Ryan Shoots First: Dark Phoenix

Dark Phoenix has some moments where it is really trying to make something great but the uphill battle before it just proves too great of a task. For a franchise that defined the genre back in the very early days of comic book movies, then saw itself become a hollow exercise in Hollywood blockbusters, only to then be rebooted into a fresh stylistic take, then to be un-booted back into its previous baggage. Now with the 20th Century Fox purchase from Disney this is the final bow for a once powerful franchise and while the movie tries some things it is too little too late.

One of Dark Phoenix biggest problems is reflective of the whole series as a whole. It’s stuck in limbo. The movie relies heavily on the load of the audience caring about the new characters playing the roles of Jean (Sophia Turner), Cyclops (Tye Sheridan) and Storm (Alexandra Shipp). The problem is dating back to the last film X-Men Apocalypse we just have not seen enough of them and their development to care as much as the film is expecting us to. Part of the reason is the series obsession with staying laser focused on the relationship between Charles (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender). They manage to shove Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique into that triangle but it’s clear their relationship and struggle still dominates so much of the story and the focus. By the time they want us to care deeply about all the fringe characters it’s just too late.

Given all that Dark Phoenix still does some good things. One I enjoyed the most was moving the X-Men into the 90s. For many my age, we grew up on 90’s X-Men in the form of the Fox Kids cartoon. There are some excellent nods to that era those of my generation will appreciate but even more so the X-Men are kinda seen as celebrities. Their actions in the wake of X-Men: Apocalypse have changed peoples minds on mutants. It is refreshing after two decades to see an X-Men story not stuck in the oppression and anti-mutant mud. Any mission the team embarks on becomes national news and the team are all seen as icons. It’s cool to see them operating out of the shadows and somewhat a shame that only now at the end of the series do we see this angle.

While on a mission to space Jean encounters a dangerous Solar Flare that awakens the Phoenix powers within her. I definitely feel the movie was hindered by the fact they already explored this story in X-Men: The Last Stand years ago and even though I feel this movie is better it is hard not to imagine many at home on their couch not following all this being confused and thinking “didn’t I just see this on FX like last week?”

I genuinely feel the cast wanted this series to work. McAvoy and Fassbender and even Lawrence really give it their all and take their characters seriously but with the film being bogged down by the series past and the fact it’s the soon to be orphaned child of the Marvel Disney universe the film struggles to shake off that baggage and isn’t stellar enough to make you forget or regret that those things have happened.

I suppose it’s time to say goodbye to Charles Xavier and his school of gifted youngsters… at least until Marvel decides they need to re-reboot them again.