Dark Phoenix

The X-Men series comes to a (supposed) close with this woefully underwhelming and terminally erratic entry, with the slapdash narrative following Sophie Turner’s Jean Grey as her powers are enhanced considerably after a run-in with a deadly solar flare – which forces various characters, including James McAvoy’s Professor X and Michael Fassbender’s Magneto, to join forces in an effort at preventing Jean from becoming a pawn of Jessica Chastain’s malevolent Vuk. Dark Phoenix‘s ultimate failure is especially disappointing given the effectiveness of its opening stretch, as first-time filmmaker Simon Kinberg delivers a strong first act detailing the heroes’ perilous attempts at rescuing the crew of a space shuttle – with the movie, past that point, progressing into an increasingly muddled and uneven midsection that slowly-but-surely drains one’s interest. And although Kinberg offers up a small handful of compelling moments (eg a visit to Magneto’s mutant-friendly island), Dark Phoenix suffers from a distressing lack of momentum that’s compounded by a loud, action-packed third act that’s hardly able to make the engrossing impact Kinberg is striving for (and it doesn’t help, certainly, that the train-set climax transpires on dimly-lit sets and is shot with frustratingly shaky camerawork) – which does, finally, confirm the movie’s place as a fairly disastrous conclusion to a series that started with such promise and potential.

*1/2 out of ****