X-Men: Dark Phoenix

Available digitally today!

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Before there was a Marvel Cinematic Universe, there were the X-Men.

When the original "X-Men" movie was released in 2000, it helped to usher in a new era for comic book films and proved that comic book adaptations could be taken seriously. Its sequel, "X2: X-Men United," is still heralded as a defining moment in the genre. Over nearly two decades and a dozen films, the franchise has seen its share of ups and downs as the creative brain trust has come and gone.

The original "X-Men" film trilogy attempted to tackle the Dark Phoenix storyline from the comics. The results were so bad that the series ended up being rebooted with a new cast and eventually introduced a time travel storyline to erase the damage done during that movie from the series' continuity. With that wiped from the universe, the classic story arc is being given another go.

In the new version of "Dark Phoenix," the X-Men are sent into Earth orbit to rescue a troubled spacecraft after it encounters a solar flare. While attempting to save the astronauts, the craft explodes with Jean Grey (Sophie Turner, "Game of Thrones") still onboard. Miraculously, she survives – but doesn't come back from space alone. She has absorbed the energy from the solar flare and it has made her the most powerful mutant in existence, heightening her previous powers and giving her some fancy new ones.

Unsure what is happening to her, Jean becomes a loose cannon anytime she becomes emotional. To paraphrase "Mean Girls," Jean just has a lot of feelings and she's unable to control her new powers when she gets angry. This leads to a deadly confrontation with her team after finding out that Professor Xavier lied to her as a child. Things are further complicated when an alien race starts searching for her to use the energy she gained in space to rebuild their planet.

Adapting the "Dark Phoenix" saga is probably a fool's game, especially to try to do it over the course of just a single movie. It's a highly regarded comic arc with lots of elements that make it difficult to translate onscreen. This version adheres closer to the basic storyline, including a version of many of the plot points from the comic than the utter disregard that was given to the story in "X-Men: The Last Stand."

But as an actress, Turner isn't strong enough to anchor the film. Much of the film centers on Jean grappling to get a handle on her power, but it comes across like the emo version of a superhero movie. Turner spends much of her screen time crying and explaining to pretty much any mutant willing to listen that she doesn't know what is happening. During the larger set pieces, she seems to almost get swallowed up, rather than commanding the audience's attention.

The "X-Men" films have assembled a stellar ensemble over the years, but they aren't given much to work with here as the focus is solely on Jean. As part of the alien life force, Jessica Chastain spends most of her time staring blankly into the distance. Jennifer Lawrence attempts to do what she can with the sometimes-clunky script, but her screen time is unfortunately cut short. Evan Peters is also a highlight, but his screen time amounts to little more than a cameo.

Simon Kinberg, a long-time producer for the series, is responsible for writing the two most derided entries in the series – both "The Last Stand" and "Apocalypse" – so it seems totally logical to give him the reins to make his feature film directing debut here. Unlike some of the previous "X-Men" directors, Kinberg, who also wrote the script, lacks a clear vision of what he is trying to do with the films, and it shows. "Dark Phoenix" lacks a sense of urgency, and the feeling of any real stakes, which drags down the pacing for the entire movie. It ends up making the action scenes feel a little bit underwhelming, as well.

If "Dark Phoenix" is the last film in the standard "X-men" franchise, its conclusion won't leave fans hanging (and don't worry about waiting around for a mid-credit scene), but it also closes out the groundbreaking franchise with more of a whimper than a bang. With the merger between Disney and Fox, if this is the end, it's only a matter of time before it gets rebooted. Hopefully, the franchise will be handled with more care than its current version.