English
- Region: Region A/1
- Number of discs: 1
- Rated: Parents Strongly CautionedPG-13
- Studio: 20th Century Fox
- Release Date: September 17, 2019
The way that
superhero/comic book movies are received by audiences is beginning to feel a
bit like high school. If a film is thought to be popular, there are those who
make up their mind about it before they have even taken the time to get to
figure out if their expectations will be met. And then there are those films
that the masses decide are a waste even before they have been released. We have
seen this fan-backlash before, and it seemed that every comic-book fan I knew
would roll their eyes at the mention of Dark
Phoenix, long before it was in theaters. I find this mob mentality to be
ironically tantamount to the popularity cliques of high school that likely made
life miserable for most of the same comic book fans without ever taking the
time to get to know them.
I know that
these are just movies and don’t have feelings, but my only point is that it is
never helpful to make up your mind without having all of the facts. I went into
Dark Phoenix without expectations or
ill-will, and actually found it pretty enjoyable. Was it a masterpiece? Not
even close. But it also wasn’t the same derivative and blandly safe formula
that Marvel used ever since the money-hungry Disney took hold. I would rather
see a movie that takes chances and fails rather than a film created with the
sole purpose of pleasing the crowd, especially when that means dumbing down a
formula so that a seven-year-old is more entertained than I am.
But rather than
continuing to rail on the derivative and dull Marvel films, let’s discuss the
failure that is Dark Phoenix.
Continuing the prequel storylines from the past X-Men movies, many of which
dealt with their origins, there is no need to introduce characters or give a
ton of background information. And even those unfamiliar with the franchise
won’t need much to catch up, as the film stands on its own even with its use of
recognizable characters. At the forefront is Jean Grey (Sophie Turner), though
she is dealing with all-new challenges when she absorbs a massive amount of
energy on a mission in space.
When it turns
out that the energy Grey absorbed was some sort of being, she begins to
transform into Dark Phoenix, more powerful than ever before and filled with an
uncharacteristic rage. If there is one truly annoying thing about the film, it
is the way that Dark Phoenix is momentarily used to reignite the stupid rivalry
between Professor Xavier (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender). I’m
sure even these two actors are tiring of the bickering between their
characters, while other actors appear so desperate to leave the franchise that
it results in the laziest death since Han Solo in the Star Wars reboot.
I acknowledge
that this film has major story issues and several characters the franchise seems
incompetent in handling, but I also think that the action is the most important
part of the superhero genre. And while it isn’t groundbreaking, I enjoyed much
of the action far more than some of the more popular Marvel releases of late. I
guess what I am asking is, what makes this film so much worse than the other
superhero crap? How is this any worse than the cheesy after-school-special
ending of Shazam or the horrible
time-travel plot-holes of Avengers:
Endgame? That’s not to say it is particularly good, but I also don’t think
it is that much worse than any of the other superhero nonsense that makes its
way onto screen each month.
The Blu-ray
release for Dark Phoenix comes with a
digital copy of the film as well (no DVD copy, however). The special features
on the disc itself include a handful of deleted scenes (with optional
commentary), a 5-part making-of documentary, and a feature-length commentary
track with director Simon Kinberg and producer Hutch Parker. Most of it feels
promotional and self-congratulatory rather than informative, unfortunately.
Entertainment Value:
7.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6.5/10
Historical
Significance: 6/10
Special Features: 6/10
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