If there is one renown, revered, and seminal story among the X-MEN comic book canon it is, without a doubt, the PHOENIX SAGA. Objectively speaking, the Phoenix Saga may not be the best written or the greatest sweeping epic among the X-Men comics. If you're knowledgeable and well read in your X-Men lore it may not even be on your top ten greatest X-Men stories. But there are many who know it (if only by name) and think of it as such. Talking with my generation, a lot of us first came to know it from the X-Men animated series. The generation before us it was with the source material (the comics themselves). And the generation after us know it from the films.
It wouldn't be a stretch to say that the Phoenix Saga may well be the most known story in Marvel history, if only in name.
THE PHOENIX AND THE X-TRAORDINARY TASK OF ADAPTING IT
When I was a kid and I watched the Phoenix Saga unfold on the animated series, from the moment Juggernaut was tossed aside like a rag doll by the Shi'Ar praetorian, Gladiator, to the Starjammers and X-Men battling against the Shi'Ar Empire in a grand war deep in outer space, I was awestruck. I haven't watched those episodes since but clearly they left an imprint. And when X2: X-MEN UNITED (2003) teased Jean Grey's death with the image of the Phoenix faint in the water, my buddies and I all knew what was coming... or so we thought.
The Phoenix Saga is a deep "in-universe" story, not just within the overall X-Men story but within the Marvel universe itself. It's not a story you merely jump into. It requires a lot of world building and character assemblage and deep investment. Like the film AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR, the Phoenix Saga takes a lot of setting up. So trying to adapt such a story must be a nightmare. And really the only way filmmakers could properly adapt the comic story faithfully would be similar to how Marvel Studios set up Infinity War. No movie studio prior to Marvel Studios had done such a grand assemblage before. Now there's precedent but before 2018 there was no template for how one would do such a story on film.
Taking all of this into account, is it any wonder why X-MEN: THE LAST STAND (2006) failed as an adaptation of the Phoenix Saga? There is no way that film could've even come close to doing the comic book justice. Sadly that's only one of the numerous gripes I have with that film. Fast-forward to 2019 with the coming of DARK PHOENIX, 20th Century Fox's second and final attempt at adapting the story, and it all plays out similarly. Again, because up until last year, no one had ever shown the world how to properly set-up such a story.
In brief, I liked Dark Phoenix better than X-Men: The Last Stand and I'm inclined to say I enjoyed it better than X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE (2009). Beyond that it feels like the filmmakers have tread too much of the same water as 2006's previous attempt.
THE PLOT
A cosmic anomaly threatens a NASA space shuttle launch, the lives of several astronauts hanging in the balance. Seeing an opportunity to demonstrate to the world the good of mutantkind, Professor X sends his X-Men to space to save the astronauts. The X-Men rescue the astronauts while Jean uses her powers to maintain the shuttle's structural integrity. Suddenly the cosmic anomaly moves. It hones in on Jean. And the shuttle explodes. The cosmic force vanishes and Jean is left floating in space with the debris. When the X-Men retrieve her body they discover that she's inexplicably alive and more powerful than ever. But whatever happened to Jean has changed her and this new power has a will of its own.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
First off, I love the opening prologue. The car crash sequence was one of the most striking and visceral sequences of its kind. And then the meeting of Professor X and a young Jean Grey was understated yet powerful and touching. I loved the analogy of the pen being a gift and what we do with it determines whether the gift is good or bad. This strong opening started the film and my view of the film favorably.
As with the previous X-Men film, APOCALYPSE, I have come to really enjoy the new cast of actors and what they bring to their characters. I thought Sofie Turner was great as Jean. I like Alexandra Shipp as Storm, Evan Peters as Quicksilver, and generally all of the actors in the film. All save for Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique. She was good in both X-MEN: FIRST CLASS and X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST. But once she broke out as an actress, after Hunger Games and the academy award, the trajectory of her character and Jennifer Lawrence's presence in the X-Men films changed dramatically. Suddenly Mystique is a good guy and central to the plot. And it is done not in a way to service the story or the character, but to cash in on the actress' box office draw.
"For Raven." "Is this what Raven would've wanted?" "FOR RAVEN!"And so on and so forth. SPOILER ALERT!!! Mystique (or "Raven" as she's exclusively called in this movie) dies fairly early in this film. Good! Great! Grand! Wonderful! But she still drives the film even after she's gone. From that moment onward, much of the characters motivations are driven by their feelings for Mystique or for some perceived obligation to Mystique. Everyone loves Mystique! If it were for Charles or some other linchpin of the team then it would've worked better for me. But it's Mystique who has been given a role and influence on everyone in the story, qualities her character never should've had. But because it's Jennifer Lawrence and she's the most bankable actor in this film they give her everything. Whether this is true or not I don't know, but that is very much how it looks. I found that very annoying and by the end of the film after the last "For Raven!" was bellowed I was sick of it.
