X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019)

Right off the bat: I don't understand all the hate this film got. I really don't. Is it the best of the X-Men franchise? Not likely, but is it the worst?

I mean: you hàve seen 'Origins - Wolverine', haven't you?

'Dark Phoenix' is an enjoyable, but occasionally flawed film. There, I said it, and I said it out loud. I enjoy this entry into the franchise. All the hate it gets is truly undeserved. But as we all know, people on the Internet can be a right bunch of pricks and nitwits, so let us not dwell on that and get to this film, because that's why we're here in the first place.

Like previous attempts, this one does take a lot of liberties concerning the Dark Phoenix-storyline. Apparently, that is something very hard to get right. 'The Last Stand' screwed this one up rather badly and here, at least, they try to stay closer to the source material. Even though it is nowhere as close and good as in the animated series, this is a pretty decent take on that particular storyline. Jean Grey has an unknown cosmic force bonding with her, and she can't control her powers anymore, often violently lashing out. This creates a myriad of problems and there are aliens bent on acquiring this force for their own nefarious purposes. It isn't the Shi'Ar, though. I get why they went for an obscure alien species, because if you introduce the Shi'Ar, you're stuck with them for a number of films because there is no way in hell you would be able to explain all that backstory in one single film. Good choice there, filmmakers.

Oh, and I was glad that Mystique gets offed rather rapidly. I know I have said it before, but Jennifer Lawrence's take on the character never worked for me and here she feels really uninterested in the part. So getting her out of the way was a good idea.

From time to time, you do feel as though McAvoy is phoning it in a little too strongly, which is a shame, because I really like him as an actor and as an apparently never ageing Xavier. Michael Fassbender is awesome, as always. The dude can act. It was also refreshing to see Cyclops get more screentime and lines than ever before. Maybe this will get people over their Wolverine fetish.

Come on, there are so many more cool mutants, get over that puppylove!

But Hugh Jackman is a god among men, let that remain clear.

I also had no problems at all with Sophie Turner as Jean. I mean, sure, she's not as intricate as Famke Janssen and comes across a little flatter, but still: I can see her as a younger Jean Grey struggling with all the stuff that's thrown at her.

The action setpieces are nice, and especially the train battle is pretty darn cool. You could argue a little about the ending and how predictable that is, but this is a comic book adaptation after all. It's either going to be predictable or so balls-to-the-wall absurd that you'll be sitting there slack-jawed.

In any case, this is a worthy addition to the series, but don't expect a masterpiece.

It's still a lot of fun, though.