Famke Janssen Vs Sophie Turner: Who's The Better Phoenix?

Fans have always longed for the Phoenix, one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe, to make its appearance in the big screen. They finally got their wish granted when “Dark Phoenix” hit the theaters last month.

Actress Sophie Turner, who is also known for playing Sansa Stark in the hit HBO series “Game Of Thrones,” was picked as the lead actor in the new Marvel film and portrayed the X-Men character Jean Grey. But “Dark Phoenix” is actually not the first film that introduced the fiery character to the big screen.

More than a decade ago, fans also saw Phoenix on the big screen in the 2006 movie “X-Men: The Last Stand.” In that film, Jean Grey was played by another stunning actress, the former fashion model Famke Janssen.

Of course some X-Men fans can’t help but compare the two actresses and make their own judgment as to who played the character better. As one can probably expect, fans are divided. Some say Janssen did it better, while others are convinced that Turner is the better Phoenix.

Redditor Zthe27th believed that Turner is better at portraying Phoenix than Janssen. “Counterpoint, Sophie Turner was one of the best parts of a flawed movie and Famke Janssen didn't exactly give Jean a ton of personality,” the Redditor wrote.

Meanwhile, some fans are convinced it’s Janssen who did a better job. “Slight edge to Famke Jannsen, but I don’t really think either of them had a lot to work wtih [sic] as far as character development, writing, or directing,” Adam Safran wrote on Quora.

However, Safran believes that the problem does not lie with either Turner or Janssen. “I think both actresses are good but neither has been given particularly good chances to showcase what they can do or big emotional moments in the movies they’ve been in,” he added. “I think if they had more room to display their [sic] characters they’d do better.”

Meanwhile, Redditor u/Igoritza said that Turner is a good actress, but the problem is that Janssen first portrayed the role. “Sophie Turner is bad choice, only because Famke Janssen was Jean Grey first,” the user wrote on the site.

However, the Redditor added that save for Michael Fassbender as Magneto and Evan Peters as Quicksilver, the original cast was just better overall. “The problem is, that the original cast was sooo good,” the user said. “Even Rebecca Romijin was perfect for the role of Mystique as she plays a much colder version than overrated Jennifer Lawrence. Everyone from ‘younger’ crew is OK at best, while original crew was perfect.”

A poll pitting Turner against Janssen on their portrayal of the Phoenix role was put up on IMDB, showing Janssen edging out her younger rival. Out of the 5,047 voters, 3,096 were in favor of Janssen while only 1,951 voted for Turner.

But this doesn’t mean that fans liked the “X-Men: The Last Stand” film at all. In fact, it was considered one of the “most maligned superhero movies in recent history,” according to Time. Fans were disappointed with how the film deviated from the comics’ plot and how the Dark Phoenix Saga was treated merely as a subplot in the movie.

Even the film’s writer admitted of its shortcomings. “My biggest regret from The Last Stand is that the Dark Phoenix story, which is the most enduring story in the history of this very esteemed saga, was given a back seat in the movie,” screenwriter Simon Kinberg said and added that they hoped to correct their previous mistakes in “Dark Phoenix.”