Not quite as bad as everyone makes out...

Rating: 7/10 (15 August 2019)

This film has kind of become known as one people point to as supposed evidence that the third films in trilogies (usually) 'suck'. While there are certainly quite a few flaws, it's not entirely horrible...though the still-early-stages de-ageing effects used on Patrick Stewart's Professor Xavier and Ian McKellen's Erik Lehnsherr in a flashback to them meeting a young Jean Grey are pretty freaky-looking in their unnatural smoothness and orange complexion. Apparently-not-THAT-wise Professor X decided that suppressing a dark force/alternate personality inside young Jean that he calls 'the Phoenix' was the wisest course of action (but all she was doing was levitating water!). We're also introduced to young Warren Worthington III, who has angel wings...and that's about the only noteworthy thing regarding his character. He flies, saves a person near the end and is the reason for a cure to mutation being created (which doesn't sit well with Magneto).
Cut to the 'present' and we finally get to see Sentinels via a simulation in the Danger Room, with X-Men we know, such as Wolverine, Storm, Iceman and Rogue, whose power should be one of the BEST, but is presented as the lamest. Literally, the only time we see it is on display is when Colossus grabs her so she takes on his 'organic steel' power and is shielded from flying debris....she doesn't even take the initiative to do it herself!), ones we hardly know (the aforementioned Colossus), and ones who've been recast (Ellen Page plays the *third* Kitty pride, after the character made cameos in the two previous films, curiously de-aging between film 1 and 2, as she was played by two different actresses).
Poor Cyclops, who's still mourning, gets the least amount of screentime yet, sharing a brief exchange with Wolverine before going off to blast Alkali Lake with his optic beams that he blames for Jean's fate in the last film. Much to his surprise, Jean resurrects (she's a PHOENIX, see)...and that's about the last we see of him. Meanwhile, Magneto's busy recruiting a bunch of forgettable evil mutants because he's still all about "Humanity sucks, mutants rule!". Sadly, Magneto's only interesting ally, Rebecca Romijn's Mystique, is sorely wasted/mistreated here. And...we get Vinnie Jones' Juggernaut in exchange? Unfair trade!
The prospect of a mutant curse proves divisive among the X-Men, with Rogue looking at it as a chance for her finally to have physical contact without hurting people, while Storm's opposed. After Jean returns, it's not long before she starts getting all black-eyed and veiny as the Phoenix starts to reemerge. There's a scene midway through the movie that's both visually exciting and "WTF!"-worthy in its shocking climax. Doubt many people saw this coming. It *should* be super emotional, and Hugh Jackman does his best to treat it as so, but one of the film's flaws is that these 'big' moments don't seem to carry as much weight as they could've/should've.
There are questionable actions from various characters, some attempts at humour that often fall flat, and even the film's big end battle isn't all it could've been (though, admittedly, the visuals of Jean unleashing her full Phoenix force are pretty spectacular. The music also adds a lot). For a film that tackles something quite important to the characters that populate the X-Men world, and with stakes so high, it's quite the feat to make this film feel so unsatisfying. Yes, there are quite a few 'bad' parts, but there are also some 'good' parts sprinkled throughout. Although this movie's become somewhat of a 'joke' now, I certainly don't regard it as the worst out of the whole franchise.