X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019)

The Low-Down: In the age of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the Avengers, it can be hard to forget that the X-Men were actually here first. The hyper-kinetic, gloriously operatic X-Men (2000) made blockbuster superhero movies cool again – plucking several of Marvel Comics’ best characters out of cult comic books and launching them into the mainstream. It’s a shame that such an iconic franchise is ending with a whimper rather than a bang. X-Men: Dark Phoenix is the final installment in the series – because it has to be, now that Fox is merging with Disney/Marvel. But the film does itself no favours in revisiting a storyline that was already told, albeit rather poorly, in The Last Stand (2006).

The Story: We’ve already met the ridiculously powerful cosmic force that is the Phoenix: it latched onto Famke Janssen’s Jean Grey over a decade ago, and decimated a bunch of fan-favourite characters in its fiery wake. This time around, the Phoenix finds a host in Sophie Turner’s younger Jean Grey, unlocking past trauma and present angst as it burns through the childhood defenses put in place in Jean’s mind by Professor Charles Xavier (James McAvoy). As Jean goes on the run, her former allies rush to find her – some set on protecting her, others on eliminating the threat she poses to their safety and loved ones. But can they save her from Vuk (Jessica Chastain), the ice-cold leader of an alien race hellbent on claiming the Phoenix’s power for herself?

The Good: There’s actually a decent amount of good seeded throughout Dark Phoenix. Most intriguing of all is the film’s darker take on Xavier – he’s usually portrayed as an unequivocally good (and therefore slightly boring) character, devoted to his young charges and leading the fight for a better, more unbiased world. Paired with a fascinating, almost petulant performance from McAvoy, Dark Phoenix reminds us that, sometimes, the road to Hell on Earth is paved with good intentions. Long-time X-Men writer Simon Kinberg makes his directorial debut, and proves more than equal to the task of whipping up fantastically thrilling action sequences. He peppers the film with plenty of lovely imagery and aesthetic touches: from Jean’s hair taking on a life of its own when she’s in Phoenix mode, to Quicksilver (Evan Peters) speed-climbing a whirlwind of debris.

The Not-So-Good: It’s hard to shake the feeling that there isn’t much reason for this film to exist, other than giving Kinberg the opportunity to take a second stab at the same story. (He co-wrote The Last Stand, to eternal fan derision.) Dark Phoenix edges closer to the classic Chris Claremont storyline in the comics, but it never quite fulfils its own potential. The Xavier subplot doesn’t get anywhere near the true depth or darkness it deserves. Chastain is brilliant casting, but for no real reason. If the screenplay had supported her better, Chastain could have transformed Vuk into a properly sympathetic antagonist; instead, she’s stuck in the key of one-dimensional supervillain. We get a peek at Genosha, a mutant safe haven under the governance of Erik Lensherr/Magneto (Michael Fassbender) – but we don’t linger there.

Phoenix Rising: Turner isn’t given much to do other than glower and fret, but she does it all well enough. The trouble is Jean Grey as a character. In all her incarnations, including in the comics, she gains immeasurable power, but loses all agency. She seems strong, but is actually a frustratingly passive protagonist. That’s compounded here by literally everyone around her constantly telling her what to do – from Charles, Erik and the annoyingly maternal Raven Darkholme (Jennifer Lawrence), to her well-meaning boyfriend, Scott Summers (Tye Sheridan), and the relentless Vuk. Is Jean supposed to master her emotions, to repress her powers, to stay quiet? Or is she supposed to unleash them, to revel in them, to metaphorically shout about her remarkable abilities? It’s a conundrum that exists in the source material – and this film makes a strong case for retiring Claremont’s Dark Phoenix for good.

Recommended? If you’ve ever loved the X-Men, you’ll probably want to say goodbye to this incarnation of these beloved characters before they’re resurrected in the MCU. But this is a decidedly middling installment in the franchise – not as dreadful as Apocalypse, but nowhere near the giddy heights of X-Men or Logan.

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

It’s hard to fault anyone for approaching X-Men: Apocalypse with optimism. 20th Century Fox has consistently failed the Fantastic Four, but they’ve had a better track record in recent years with Marvel’s mutants. We’ve been #blessed with Bryan Singer’s Days Of Future Past, a brainy, bold thrill ride that uses its myriad characters to excellent effect in telling a time-twisted tale of doom and… well, apocalypse. Tim Miller’s snarky, wacky Deadpool proved without a doubt that the studio is willing to take a risk on a cult property and let it explode all over the silver screen, rather than neuter it out of hand. With Singer back on board and a top-notch cast, hopes are understandably high for the cataclysmic confrontation suggested by the title of this latest entry in the X-Men franchise.

