X-Men: Dark Phoenix Trailer Reaction
By: MSJ
The first trailer for the long-awaited X-Men sequel, Dark Phoenix has dropped this past week. Fan anticipation has been at an all-time high to see the phenomenal cast and crew behind the likes of First Class and Days of Future Past finally tackle the Dark Phoenix saga after the original attempt in the Last Stand fell flat. Does it live up to expectations and instill a new sense of hope that the classic storyline will finally be adapted properly? The answer is: kind of. From what was shown it does set the tone and premise of the film properly. Jean Grey has awakened (or been possessed) by the Phoenix force that lies within her, presumably after a mission that the X-Men have recently completed. Clips of various members either fearing for Jean or angry at Charles Xavier for something that he has done in the past are woven throughout. Giving the audience the sense that the central conflict will not be the X-Men fighting for Jean's soul against the malevolent force, but the team will be fighting each other over some moral quandary. Out of context, the premise sounds like a phenomenal interpretation to one of the greatest comic storylines of all time. The problems appear when you take into consideration that the movie is almost exactly like the past three films. Each of the new timeline X-Men films with Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, and Jennifer Lawrence leading them have in some way been rehashes of the same plot elements. There is a larger than life threat (Sebastian Shaw, the Sentinels, Apocalypse), with Charles and Magneto working together before colliding over their differences, the pair part ways respectfully (or disrespectfully) by the end, and finally in the next film they find some way to be in DIRECT opposition of each other only to cycle through the motions of their troubled relationship again. This perpetual struggle the two characters have was fine in the past films due to it being the very foundation that made First Class the best movie in the franchise.
The issue arises in whom the story is framed around, the Dark Phoenix saga is about Jean Grey not the choices of those around her. The trailer should give the sense that this is a very personal tale of tragedy as Jean struggles to fight the darkness inside her. The story should not be another vehicle for Charles and Magneto to collide over their worldviews, yet the overwhelming sensation that I had seen this before was the only feeling I experienced when watching the trailer. With this being the first trailer many conclusions that can be drawn are purely speculative as the film will inevitably have more trailers released, providing a more accurate representation of the final product before its Valentine day release. Even with the advent of future trailers the only true measure of quality will be the film itself, with the trailer only whetting the appetites for rabid fans starved to sink their teeth into the feast that is the Dark Phoenix.
Check out these other great articles:
DVDumpster Review: Police Patrol
The Venture Bros: An Exercise in Failure
Disenchantment Review
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The first trailer for the long-awaited X-Men sequel, Dark Phoenix has dropped this past week. Fan anticipation has been at an all-time high to see the phenomenal cast and crew behind the likes of First Class and Days of Future Past finally tackle the Dark Phoenix saga after the original attempt in the Last Stand fell flat. Does it live up to expectations and instill a new sense of hope that the classic storyline will finally be adapted properly? The answer is: kind of. From what was shown it does set the tone and premise of the film properly. Jean Grey has awakened (or been possessed) by the Phoenix force that lies within her, presumably after a mission that the X-Men have recently completed. Clips of various members either fearing for Jean or angry at Charles Xavier for something that he has done in the past are woven throughout. Giving the audience the sense that the central conflict will not be the X-Men fighting for Jean's soul against the malevolent force, but the team will be fighting each other over some moral quandary. Out of context, the premise sounds like a phenomenal interpretation to one of the greatest comic storylines of all time. The problems appear when you take into consideration that the movie is almost exactly like the past three films. Each of the new timeline X-Men films with Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, and Jennifer Lawrence leading them have in some way been rehashes of the same plot elements. There is a larger than life threat (Sebastian Shaw, the Sentinels, Apocalypse), with Charles and Magneto working together before colliding over their differences, the pair part ways respectfully (or disrespectfully) by the end, and finally in the next film they find some way to be in DIRECT opposition of each other only to cycle through the motions of their troubled relationship again. This perpetual struggle the two characters have was fine in the past films due to it being the very foundation that made First Class the best movie in the franchise.
The issue arises in whom the story is framed around, the Dark Phoenix saga is about Jean Grey not the choices of those around her. The trailer should give the sense that this is a very personal tale of tragedy as Jean struggles to fight the darkness inside her. The story should not be another vehicle for Charles and Magneto to collide over their worldviews, yet the overwhelming sensation that I had seen this before was the only feeling I experienced when watching the trailer. With this being the first trailer many conclusions that can be drawn are purely speculative as the film will inevitably have more trailers released, providing a more accurate representation of the final product before its Valentine day release. Even with the advent of future trailers the only true measure of quality will be the film itself, with the trailer only whetting the appetites for rabid fans starved to sink their teeth into the feast that is the Dark Phoenix.
Check out these other great articles:
DVDumpster Review: Police Patrol
The Venture Bros: An Exercise in Failure
Disenchantment Review
Follow us on social media:
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