Jean Grey begins to develop incredible powers that corrupt and turn her into a Dark Phoenix. Now the X-Men will have to decide if the life of a team member is worth more than all of humanity.

I love a superhero movie.  If you have been reading my reviews, you must know that by now – and the original X-Men movie is largely responsible for that love.  Long before the MCU was a thing, movies like X-Men and Blade were the best opportunity for us to see our comic book heroes brought to life.

The X-Men franchise had its ups and downs.  Triumphs like X2 and Logan, and definite tragedies such as Apocalypse and Origins:Wolverine – and of you include Deadpool in the franchise, those two films have to rate as absolute triumphs as well.

Dark Phoenix is the twelfth entry (including Deadpool) and the final instalment in this franchise as we know it.  Soon enough, these characters will re-surface within the MCU, and we’ll be given a fresh and renewed take on the X-Men.  So, how does Dark Phoenix stand up?

A lot has been said about the movie, mostly negative, but I have to say I actually enjoyed it.

There are some head scratch inducing moments, but overall, it’s a pretty enjoyable movie.  Infinitely better than X3’s take on the Dark Phoenix storyline, anyway.

The cast is pretty good, particularly James McAvoy as Professor X and Michael Fassbender as Magneto.  Both have been playing the roles for a few years now, and they do it well.  I also really quite like Sophie Turner as Jean Grey – no matter what the popular opinion on that casting might be.

The visuals are great, and there is plenty going on to keep your interest.  It’s entertainment, people!  Don’t over-analyse it, just let it do its job.

It’s not perfect, but it IS good.  Ignore the critics and make your own assessment.  Switch off your brain, and let Dark Phoenix entertain you.

7/10

Review by Rick Trewin.