By Jeaun Lewis
Dark Phoenix is a 2019 superhero film written and directed by long time X-Men film writer and producer Simon Kinberg based on the “Dark Phoenix” comics run, and stars Sophie Turner as Jean Grey/Phoenix, Tye Sheridan as Scott Summers/Cyclops, James McAvoy as Professor Charles Xavier, Jennifer Lawrence as Raven/Mystique and Jessica Chastain as Vuk, the leader of a shape shifting race of aliens called the D’Bari. The film follows the X-Men after a rescue mission in space goes wrong, leading to Jean Grey being inhabited by an intergalactic energy called the “Phoenix Force”. The X-Men are then forced to decide whether she can be saved or needs to be destroyed to protect the fate of the world, all while Jean is being manipulated by Vuk.
The most striking thing about the film is that it does not have many moments of levity. We live in a time where many films have a mixed tone, where tragedy can occur before and after some amazingly funny moments, just think of Avengers Infinity War and how many jokes still land after Gamora dies. Dark Phoenix has moments where some fans of the franchise will get excited by characters using their powers in new very brutal ways, but it isn’t necessarily a movie that gives off a good feeling. Dark moments follow dark moments, and even happy moments, such as a cameo from the marvel character Dazzler. Moments which should be happy do not feel at all at peace, with an air of menace being apparent through the score and the cinematography. On the topic of cinematography, the way the film is shot appeals to me greatly, with many close ups, well composed shots and sometimes the opposite being used to great effect. Overall it is a great looking film, with colour being utilised to great effect with reds, blues and oranges being very apparent.
The acting in Dark Phoenix is a point of criticism from many people who watched the film, arguing that it looked like some of them didn’t care about the film. I cannot fully understand these complaints, as the main actors brought out fantastic, nuanced turns as there characters, with particular praise being deserved by Sophie Turner, who puts on the best performance of her career, creating a character that you still care about, even after the terrible acts they commit under the influence of the phoenix force. Even smaller roles like Nightcrawler are still given a lot to do, as they also have to wrangle with the questions of whether they can trust people who they have known for years.
The score, created by Hans Zimmer, is interesting in the fact that it really does feel like an amalgamation of many of Zimmer’s previous works, with inspiration seemingly taken from Blade Runner 2049, Angels and Demons, and even a little bit of Dunkirk, which leads to a grim score that almost becomes horrific in its beauty at points. There is no use of the previous X-Men themes, which I feel is appropriate, as the story isn’t really about them. The music follows Jean Greys arc, being overwhelmed by a tense and foreboding theme for the Phoenix, that can be heard all throughout the first song, titled “Gap”.
I enjoyed Dark Phoenix. As an ending point for the X-Men franchise within this messy continuity it feels weird, with the ending of Days of Future Past feeling like a better send off for the series, even though I have enjoyed all of the X-Men films since then. Despite this I feel that the movie was well put together, even if behind the scenes dramas and reshoots pretty much guaranteed a poor reception from some people. I believe that if you watch this movie in the right frame of mind and expect something darker and grimmer than usual, then you may have a good time with this film.
On The Brightside 