Based on the initial reviews, X-Men fans hoping Dark Phoenix would rectify the wrongs of The Last Stand should brace for another disappointment.
Does any current Hollywood franchise have as much wasted potential as the X-Men movies?
Sure, there’s James Mangold’s Logan, which finally gave Wolverine depth to match Hugh Jackman’s no-holds-barred performance and became the first (and only) superhero film to nab an Oscar nomination for its screenplay. And other installments have their merits, from the visual effects of X2: X-Men United to Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy’s performances in First Class.
On the whole, however, Marvel has struggled to translate the scope and political resonance of the comics onto the big screen. The franchise has been running on fumes for a while, serving little purpose beyond generating paychecks for its star-studded cast.
In fact, I’d argue that the best “X-Men” films aren’t technically in the franchise at all: 2005’s Sky High and this year’s Fast Color tackle the concept of super-powered misfits more successfully than any of Fox’s efforts.
The latest installment is supposed to be significant for a couple of reasons. First, it gives X-Men a chance to redo the “Dark Phoenix Saga,” a classic storyline from the comics that was infamously botched by Brett Ratner’s The Last Stand. Perhaps more importantly, it marks the last X-Men movie produced during the pre-Disney era. It has been positioned as an ending of sorts, bringing the series to a head like Endgame did for the Avengers movies.
Unfortunately, judging by the first wave of reactions from critics, Dark Phoenix is not likely to receive the fanfare that greeted Endgame.
In one of the kinder reviews, The Verge’s Keith Phipps commends director Simon Kinberg for taking a risky approach, pointing to standout action sequences and hints of moral ambiguity:
"“Kinberg goes darker and scarier, emphasizing the tragic elements of Jean’s story by recasting her origin as a story of betrayal and deception and her possession as a condition fueled by justifiable rage. The only problem: it all works better in concept than in execution.”"
Entertainment Weekly’s Leah Greenblatt, like Phipps and several other critics, compares Dark Phoenix favorably to its predecessor, X-Men: Apocalypse, though the damning with faint praise is unmistakable:
"“12 films into a nearly two-decade-old franchise, Dark Phoenix rises from the ashes of 2016’s silly, bloated X-Men: Apocalypse – not a free bird, exactly, but better than what came before.”"
Similarly, numerous reviews praise the actors, particularly Fassbender and McAvoy, while still expressing exasperation at the film’s inability to take advantage of their talent. Justin Chang of the LA Times views Dark Phoenix as lead actress Sophie Turner’s follow-up to her breakthrough role on HBO’s Game of Thrones and finds it lacking. He writes:
"“[Not] even Turner, with her radiant screen presence and her ability to make strength and vulnerability seem indistinguishable, can ultimately save Dark Phoenix from its own failures of imagination.”"
At The Daily Dot, Gavia Baker-Whitelaw bemoans the bias toward male characters that has plagued the X-Men franchise throughout its run:
"“Kinberg couldn’t write a well-rounded female character if his life depended on it. Turner does the best she can, but Jean’s arc is incoherent and lacks a meaningful basis in earlier movies, resulting in a story that feels clunkier and less insightful than the original comic. All the truly interesting material goes to Xavier and Magneto… instead.”"
The Nerdist’s Lindsey Romain zeroes in on the mishandling of a storyline ostensibly about female empowerment and trauma, offering a review as scathing as it is eloquent. I haven’t seen the movie so I can’t claim to agree with it, but her review is so persuasive I almost feel like I have.
"“But the real sin of Dark Phoenix is just how little it tries to orient itself in Jean’s dilemma. The darkness in her… is barely defined. It makes her unreachable and destructive, but why? How does she feel? There’s one scene where Jean, crouched in a back alley after doing something bad, asks herself aloud, ‘Why did I do that?’ That’s about as much insight we get into her character, who gets less to do than most of her male counterparts even though the film is literally named after her.”"
In sum, the fact that Fast Color got dumped into a dozen theaters while this is getting a heavily publicized wide release is the embodiment of what’s wrong with Hollywood.
X-Men: Dark Phoenix opens in the U.S. on Friday, June 7.