X-Men: Dark Phoenix

The X-Men are back where they started, and Dark Phoenix is a great film mainly because, like Singer's first two films, it cares so much about the characters. Once again, dialogue and emotion play a primary role, and the action scenes serve mainly as a spectacular journey leading to the very thing that once set the mutant saga apart from other comic book movies and made it a grown-up spectacle with room for reflection. If the Dark Phoenix script had been written and filmed in 2006 instead of Last Stand, it would have been an amazing conclusion to the trilogy. As it is, it's an amazing conclusion to a somewhat disjointed and confused saga that, while it has somewhat lost itself over time, has always managed to find itself again. In terms of the acting, I have nothing to fault, of course from the story I'd like to acknowledge the errant Professor X, as well as Jean herself, and director Simon Kinberg pleased me as much as the screenwriter – now I'm not just talking about the divine train finale, but especially the pervasive tension and justifiable sense of doom that he manages to evoke (thanks in part to Zimmer's music). (11/06/2019)

It is the year 1992, the space shuttle Endeavour ends up in a cosmic cloud in our planet’s orbit, the X-Men come to help, and something goes wrong. This space plot introduces a non-mutant/non-human enemy, while at the same time dropping the storyline with GLBT/LGBT hatred that they were so fond of in this series for so many years. Some members of the team have stopped enjoying their blind subservience to mankind. The team is slowly falling apart and Jean becomes Phoenix again, but this time around we don’t have the sexy Famke Jannsen to play the part convincingly. The younger actors generally can’t compete with high-calibre performers like McAvoy or Fassbender, so the movie relies a little more on the latter's performances. Even so, Kinberg is a capable storyteller and serves up dynamic action scenes and good ideas. The climax on the train, where everybody goes ape-shit, is full of memorable scenes. All this accompanied by Hans’s outstanding music. In the end, this is quite a solid ending to the X-series. Those were good years. P.S: The end conflicts with what was hinted at in Days of Future Past. (08/06/2019)

The X-Men's descent from the best comic book adaptation ever (Volume 2) to utter forgettable sh*t. And sad be the day Sophie Turner believed she was an actress. Well, perhaps she is an actress, but she’s certainly the least charismatic being to appear in the entire series. Fassbender, Lawrence and McAvoy must have been terribly relieved that they got off the hook with this latest installment and don't have to keep plugging away. (03/09/2019)

The fact is that this movie was supposed to be a magnificent end to the entire X-Men saga. However, it is more like a slow and sleepy piece that fizzes out as an empty exercise. Entrusting the final movie of the series to a skilled screenwriter but completely inexperienced director Simon Kinberg probably reaped its own reward. Without any exaggeration, it could not be duller and more tired if it tried. This is a movie that will leave you completely indifferent and with the feeling you have been robbed. (03/02/2020)

Jean Grey has become the Dark Phoenix, and the other X-Men can't tame her the easy way. But do they stand a chance against their former partners? And what if someone far more dangerous is after her new powers? The new X-Men return to their roots and try to rely on interesting characters and character development more than action. It succeeds only halfway. Unfortunately, Simon Kinberg's surprisingly solid direction is tripped up by the often not-so-good actors and an overly rushed story. There are some strong emotional moments, though, and the finale on the train is among the best action we've ever seen in X-Men. I was expecting a lot worse. (06/06/2019)