X-Men: Dark Phoenix

Better than expected. The opening sequence sees the X-Men rescuing a troubled space shuttle mission. This marks the first time in the nineteen-year-old franchise where the team acts as superheroes combating a non-mutant threat. A refreshing change.

But then the film devolves into a Last Stand retread. At least one star exits the franchise. Said death would add gravitas, but the compressed timeline spares no time for reflection. Nor can it afford to endear Sophie Turner’s character before she transforms into an angst-ridden teenager capable of destroying the world.

A shame. The cast proves capable, the budget adequate, and while some of writer-director Simon Kinberg’s dialog drowns in cliches, he seems to harbor a genuine affection for the source material. Splitting this into three films and reworking the dialog might have reinvigorated the franchise.

Also, this entry takes place a decade before the original X-Men film. McAvoy and Fassbender should be in their fifties. Do their characters also possess a mutant power of aging well?