Film Review: X-Men: Dark Phoenix
All superhero and science fiction films should come with a cautionary rider: if any part of the film, especially its premise, comes across as deja vu, the viewer is deemed to have been watching too many of this genre!
It’s 1975 and a young girl, Jean Grey’s super powers causes a major crash in which her parents are the casualties although she escapes without a scratch. She’s taken under the wings of Prof. Charles Xavier (James McAvoy), who heads the School for Gifted Youngsters and even has a direct line to the President of the US. Cut to 1992. A grown-up Jean (Sophie Turner), now a mutant, is assigned to save the crew of NASA Space Shuttle Endeavour as it orbits in a ball of fire. The crew is saved, but in the process Jean acquires incredible cosmic powers. Vuk (Jessica Chastain), the leader of an alien race spots her super human powers and wants to claim her. The X-Men have an enemy amongst their own.
Kinberg, who’s co-scripted XMDP from the comic book characters written by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the 80s, did not have much of a plot to begin with. Michael Fassbender as Magneto, who has retired to a distant island with his band of mutants, has little to do; Jennifer Lawrence as Raven, has an equally paltry role. The music by the legendary Hans Zimmer (The Lion King, Gladiator) comes alive during crucial moments. Films like these over-rely on VFX and a multitude of characters and XMDP is no exception. The grandeur is there, but just about. What started in 2000 as a fairly successful franchise from Fox, is now gradually tapering off in this, the 12th instalment, possibly the last as Disney has now taken over Fox. In X-Men DP, the X factor is clearly missing.
