About the film (courtesy of 20th Century Fox):
This is the story of one of the X-Men’s most beloved characters, Jean Grey, as she evolves into the iconic Dark Phoenix. During a life-threatening rescue mission in space, Jean is hit by a cosmic force that transforms her into one of the most powerful mutants of all. Wrestling with this increasingly unstable power as well as her own personal demons, Jean spirals out of control, tearing the X-Men family apart and threatening to destroy the very fabric of our planet. The film is the most intense and emotional X-Men movie ever made. It is the culmination of 20 years of X-Men movies, as the family of mutants that we’ve come to know and love must face their most devastating enemy yet — one of their own.

Whether purposed from its inception or not, Dark Phoenix will most likely serve as the conclusion to the current mutant hero/villain saga as we know it. With Disney taking over the 20th Century Fox commodity that kicked off almost two decades ago with X-Men (2000) and then shifted its timeline a bit to introduce a younger, more viable cast with X-Men: First Class, all of the signs point towards a graceful fade to black. It should be noted that Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool character seems to be safe going forward and there is also another work, The New Mutants that is in current production (supposedly), albeit already pushed back a couple of years from its original 2018 release date to 2020.

Simon Kinberg serves as writer/director/producer to Dark Phoenix. Kinberg has had a deep history with the franchise thus far and, if IMDb is to be believed, he is attached to quite a few Marvel projects upcoming. The really important piece to this realization is that Kinberg has very intimate knowledge of the how each of these characters interact with one another as well as the unsettled world in which they operate. If anyone is able to unlock the passion needed to pull this off, Kinberg is right at the top of that list.

Sure, Dark Phoenix contains action and cool effects throughout. What separates this chapter from its predecessors is in how much emotion and feeling plays into what transpires. Sophie Turner, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan and Michael Fassbender to some extent, are all wrapped up in this passionate story where the heart transcends strength. Pretty much every subplot contains emotional ties that in someway manifest themselves in ways that give audiences a humble pause if they were seeking an all-out action flick.

Sophie Turner continues her ascent into the upper echelon of powerful female leads that inspire the many. With HBO’s Game of Thrones wrapping up last month on the highest of highs, Turner is in a perfect position to bring even more notoriety to her craft. As a matter of fact, Dark Phoenix is very proud to put their “X-Women“ front and center for all to appreciate. And just as it was done with Avengers: Endgame, there’s a conscious effort to squash toxic masculinity throughout.

Now it’s back to reality and time to talk about the quality of Dark Phoenix. This franchise has been a letdown at times, leaving fans lacking the blind confidence that a few other franchises have had the luxury of enjoying. If this latest film serves as a conclusion to this particular arc, that’s okay by me. It certainly won’t be because I am satisfied with its journey or final destination. There just anything extraordinary about this production that leaves me yearning for more. See it in theaters if you have a couple of hours to kill, otherwise I’d save Dark Phoenix for viewing in your home or at a matinee. There’s simply not enough to be overly exited about.