The early reviews are in for Dark Phoenix, the twelfth and final installment of the X-Men series – and, um, they’re not exactly glowing. The film currently has an abysmal 19% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and a slew of eviscerating reviews to go along with it.
Most fans weren’t expecting the 19-year franchise to come to a satisfying end, given that Dark Phoenix‘s release date was pushed back from it’s original November date. But any dash of hope has been quickly squashed by early reviews.
The script’s writing is a main point of contention. “There’s way too much darkness, and not enough quicksilver wit,” says Michael O’Sullivan of The Washington Post. “…this plays out with all the pizzazz of a bowl of soggy cereal,” says Jo Berry of Movies4Kids. Yikes.
Emily Asher-Perrin of Tor.com is one of many reviewers to point out the missteps taken with Jean Grey, the main character played by Game of Thrones‘ Sophie Turner. “[The film] has no real interest in making Jean Grey the central character of her own film,” she writes.
Even the film’s star studded cast (Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy) couldn’t save Dark Phoenix, according to reviewers. “What’s truly amazing about “Dark Phoenix” is watching the charismatic, award-winning, star-packed cast flail about in this poorly written nonsense cartoon,” writes Katie Walsh of the Tribune News Service.
Few reviewers had anything positive to say about the film, but many are still determined to make their own assumptions. “I don’t care about the #DarkPhoenix reviews,” writes one on Twitter. “I’ll watch it for myself and decide if I liked it or not.”
Decide for yourself on June 7, 2019, when Dark Phoenix hits theaters nationwide.
This article originally appeared on Fatherly. Follow @FatherlyHQ on Twitter.
