The second trailer for Dark Phoenix - the latest movie in the X-Men franchise, and the last under 20th Century Fox - has landed. And if you're keen to avoid spoilers, stop reading now! More importantly, don't watch the trailer because the spoiler contained within is massive. As both a movie fan and a blogger, I usually enjoy watching trailers. I like to get an idea of what I'm in for, but despite how awesome Dark Phoenix looks because of this trailer, I genuinely regret watching it, and it's all thanks to the aforementioned spoiler.
It's 1992, after the events of Apocalypse the X-Men are heroes. During a rescue mission in space the team are hit by what the director Simon Kinberg describes as a "cosmic force", causing Jean (Sophie Turner) to lose control of her powers, unleashing the Phoenix. This chain of events will tear the team apart over how to stop both Jean and the Phoenix. Could this be the end for the X-Men?
Well the answer to that first one is most likely yes. With Disney taking over control of the X-Men thanks to the Fox sale, who knows what will happen to our favourite team of mutants, not to mention this phenomenal cast. Could this be a great way to wrap things up before the take over? Or will we see this cast appear in the MCU? I for one would like to see them opposite the Avengers and/or the Guardians, but I have a sneaking suspicion we won't. But I've been wrong before, and I'm happy to be wrong here too.
So anyway, back to the trailer. First things first, the movie looks awesome (yeah I know I already aid that), lots of action, superb visuals, a very intriguing story and some utterly fantastic performances. Sophie Turner looks to be on top of her game as the two-sided coin that is Jean Grey and the Phoenix, cleverly shifting between these two very different personalities. We catch glimpses of how this dilemma tears the team apart, not to mention their attempts to stop her. One such scene involves Jean crushing Magneto's helmet, while his head is still in it. The look of fear and agony that Michael Fassbender is able to portray using only his eye is incredible. And then there's the mysterious villain played by Jessica Chastain. Little is known about her, but she's interested in Jean's powers and is clearly manipulating her, although for what reason is unclear. She is certainly very powerful and has the ability to make people see things.
As previously mentioned, Dark Phoenix looks to be pretty action-packed. It appears that the Blackbird will get put through its paces for the first time in a while. There's Jean's attack on a train that's transporting the X-team, all of whom are wearing Deadpool 2 style collars. No doubt they will at some point get free because - in what is a very cool shot - Magneto can be seen utilising an entire armoury...simultaneously. We even see some of the in-fighting that results from the situation. It seems that Charles did something to Jean as a child in an attempt to control her powers, and now the team are the ones who are paying for it. The focus however - as it should be - is very much on Jean and her seemingly limitless powers. Sure some of it looks a bit like The Last Stand, there was always going to be some overlap. But what I really like is that we see the conflict within her, as these two sides of her wrestle for control.
Now we come to the spoiler, so you need to stop reading if you don't want to know. In a world where fans are continually complaining about trailers giving away too much about movies, the people behind Dark Phoenix decided to throw in a major plot spoiler. It seems that in a fit of uncontrolled rage, Jean kills Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), and in very much a similar way to Cyclops in The Last Stand. Could this be a misdirect? Yes it is entirely possible, but this isn't the MCU, we don't normally see this level of trickery from the X-Men movies. And considering Simon Kinberg discussed Mystique's death reveal in an interview with Tim Stack of Entertainment Weekly, the likely hood is it's very real. There are other moments in the trailer that would back this assumption, such as a shot of Jean crying in the rain as she utters the words: "she was my friend". A funeral at the mansion in which Mystiques is absent followed by an argument between Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Hank McCoy (Nicholas Hoult). It would take the death of a very important character to cause a rift between those two! Mystique is also absent from what appear to be scenes from the third act.
It's definitely a bold choice to kill off a main character like that, especially one played by a superstar like Jennifer Lawrence. It would definitely go a long way to raising the stakes. But pretty much all of that is lost when you spoil what could be the most significant part of the movie, several months before it's released. Granted I'm not 100% convinced it's real at this point, but I'm definitely leaning that way. The problem is, when we do finally get around to watching Dark Phoenix, we won't be surprised either way when we get to this major scene, and that is a real shame.
Despite all of the spoiler issues and the big question mark hanging over the franchise thanks to the sale of 20th Century Fox, I am still really excited to see Dark Phoenix. Sophie Turner looks like she's going to do great as the lead, and she has a fantastic supporting cast behind her. From the look of the trailer, Simon Kinberg and his crew have pulled out all of the stops, and if it is to be the last - until Disney/Marvel reboots it - I hope they go out with a bang!
What did you think of the new Dark Phoenix trailer? Let us know by leaving a comment below or find us on Facebook and Twitter. You can also email us at moustachemovienews@gmail.com
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