If you’re looking for some sweet mutant-on-mutant action, then you’ve come to the right place! The fights may be few and far between Jean’s teen angst-ing but it’s worth the wait. Nothing warms our X-Men-loving hearts more than seeing super-powered beings kick the absolute stuffing out of each other reminds us of the classic 90s cartoon and even the first X-Men movie (2000).
We appreciate the film’s production for being transparent about reshoots. But it’s jarring to see Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) all ’roided up—likely buffed up for his role as The Horde in Glass. There were also key moments that were played up for serious drama but just looked cringey in execution and hilariously meme-worthy.
Scenes can also get awkward when pairing hammy actors with those phoning in their performance. That’s how we felt seeing Jennifer Lawrence reprise her role as Raven/Mystique. She looks so done with everything that’s happening in the movie. At least Professor X was still doing the most while Magneto (Michael Fassbender) and Beast (Nicholas Hoult) were somewhere in the middle. We can’t really blame JLaw and can def relate to feeling stuck in a job.
Jessica Chastain worked with what she had as Vuk but it still wasn’t enough. Vuk’s crew wasn’t worthy to fight against the X-Men but they all looked fly AF in corporate attire.
As for our main character, Sophie slayed both roles as the emotionally wrecked Jean and her OP alter-ego. The visual treatment for Phoenix was top-notch as she’s a one-woman rave party emitting the sickest lightshow and every movement is an #aesthetic moment for the ’Gram.
We also want to give Cyclops (Tye Sheridan) a bro hug for representing clueless but supportive boyfriends everywhere. His expression screams, “Babe, galit ka ba?” as he watches Phoenix mid-rage mode. Our boy is secure enough in his masculinity that he ain’t fazed dating a strong independent and powerful (off-the-charts level) woman that saves his sorry ass on a regular basis.
Jean’s struggles about feeling different and excluded from her own community aren’t anything new but are still relatable to this day. After all, real-life society is getting crappier by the minute. The underlying hugot-inducing message of the movie is how to deal with a loved one’s toxic behavior and learning when to stay and when to let go (You want them to be happy even when you’re no longer in the picture).
The narrative ain’t smooth sailing but we like that it never felt the need to rely on humor just to replicate another, ahem, popular franchise. The action scenes alone are worth a watch in 3D. It’s the X-Men talent show that we’ve always wanted to see dominating the screen. Neither the best nor the worst but offers potential for future mutant-centric stories.