We’re even promised the holy grail of X-Men villains: ancient mutant Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac, buried under too many layers of make-up and prosthetics). This righteous blue-hued dude, with his huge but poorly defined power-set, is an iconic antagonist for our band of superheroes in the comics: he’s been known to lay waste to Earth in the past, present and future. In Singer’s incarnation, Apocalypse’s four Horsemen include wing-tipped Angel (Ben Hardy); weather witch Storm (Alexandra Shipp); energy-blade-wielding Psylocke (Olivia Munn); and a bitter, broken Magneto/Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender).

It’s up to Professor Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and his X-Men – superpowered students that include younger versions of uber-powerful Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) and Cyclops/Scott Summers (Tye Sheridan) – to stop Apocalypse from claiming the entire world for himself. Along the way, shape-shifter Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) must decide just how she can best contribute to the mutant cause in which she so firmly believes.

Here’s the thing: keep your expectations low – lower – lowest – and X-Men: Apocalypse may just pass muster. This is a cookie-cutter blockbuster, sliced and diced together with more efficiency than heart. It dutifully ticks boxes as it chugs along: Apocalypse recruits his acolytes. Magneto loses his heart and soul (again). Charles and Raven discuss and disagree on tactics. Superheroes face off. It’s all strung together with several sequences of world-destroying action, filmed in true Roland Emmerich style.

Devotees of both the movies and the comics will find things to enjoy: a twitchy, endearing young Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee), who looks very much like a demon but is deeply devout; another deeply amusing explosion of special effects as fan favourite Quicksilver (Evan Peters) zips through a hilarious rescue mission; and an already publicised cameo by Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) that will drive fans berserk.

But think a little harder or poke at its shaky plot, and X-Men Apocalypse falls apart quite readily. The truth is that much of this film is neither inspired nor inspiring. It’s okay, for the most part, but it’s never great, and barely ever good. Simon Kinberg’s script is a limp affair, recycling bits that worked better in other movies in the franchise but breaking very little new ground. The stakes are insanely high, but the threat never feels genuine – a feeling that is only reinforced by the clumsy and anti-climactic way in which the final showdown takes place. Can we say deus ex machina? Yes, we can.

The character work that lends so much emotion and power to earlier installments like First Class and Days Of Future Past is missing here too. Too much of the story relies on emotional connections that aren’t established too well, and which can only be supplied by the viewers themselves. The film meanders without much purpose through its many relationships, staging a series of first meetings or reunions that basically amount to: Jean and Cyclops meet cute! Charles and Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne) meet cute! Raven and Hank McCoy (Nicholas Hoult) meet cute!

But very little of it sparks to life, and there’s a troubling disregard for female agency, too, that fuels Magneto’s entire emotional arc in this film. We’re also told why Moira disappeared in between films, but she’s not given any time to forgive what she has had to forget.

At least Singer’s cast does good work with what little they are given. As a re-energised Charles, McAvoy is as appealing and charming as ever. Fassbender remains a gift to the franchise: he imbues Erik with the perfect blend of heartbreak and hatred, which serves as a potent reminder of why he makes a far better antagonist than the automaton-on-evil-autopilot that is Apocalypse. In the context of the film, Lawrence delivers a decent performance. But it’s still hard to shake the feeling that she’s miscast in the role, with her explosive star power prompting the filmmakers to transform Raven into someone pretty much unrecognisable to comic readers.

In just eight years, the genre that was once treated as the difficult bastard stepchild of the movie industry has come fully into its own. It’s only May and we’ve already seen three superhero films hit cinemas – Captain America: Civil War: excellent; Deadpool: awesome; Batman v Superman: awful. This latest installment in the X-Men franchise falls on neither extreme. It displays a couple of flashes of brilliance, but not enough to drag it out from the uncomfortable middle ground of mediocrity it occupies. Here’s hoping Singer (if he signs on to direct) and Kinberg find their footing again with the inevitable follow-up to X-Men: Apocalypse – we’ve already been told that it will be set in the ’90s, with a rather obscure end-credits scene teasing just where the franchise will go next.

Basically: The latest X-Men film isn’t completely dreadful, but you may be tempted to cancel the Apocalypse after watching it.

X-Men: Days Of Future Past (2014)

With its mind-boggling premise and jaw-dropping cast, X-Men: Days Of Future Past blasts into cinemas bearing the weight of great expectations. Surely this mash-up of X-Men past and future has the potential to be the best superhero blockbuster our world will ever see? Well, yes and no.

