Review: X-Men: Dark Phoenix

Image courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox.

"Dark Phoenix," which is seemingly the final film in this current crop of "X-Men" films, fades away more than burns out, although there's a little of that too. It's an odd way to end the series - focusing on the arc of one character specifically, bumping off one or two characters rather nonchalantly, insinuating that one of its most iconic characters had villainous qualities and ending with a somewhat generic resolution.

That being said, "Dark Phoenix" isn't as bad as the beating it has taken with critics. It's no worse than any of the series' low points, and there are some solid moments. And from the moment that Michael Fassbender shows up as Magneto, the film takes a turn for the better.

In this picture, the X-Men take part in the rescue mission of a spacecraft and, in the process, Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) takes the brunt of what is believed to be a solar flare. Afterward, she gains an incredible amount of power, and the rest of the film plays out like a season of Festivus - many grievances.

In the film's beginning, we witness Jean accidentally kill her mother during a car crash after she uses her mind to mess with the radio channels. Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) takes her in and tries to help her bury that guilt, showing her how to channel her powers for good.

But after Jean's contact with the alleged solar flare, she begins to take out vengeance on those whom she believed lied to her or altered her history. It also doesn't help that an alien race (led by a frosty, white haired Jessica Chastain) has come to either collect the power Jean has or use her as a weapon to - you'll never guess - dominate the earth.

This leads to all sorts of divisions, especially after a high profile character gets bumped off, courtesy of Jean. Charles Xavier and Cyclops (Tye Sheridan) want to save Jean, while Magneto and Hank/Beast (Nicholas Hoult) want to destroy her. A lot of items being moved with the mind and explosions commence.

While other X-Men movies and comics have been laden with occasionally interesting subtext - everything from being subject to prejudice to the AIDS crisis - there is scant evidence of that here, other than a brief ode to women's competence as superheroes by Raven (Jessica Lawrence) that feels more like a throwaway line, rather than the exploration of a theme.

It must be said that the lack of Wolverine's presence is noticeable as Hugh Jackman always brought a fair amount of depth and showmanship to that role. In "Dark Phoenix," many of the actors appear as if they're just going through the motions. Fassbender and McAvoy rise to the occasion during a few moments, but the film mostly feels like the end result of various people taking care of contractual obligations.