X-Men Dark Phoenix Review: 4 Ups & 6 Downs

Downs...

6. The Cast Is (Mostly) Wasted

With only one major exception (which we'll get to later), pretty much everyone in Dark Phoenix's ensemble cast feels completely and utterly wasted.

It certainly isn't a film wanting for acting talent, which makes it all the more frustrating that so many skilled performers are squandered on...this.

First up, Jennifer Lawrence seems completely bored as Mystique, and to be honest, who can blame her?

She appears vaguely annoyed to even be there and decked out in her blue-skinned garb, with her every second of screen time screaming "contractual obligation."

Elsewhere, Michael Fassbender's Magneto is actually in the film a lot less than the marketing suggests, showing up at the mid-way point and, bar a few menacing grimaces, doing little he hasn't before.

Jessica Chastain meanwhile plays the film's totally forgettable alien villain, but one has to wonder why any filmmaker would cast one of the most talented actresses of her generation in a bland alien shape-shifter role that actively asks the actor not to emote. Bizarre.

As for the other peripheral X-Men, they're not given much to do, worst of all Quicksilver (Evan Peters), who is sidelined mid-way through the film, presumably to disguise the fact that he's a ridiculously over-powered character.

Before he disappears, he doesn't even bless fans with another slow-mo showcase scene, either.