To be strictly objective, Days Of Future Past can occasionally come off as a little too earnest, its enormous cast of characters getting somewhat lost in the grinding of its narrative gears. But, when it works (which is most of the time), Days Of Future Past comes pretty darn close to nerdvana – this is a smart, rich film that effectively mines its source material (both the movies and Chris Claremont’s classic 1981 storyline in the comic books) and its incredible cast for emotion, power and depth.

Flash forward to the bleakest of futures. X-Men we have known – led by perennial frenemies Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Erik Lensherr/Magneto (Ian McKellen) – are being hunted mercilessly by a horde of intelligent, death-mongering robots known as Sentinels. With little hope for survival, the desperate X-Men decide to send Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) back in time to the 1970s. There, he must find the younger Charles (James McAvoy) and Erik (Michael Fassbender) – several years estranged after the traumatic events of X-Men: First Class – and get them to change the future before it can happen.

Sounds simple enough? Not really. Days Of Future Past frequently threatens to fall foul of its complicated puzzle-box of a narrative, one that involves time travel, quantum physics and a swirling mess of characters, action and motivations. There’s Dr. Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage), creator of the Sentinel programme, whose assassination in the past by Charles’ pseudo-sister Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) brings about the dystopia of the future. There are prison breaks, astral projections, and several grisly mutant deaths. Truthfully, this incredibly ambitious mix of character, plot and spectacle could very easily go horribly wrong.

What’s so impressive about director Bryan Singer’s return to the franchise is how well he weaves all the disparate threads of his narrative together. This is emphatically not the Singer who gave us mediocre misfires like Superman Returns and Jack The Giant Slayer. Rather, this is the work of the Singer who made his mark with films like X1, X2 and The Usual Suspects, all of which featured a masterful blend of wit and wisdom, character and story.

In Days Of Future Past, Singer skilfully plays on the schism that opened up between Erik and Charles at the end of First Class to add welcome depths of emotion to the high stakes already in play. The deep, difficult relationship between the two men has always been the fulcrum of the series, and Singer allows it to breathe and grow. With the help of McAvoy and Fassbender (not to mention Stewart and McKellen), some of the best actors in the business, the director makes it possible to believe that resentment can give way to forgiveness, and vice versa, often in the blink of an eye. McAvoy, in particular, gives a shudderingly good performance as a man called upon to help others when he’s lost his own way.

With such an enormous revolving cast of characters, Singer even manages to give many – though not all – of them their hearts and souls. (Alas, Storm/Ororo, we will never know ye!) Thrust into the unlikely role of mentor to the broken, heartsore Charles, Wolverine must find a different sort of strength and ingenuity within himself. Jackman plays the role beautifully, anchoring the two timelines with charm and gravitas. Though still something of an awkward fit for her part, Lawrence, too, plays Raven’s dilemma very well, as she wavers between Charles’ offer of hope and Erik’s often bloody single-mindedness.

But Days Of Future Past doesn’t just mire itself in the toss and tumble of its characters’ emotional journeys. Singer throws in a few crackerjack action sequences, opening the film with a heart-stopping massacre that very effectively underscores the dire threat posed by the Sentinels of the future. Crucially, Singer also finds the time and space within the darkest shadows of his story to have a little fun, judiciously tossing quips and sight gags into the mix – particularly in a tour de force prison break sequence, in which the preternaturally speedy Pietro Maximoff (Evan Peters), better known to comic aficionados as Quicksilver, literally runs away with the entire show.

Make no mistake about it, this is a behemoth of a film that won’t go down well with everybody. Newbies will almost certainly find themselves lost, bewildered, and perhaps even bored. Singer’s tale sprawls in so many directions that, if you’re not at least marginally invested in the characters, it could prove to be a trying experience.

But, for everyone else, ranging from casual fans to enthusiasts and obsessives, Singer and screenwriter Simon Kinberg have crafted something truly remarkable. Steeped in history and lore, both of the cinematic and comic-book variety, Days Of Future Past feels like a dark love letter to the spirit of that original band of mutants and the message of hope, tolerance and humanity that has always accompanied their attempts to find their place on Earth.

Most remarkably of all, Days Of Future Past practically radiates a bravery and freshness that you’d never expect from the seventh film in a blockbuster franchise. Instead of playing it safe and sound, Days Of Future Past mashes up past, present and future, sweeping up a lot of what has been taken for granted in the X-Men cinematic universe and, well, chucking it out of the proverbial window. The ending of this film truly opens up an intriguing plethora of narrative possibilities that stretch in any and all directions. On the strength of this outing, that’s something to be anticipated, rather than feared.

Summary: A stunning achievement – a blockbuster movie packed with at least as much heart as spectacle.