By Robert Bouffard
What else is there left to do or say in the X-Men film franchise? Throughout 19 years and 12 movies, they have explored topics ranging from race, to family, to marginalized people groups, to family, to your ability to change. For what these characters and mutants in general stand for, the franchise has been able to cover a lot of thematic ground. But surprisingly, its (possible) final chapter, Dark Phoenix, was able to bring something new and meaningful to close out the series.
It really focuses in on the character of Jean Grey and gets into the reasons behind why she has this awful turn to the dark side. Having set up a believable and relatable character for her in Apocalypse, this film explores her struggles with good and bad. We understand her internal conflict – she doesn’t want to do bad things, but she feels betrayed, and therefore bad things are happening.
All of this is displayed in a metaphor early on by Charles Xavier. He tells a young Jean that with a pen, she has the power to either write something beautiful, or do physical harm to someone else– it’s just up to her to decide which one she is going to choose. We empathize with Jean as everything transpires and are even forced to question those who have been moral compasses from the beginning.
This film is anchored by some very good performances and a standout score. Sophie Turner further proves that she is able to handle a large property, while James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender turn out with typically great performances, even with reduced screen time. Meanwhile, Hans Zimmer came out of superhero movie retirement to deliver yet another incredible score that you can’t help but notice.
But this movie isn’t all good. Two-time Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain is completely wasted because of a storyline that the movie doesn’t care to explain. Her villainous character is introduced and thrust into situations that we are told to accept. But we can’t accept them when we have no understanding of who she is or where she comes from.
The movie also can’t find one specific message to cling to. Other than its central theme of choosing between right and wrong, it brings up other ideas that are fascinating, but not fleshed out at all. It deserves props for continuing the great trend in X-Men movies of focusing on character rather than action, but it jumps around too much for it to ever be meaningful.
As I mentioned at the beginning, this franchise has been through a lot. The fact of the matter is that it wouldn’t have lasted so long if it wasn’t producing quality films. So while Dark Phoenix doesn’t quite reach the highs of Days of Future Past or Logan, it stays far away from the lows of
X-Men Origins: Wolverine or X-Men: Apocalypse. It is a fitting, character-focused ending to a franchise that deserved just that.
Grade: B