It does create an interesting through-line for the film though. Emotion and being controlled by emotion seem to be an underlying theme through out the film. Another film this year had a theme of emotion, specifically tied to a female character. I speak of Captain Marvel. In Dark Phoenix nearly all of the characters are ruled by their emotions, their wants and desires. There's a display of emotions resulting in chaos as well as emotions resulting in progress. Emotions can lead to both good and bad results. What's interesting here is that Jean, struggling to contain a powerful and malevolent cosmic force, handles her emotions far better than almost every other character in the film as they deal with their grief over Mystique. Cyclops and Storm seem to have a good handle on their emotions as well.
The struggle for Jean, and thusly the struggle for the audience, is what to do with all the power coursing through her. Much of the film is Jean seeking guidance from others, which is what any young person with some sense would do in a situation they don't understand. But it eventually became frustrating because her character loses all agency by the end of the film. She seems subject to the whims and wills of others throughout most of the film. And then, when she does make a choice, it is awesome! And then the movie ends. Gah! However, this film does show both the detriments and benefits of following emotion (as is reality) unlike Captain Marvel, in which we're given a hero who can do no wrong with no weaknesses who can harness her emotions and godlike power with deft and ease from the moment she gets them.
More frustrating is that stalwart characters like Professor X and Beast make choices throughout the film that remove sympathy from them. Magneto, who is still wonderfully portrayed by Michael Fassbender, is a classic asshole. So what you're left with is a group of unlikable and unsympathetic characters carrying the movie. Cyclops, Storm, and Nightcrawler were good but they weren't the focal point. They were given the least to do among the factions of characters yet they were the most likable. The majority of the film showcases unlikable characters or characters making bad decisions and that slowly eroded investment in them. And sidelineing Quicksilver so early in the film was a crime!
I understand the need for your characters to have arcs. But I'd argue in an ensemble piece that not every character needs an arc. As in real life, some people are constants. Some people have faith. I understand Professor X's motivations in this film, but, the way the film approaches it really painted the character in a negative light, one in which I did not enjoy. For one of the focal characters of the film I wish Xavier had been a little more positively portrayed. As Jean struggles it would've been nice to see Xavier as a fixed point of positivity and Magneto as the fixed point of negativity rather than both being negative.
Wow, this is really getting long-winded.
I loved the action in the movie. The siege on the train was epic and badass. The final fight between Jean and the D'Bari was amazing! Characters had a lot of rather quick changes of heart there towards the end which didn't feel earned, Magneto especially. I like the attempt at bringing in outer space elements into the story (of which there should be a lot), but these characters (the D'Bari? Really? The celery stalk people from the comics?) felt like nothing more than a two dimensional by the numbers villain. There was very little set-up for these characters and they seem to come out of nowhere yet have already infiltrated Earth's governments. I like Jessica Chastain but it seemed as if she wasn't given much to do here.
This is what I was taking about at the beginning of the post. This movie needed more set-up and this story needed more time to get ready. The filmmakers aren't wrong in thinking that this is a story audiences want to see. But it has to be approached very carefully and teed up precisely. For, just like the fiery temperament of the Phoenix Force, this story can either shine brightly among the star or go dark very quickly.
THE VERDICT
A twenty year long era comes to an end. Dark Phoenix is Fox's swan song, the X-Men's grand finale (excluding next year's NEW MUTANTS of course and any future Deadpool films). Like many films it is a mixed bag of elements and emotions. There are aspects I really enjoyed in this film. And there are problems that in adapting this particular story that have yet to be overcome. Time and timing was against this film it seems. While it is far from my favorite of the X-Men films, it is not my least favorite by any means.
Overall Ranking: 5 out of 10
IN MEMORIAM
It's interesting seeing this particular set of actors and characters once again with the knowledge that we'll never see this kind of X-Men movie ever again. In some ways it's good. In other ways it's sad. With Marvel Studios being the juggernaut that it is, ruling and influencing this current era of super hero films unopposed, it is refreshing to see a super hero film that doesn't feel like a Marvel Studios film. As of late, Phase III of Marvel Studios feels like ten films all with the same flavor. It's nice to see something in the genre that doesn't feel like an MCU film and it is both joyous and sad that this pocket of characters are returning to Marvel.
This franchise helped launch the super-hero film genre and helped make it into what it is today. The great and powerful MCU couldn't have happened without the foundation built by the X-Men and Spider-Man films of the early 2000's. Super hero films have come a long way since then, but without those admittedly rocky starts and rough early days of the genre we wouldn't be where we are today. I was thinking about the opening sequence of X2 the other day, Nightcrawler's big screen debut, and how amazing and largely unmatched that sequence is. No matter what comes of these characters in the future, there are some truly great moments these films gave us.
Thank You. Godspeed.
For more of my thoughts on all things super hero cinema check out the posts below
THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE (MCU)
THE DC EXTENDED UNIVERSE (DCEU)
Fox-Marvel, Sony-Marvel, and other stuff too!
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