X-Men: Dark Phoenix (Simon Kinberg, 2019)

Ironically for something that promises an event in the X-Men universe of such monumental, shattering import, what we get here is the franchise effectively expiring not with a bang but with a whimper. Doubtless, considering the pig's ear that X-Men: The Last Stand was generally held to have made of the story of Jean Grey becoming nearly omnipotent and murderous at the same time, the studio execs probably thought there would be sufficient good will for yet another reboot. Should have made a better film than what you're rebooting then, shouldn't you?  It's not that the action or performances let it down so much, although when Jean gets into full apeshit mode, the pyrotechnics and targets for her mayhem are rather underwhelming, and Sophie Turner has little to do in the role apart from look stern lest she look just wet. It's just that it's so illogical, even for the genre (just to provide an example right at the start, some people seem to be able to breathe in space and others die instantly, with nary an explanation for the difference) and above all pointless. There's never any real sense of menace and most of the numerous characters crammed in serve as little more than scenery. Hugh Jackman was so right to sign out with the superlative Logan: this is a cash cow which yields less and less.

4/10