X-Men: Dark Phoenix Blu-ray Review - Okay Extras but Nothing Amazing

By: Lynn Barker

In X-Men: Dark Phoenix, the X-Men must battle one of their own when Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) morphs into an all-powerful menace. When Jean is nearly killed on a space shuttle rescue mission by a weird cosmic force that enters her body amplifying her powers, unstable Jean starts to hurt the ones she loves with new uncontrollable force. The destruction she causes divides the X-Men. Can she be saved or must she be destroyed? When shapeshifting aliens led by Vuk (Jessica Chastain) try to gain the power for themselves, it is up to the divided X-Men to step in.

X-Men: Dark Phoenix Trailer

Young Jean

It’s 1975 and Jean Grey is 8-years-old when her psychic/telekinetic powers begin to manifest. Unable to control them, she accidentally causes a car crash that kills her parents. Professor X/Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) sees her mutant abilities and takes Jean to his school for exceptional mutant youngsters convincing her that she isn’t evil but special.

As an X-Man Jean was a heroCourtesy of 20th Century Fox

X-Men as Heroes

By 1992, the X-Men are cheered for aiding humankind as heroes. When the space shuttle Endeavour is critically damaged by what is thought to be a solar flare, the X-Men lead by Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) are sent to the rescue. They save all of the astronauts except the commander. Jean must literally hold the shuttle together telekinetically while he is rescued. She is successful but a strange purple mist envelopes the shuttle and goes into Jean’s body. She is left unconscious and thought dead but is brought back aboard the X-Men’s plane by Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee).

Mystique leads the rescue Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

A Changed Jean

Back home later, Hank (Nicholas Hoult) checks Jean’s health and learns that her power is greatly amplified but she feels great. Crowds cheer the victorious X-Men. Raven and Xavier argue. His ego makes him put the team in danger and the women in the group always seem to be saving the men. Jean and boyfriend Scott/Cyclops (Tye Sheridan) kiss and all seems well. Meanwhile, small alien ships land and the inhabitants take over the bodies of several people at a dinner party. While the younger X-Men are out partying, Raven tells Hank/Beast that Xavier has changed. He’s not the leader he used to be when they were the “first X-Men class”. 

Jean is changedCourtesy of 20th Century Fox

Rising From Death

At a school party, the younger mutants call Jean “The Phoenix” because she rose from apparent death. The fire from a campfire seems to kindle her new powers and she can’t control them. A shockwave knocks everyone down. Professor X tries to use his thought amplifier Cerebro to enter Jean’s head but she is too powerful. Her childhood memories are coming back. She now knows that her father wasn’t killed in the accident. She breaks up with Cyclops to protect him and goes back home to confront her father. Meanwhile alien leader Vuk rallies her troops and tells them they must have Jean’s new power.

Alien leader VukCourtesy of 20th Century Fox

The Old Neighborhood

When Jean confronts her father and learns that he was afraid of her, couldn’t control her and just turned her over willingly to Xavier, she is hurt and furious and her powers start destroying everything. The arrival of X-Men friends doesn’t stop her and one of the X-Men is killed along with policemen. Jean flies away and the shattered X-Men return to the school to bury their lost colleague while Vuk and group arrive to question Jean’s dad. The X-Men are divided by the death of one of their own and members take sides; some to kill Jean others to protect her.

Vuk encourages Jean to use her powersCourtesy of 20th Century Fox

Magneto’s Compound

Jean goes to an isolated mutant compound headed by Magneto/Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) hoping he can help her control her powers but he can’t and turns against her when he learns that she has killed a beloved X-Men member. Her powers wreck the approaching military and some of the compound before she leaves. Again, mutants are hated by humans. Jean uses her powers to hide but Vuk finds her and explains that he/she is from an alien race from a planet destroyed by the cosmic force Jean absorbed. The aliens must control it. They take Jean to their headquarters and vow to kill her if they can’t get her power.

An upset Jean hidesCourtesy of 20th Century Fox

Picking Sides

Hank/Beast feels betrayed by Xavier who wiped out Jean’s memories, mourns his dead colleague and allies with Erik and his mutant refugees to kill Jean in New York. The two X-Men “teams” battle each other in the streets and Erik confronts Jean but is overpowered by her stronger abilities. Vuk tries to fully absorb Jean’s new cosmic force but Xavier and Cyclops/Scott stop her and both mutant factions are captured by government soldiers and held on a train going to a containment facility.

Vuk wants Jean's enormous powerCourtesy of 20th Century Fox

Last Battle

Vuk and her alien forces attack the train and when the soldiers are overpowered by the shape-shifting aliens, they free the mutants from restraints to combat the alien threat. Vuk tries again to drain all of the cosmic power from Jean. The X-Men realize that their dead colleague would want them and Jean to act as one family to fight the alien threat so they reunite but who will win and will Jean do more damage to her friends? Will she survive?

Special Extra Features

• Deleted Scenes – six of them. Most are short and the most notable is the “Charles Says Goodbye” scene in which the head of the mutant school, says goodbye to his life there. Really touching and well-acted by James McAvoy. There is also a few ending lines by Raven/Mystique that are nice.
• Rise of the Phoenix: The Making Of Dark Phoenix is the big featurette covering all of the character relationships and changes as told by the actors and filmmakers. Setting the tone of the film is discussed as well as writer Simon Kinberg as first time director, Sophie Turner talks taking on the difficult role, Jennifer Lawrence on leaving the role of Raven/Mystique, etc. profiles of all the lesser known X-Men. Also included is info on production design, sets, locations, stunts, cinematography, costumes and SPFX. A very thorough extra.

Jean in happier timesCourtesy of 20th Century Fox

• How to Fly Your Jet to Space with Beast – A cute but hardly hilarious extra featuring actor Nicholas Hoult in Beast make-up introducing us to the X-Men jet features and flaws while showing us his lunch and weird flip flop shoes. Mildly funny but doesn’t take the place of a good Blooper or Gag Reel extra.
• Audio Commentary with Director Simon Kinberg and Producer Hutch Parker – covers much of the making of material in the other extras but provides some high points.

Wrapping Up

As we said in our theatrical review of the film, “This final X-Men film hopes to be full of emotion and lessons on absolute power and its consequences, redemption, love and family but when contrasted with the emotional success of the last Avengers “Endgame” film, it fails. The heart just isn’t here. It’s not emotionally satisfying. It seems most of the cast is just tired of their characters and is just walking through the film in a daze. Different actors playing the key roles over time and, no Wolverine in his one doesn’t help. 

Sophie does a great job playing JeanCourtesy of 20th Century Fox

Sophie Turner does a good job of focusing on Jean’s distraught mental state and it is very nice that, since the Famke Janssen era playing the character, filmmakers decided to focus more on Jean’s story and what makes her tick when she gains so much power. Just wish it could have been done with more emotional satisfaction.

This home entertainment Blu-ray/DVD/Digital set looks and sounds quite good and the extras are informative with lots of actor commentary but again, missing the upbeat enthusiasm we would expect. I always miss a funny Gag Reel as well.

Although worth collecting to finish off your X-Men home collection of these films, we wish the movie had been more satisfying. We go three stars.

X-Men: Dark Phoenix Blu-ray Rating: 

Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

X-Men: Dark Phoenix is in stores Tuesday, Sept. 17^th

What is Your Take on the Film?

How do you feel about X-Men films and this one in particular? Have you read about Dark Phoenix in comic books? How would you have ended the film version of the X-Men saga?  Do you like Sophie Turner?  Let’s hear from you about the end of the X-Men journey! Comment or write about it on your profile page.