James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence are back again in what is supposed to be the last instalment of the X-Men saga (for now). Our story revolves around a space mission for the X-Men that goes wrong and the consequences that follow.
The film starts fluid enough, the X-Men are sent to space by the US government to retrieve astronaughts from a shuttle in danger. As the rescue mission is nearing completion a cosmic entity engulfs the periled shuttle. This entity causes Jean Grey’s (Sophie Turner) powers to become substantially enhanced.
Struggling to deal with the immense power she now beholds she begins to act out and ends up hurting those she loves the most. Under the influence of a dark alien (Jessica Chastain) she is guided to use her power for evil. An internal conflict ensues as the X-Men try to bring Jean back to the light.
I’m not quite sure anyone who was giving this movie a horrific review have seen an X-Men movie before. Every film is usually a cut and paste copy of the previous. A new foe, some cool CGI, a strange family dynamic of mutants, humans vs mutants in harmony or in conflict.
It’s always a never-ending cycle bar Days of Future Past which was a breath of much-needed fresh air.
Whilst Dark Phoenix is your cookie cutter mutant saga instalment, Sophie Turner puts in a strong performance that single-handedly carries the feature. Confused by her newfound power and her past memories coming to the fold. McAvoy’s Charles Xavier is enjoying his fame after a successful space mission retrieval. Phone calls from the president and accolades thrown upon him.
Going almost crazy with his own philosophy of mutants and humans working side by side. Fassbender’s ‘Magneto’ character comes into play later in the movie and as always delivers a metal attracting strong performance.
Dark Phoenix thrives throughout its action scenes and a strong Sophie Turner performance. Other than that there isn’t really much of note of depth within the script to make this a standout feature. Sadly an end that feels a little empty but at the same time has an ending that could easily inject more life into the saga.
A strange film indeed.
Review by Sean Evans
Summary
Sadly not the spectacle we were all hoping for but this cookie cutter movie still doesn’t disappoint if you’re a fan of the X-Men. A Sophie Turner powerhouse performance coupled with entertaining and enjoyable scenes. It’s an X-Men movie. I don’t quite see where the criticisms lie.
